Weather amp Climate What is weather Come up with some examples of weather with your group What is Climate How is climate different from weather Weather or climate If it is sunny on Saturday I will go to the park ID: 772045
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Weather & Climate
What is weather? Come up with some examples of “weather” with your group
What is Climate? How is climate different from weather?
Weather or climate? ______ If it is sunny on Saturday, I will go to the park. ______ The Antarctic Region is dryer than the Arctic Region. ______ People move to California because it never gets too cold. ______ The Forecast called for rain today, but not tomorrow. ______ Three years ago we had snow on Christmas Day. ______ Thunderstorms dropped 6 inches of rain on Boston this week . ______ The Desert Southwest is generally hot and dry . ______ Michigan averages 150-200 inches of snow per year .
Layers of the atmosphere Set up a blank diagram with room for 5 layers of the atmosphere. Leave room on one side for descriptions, important information.
Earth’s atmosphere consists of five layers of gases. The pull of gravity on the gas molecules keeps these layers of gases in place. Because gravitational pull weakens as we move farther away from Earth, molecules are more densely packed closer to Earth and less densely packed farther from Earth. On your diagram, label where in the atmosphere you would find the “most dense” and “least dense” atmosphere.
The layer closest to the Earth’s surface is the troposphere . The troposphere is the densest layer of the atmosphere: most of the atmosphere’s nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor occur in this layer. The troposphere is characterized by a great deal of circulation and mixing of liquid and gases, and it is the layer where Earth’s weather occurs. Air temperature in the troposphere decreases with distance from Earth’s surface and varies with latitude.
Above the troposphere is the stratosphere. Because of its greater distance from Earth’s gravitational pull, the stratosphere is less dense than the troposphere. Ozone (O 3 ) forms a layer within the stratosphere. This ozone layer absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. UV radiation can cause DNA damage and cancer in organisms, so the stratospheric ozone layer provides critical protection for our planet.
Beyond the stratosphere is the mesosphere , the thermosphere , and the exosphere . Given the weaker gravitational pull on molecules at these greater distances from Earth, the atmospheric pressure and density in each of these layers decreases as it extends into space.