GRADE 10 TERM 1 NOTES

THE ATMOSPHERE
1. COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE

WHAT IS THE ATMOSPHERE?

It is the layer of gases surrounding the Earth’s surface.
The density of gases decreases with height as one move away from the earth’s surface.
COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE/ what is made of

The atmosphere is made of:

- Solid particles (ice, salt, smoke, carbon, and dust),
- Liquid (water) and
- Gas (permanent and variable)

WHY THE ATMOSPHERE ISIMPORTANCE

Because it

- Contains oxygen which is essential for respiration in humans

- Contain carbon dioxide for plants to grow
- Acts as blanket around the earth
- Protects life on earth

GASSES IN THE ATMOSPHERE

We have two types of gases in the atmosphere namely:

1. Permanent gases-
These gases occur in a fixed percentage in the atmosphere
- Nitrogen has a fixed quantity of 78%
- Oxygen – 21%
- Argon – 0.9%
2. Variable gases-
These are gases that do not occur in the fixed % in the atmosphere
- Water vapour
- Carbon dioxide

WHY ARE THESE GASES IMPORTANT/ SIGNIFICANCE

1. Permanent gases 2. Variable gases

Nitrogen - is important for plant growth Water vapour- Important for climatic
Oxygen – is important for cell respiration processes such as rainfall
and for combustion(burning) Carbon dioxide varies because of number
Argon – used mainly for industrial purposes of people, combustion, amount of
such as welding and manufacture of vegetation etc.
electrical bulbs. Also known as a noble gas.
STRUCTURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere consists of four distinct layers:

- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Thermosphere

HOW DOES IT LOOK LIKE

Layers of the atmosphere and their importance

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE IMPORTANCE

EXOSPHERE EXOSPHERE
- Outer layer of the thermosphere It is here that satellite orbits the earth
- From 550km to thousands of
kilometers into space
THERMOSPHERE THERMOSPHERE
- Outer layer of atmosphere - Absorbs high energy radiation from the
- Extend from 80km to merge the space sun
- Temperature increases with altitude. - Prevents rocks from space entering the
- Air particles reach temperature of lower atmosphere
about 500°C-1800°C
MESOSPHERE MESOSPHERE
- From about 50km to 80 km above the Prevents rocks from space entering the lower
stratosphere atmosphere
- Temperature decreases with altitude
- Temperature can -80°C.
- Upper limit is mesopause
STRATOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE
- Located above the troposphere - Contains ozone which supplements our
- Contains Ozone layer oxygen
- Temperature increases with altitude - Airplanes are flown in this layer
(negative lapse rate) - Airplanes uses winds in this layer to
pick up speed
TROPOSPHERE TROPOSHERE
- Closest to the Earth’s surface - Produces weather
- Height of 10km (poles) and about 17km - We breathe oxygen in from this layer
(equator) - Has gases such as oxygen and water
- Air densest in the layer vapor that are essential for life on
- Highest amount of oxygen and water earth.
vapor - Produce water through rain
- Temperature decreases with altitude - Produce food to eat
- Separated from stratosphere by
Tropopause

THE OZONE LAYER

1. What is ozone layer?

It is blanket like Gas made up of 3 oxygen atoms.

It is located in the Stratosphere.

Why is ozone layer important?

- Because it Absorbs 99% of the ultraviolet rays of the sun

How thick is ozone layer

- The thickness varies from latitude to latitude and season to season

 OZONE DEPLETION
What is ozone depletion?
- It is the gradual thinning of Earth's ozone layer in the upper atmosphere

The thinning is most pronounced in the Polar Regions, especially over Antarctica.

What cause the ozone depletion?

- The release of chemical compounds from industry and other human activities.
- Supersonic jet flights release ozone attacking gases in the stratosphere
- Spraying aerosol cans that are not ozone friendly
- Using nitrogen fertilizers
- Release of Chlorofluorocarbons
- Propellants in aerosol cans
- Coolants in refrigerators and air conditioning

Effects of ozone depletion

• Less absorption of UV rays

- Cause skin cancer

- Cataracts in human and animal eyes
- Lowering the immune system
- Increased incidence of malaria
- Kill phytoplankton in ocean
- Disrupt marine food web
- Reduce growth in plants
STRATEGIES TO REDUCE OZONE DEPLETION

- Use of ozone friendly products

- Reduce the production of CFK
- Plant more trees to release oxygen through photosynthesis
- Strict regulations to reduce the emissions of cars and
- Regulations against the burn of fossil fuels
- Use of solar and wind energy to reduce the emissions of the burning of coal
2. HEATING OF THE ATMOSPHERE and TR ANSFER OF HEAT IN THE ATMOSPHERE

What causes heat in the atmosphere?

Solar radiation/ heat from the sun

- The amount of sun’s energy/heat given off by the sun.

