ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100

Summer 2004

Lecture #2-A scheduled for:

15 JUN 2004 (T)

Recommended Readings from Moran (2002):

pages 15-35.

NOTE: This lecture continues as Atmospheric Pressure

Today's Lecture Objectives:

• To locate the homosphere and the heterosphere and distinguish the features of each region.
• To rank the major gaseous constituents found in the present earth's atmosphere according to their relative volumetric concentration.
• To discuss the importance of the atmospheric components: major fixed gases, carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone and dust.
• To identify how the earth's atmospheric constituents have evolved by outlining the principal events in the evolution of the earth's atmosphere.
• To explain how human activities could influence the composition of the present earth's atmosphere.
• To identify the factors that determine the capability of a planet to maintain an atmosphere.
• To locate the ionosphere and describe its origin and implications for radio transmission.
• To locate the region of maximum auroral activity and explain its occurrence.

Outline:

A. PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

B. PRESENT EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

• Background
• Early Classical Greek Thought
• Modern Chemistry Terminology (Elements, Compounds, Mixtures)
• Vertical Variations of the Atmospheric Composition
• HOMOSPHERE
• HETEROSPHERE
• Constituents of Air in the Homosphere
• Principal Fixed Permanent Gases of Dry Air in the Homosphere
• Principal Variable gases in the Homosphere
• Anthropogenic Substances
• Aerosols (Liquids or solids suspended in the Atmosphere)
• Principal Gases in the Heterosphere

C. ORIGIN & EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

• General History of the Atmosphere
• Rationale for Current Composition
• Effects of Human Intervention

D. ATMOSPHERES OF OTHER PLANETS - COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY

• General Composition Considerations
• Atmospheric Composition of the Planets

E. VARIATION OF CHARGED PARTICLES WITH HEIGHT

• Composition (Ions)
• Location
• Ionosphere
• Magnetosphere
• Implications
• Radio communications
• Aurora Borealis (Australis)
• The Reasons for the Ionosphere

Links to Other References:

Additional information can be found on the Internet through the following sites:

• Concentrations of Atmospheric Trace Gases from Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
  See also most recent graph.
• Trace Gas Emissions from Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
• Graphs of concentrations of various Halocarbons and Carbon Cycle Greenhouse gases from NOAA's CMDL (Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Laboratory)
• Web site for Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii
• Background material on CFCs
• http://www.epa.gov/ozone/defns.html#cfc
• http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/noah/publictn/elkins/cfcs.html
• NOAA's Space Weather Page from Space Environment Center
• The Aurora Page From Michigan Tech
• Aurora Borealis - The Northern Lights
• Auroral activity maps from Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks
• Planetary information from National Space Science Data Center (NASA in NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD).
• NASA Lewis Participation in Mars Pathfinder

URL: aos100/lectures/s0402acom.html