- Only 46% of the sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because it moves in short waves
- 54% is lost by scattering, absorption and reflection.
Heating of the atmosphere happens it two forms
HEATING OF THE ATMOSPHERE
TRANSFER OF HEAT IN THE ATMOSPHERE

PROCESSES HEATING THE ATMOSPHERE

SCATTERING REFLECTION ABSORPTION

- Occurs when small particles - The act of sending the sun’s - The process whereby
and gases diffuse (split up) energy back in the direction clouds, and solid matter
the sun’s rays in random it came from without much absorb energy
directions without altering absorption.
the wavelength at all. -About 24% is absorbed by
- About 8% of heat is - Clouds appear white water vapor, carbon dioxide,
scattered by dust, smoke, because they reflect a lot of smoke and dust particles
and air particles before the light.
sun’s heat reaches the
surface.
 TRANSFER OF HEAT IN THE ATMOSPHERE

PROCESSES TRANSFERING HEAT

CONVECTION CONDUCTION TERRESTRIAL RADIATION

• Earth’s surface • The transfer of heat • The earth’s surface is
warms up, expands, gets between substances that heated by means of
lighter and rises. are in direct contact. radiation from the sun.
• As air rise it cools • When air touch the • This radiation is in
and sinks again to earth’s warm surface of the Earth. the form of short waves.
surface • The atmosphere in
turn is heated by radiation
from the earth
• Long wave radiation
from the sun is called
Terrestrial Radiation

HORIZONTAL VARIATION IN TEMPERATURE ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE

FACTORS AFFECTING TEMPERATURE
There are 4 factors that affect temperature
- Latitude
- Altitude
- Ocean currents
- Distance from the ocean
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT and GLOBAL WARMING
What is greenhouse gas/gases?

- It is the way in which the earth is able to trap radiation from a planet’s atmosphere
and warms the planet’s surface heat within its atmosphere.
- The gases in the atmosphere absorb the long wave radiation from the sun.
- The temperature above what it would be without this atmosphere
These gases have the ability to absorb and retain heat.

GAS % What produce the gas

Methane 10% Cattle, landfills, agriculture

Nitrous oxide 5% Manure, transport,
agriculture
Carbon dioxide 72% Transport, industries
CFCs 13% Transport

RESULT OF GREENHOUSE
- The problem however is that over the years more and more heat is being trapped
and
- this is making the earth warmer than it should be and we refer to this as global
warming
- Warmer atmosphere – Global warming
STRATEGIES TO REDUCE
- Reduce greenhouse gasses
- Plant more trees
- Use of solar and wind energy
- Regulate the release of gasses from industries
GLOBAL WARMING
What is global warming?
It is the Warmer atmosphere – Global warming
CAUSES OF THE GLOBAL WARMING
• Burning of fossil fuels, releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
• Deforestation: trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen
• Destruction of the ozone layer
• Increased pollutants that trap heat.
• Greater demand for cattle results in more methane gas.
• Use of CFC’s in the manufacturing industry.
• Use of more cars and human activities that generate heat.
• Rapid population growth

Global warming IMPACT ON PEOPLE

• Increase in global warming.
• Melting of polar ice – caps
• Rising sea levels, which results in the flooding of low-lying areas Climatic changes
• Spread of desertification
• Increase in drought-stricken areas
• Increase in diseases such as malaria Drop in food production due to droughts,
extinction of plants, fish and animals
• Infectious diseases (Cholera, Malaria), because of warmer temperatures
• Migration of people to cooler climates
IMPACT OF GLOBAL WARMING ON ENVIRONMENT
• Rise of global temperatures
• Plants and animals that can’t adapt to the higher temperatures become extinct.
• Oceans become warmer
• Marine organisms become extinct
• More extreme weather e.g. storms, droughts, heat waves fires and floods
• Melting of snow and ice at the poles
• Rising sea levels because of the melting snow
• Climate change
MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE
THREE STATES OF WATER
Water exists in the atmosphere in three different physical states

• Gas (water vapor in the atmosphere)

• Liquid (water that is in tiny water droplets that can be rain or fog)
• Solid (ice crystals in the atmosphere can also fall to the ground as hail and snow)
Distribution of water:
In the Ocean. Salt water is 97.5%
Fresh water. Rivers, dams, lakes and underground is 2.5%
THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE
The hydrological cycle/water cycle is the journey of water as water molecules make their
way from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere, and back again.
This gigantic system, powered by energy from the Sun, is a continuous exchange of moisture
between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land

• Evaporation and transpiration are the primary source of water vapor,

• Rising air currents carry it upward, into the atmosphere, where the air is cooler.
• In the cool air, water vapor condenses from a gas to a liquid to form cloud droplets.
• Cloud droplets can grow and produce precipitation (including rain, snow, sleet,
freezing rain, and hail)
• Then precipitation falls over the land surface
• Some of it evaporates, returning to the atmosphere.
• Some seeps into the ground as soil moisture or groundwater; and
• Some runs off into rivers and streams.
• Almost all of the water eventually flows into the oceans or other bodies of water,
where the cycle continues
CLOUD FORMATION

Cloud Type Characteristics (height) Weather

Cumulonimbus Tall (8-10 km), dark grey, strong air Summer rain –
currents thunderstorms
Cirrus Thin, wispy (thin lines), 8 km and above, No precipitation, indication
point in the direction of the wind of a cold
blowing Front
Cumulus Big cotton wool balls, clear sky in Can create rain/hail
between
Can develop into cumulonimbus in
summer and spring
Stratus Flat, hazy, featureless, at low altitudes, May produce drizzle
vary in color from dark grey to white
TYPES OF RAINFALL

DIFFERENT FORMS OF PRESIPITATION

SYNOPTIC WEATHER MAP