PDS AP Environmental Science 5th Period 2010-11

Is the Coriolis Effect directly related to global cells, and if so in what way?

If so, download some practice questions in the box titled “ALZ Biome Practice Test.”

-W

I know the composition of the troposphere includes N2, O2, and the variable gases. Do we need to know what the stratosphere is made up of other than O3 (the ozone layer)? and if so can somebody tell me what else makes it up.

How have the organisms in the bathyal zone of the ocean adapted to get enough light?  because i know there’s only a little light (twilight). but do photosynthetic organisms exist in this zone?

I understand that the Hadley Cells are in the tropics, Ferrel Cells are in the temperate regions, and the Polar cells are in the polar regions, but what other differences exist between the different types of cells? Since the hot air is always rising what effect does the direction of air flow in these convection cells have on precipitation?

On Friday we continued our discussion on the Earth’s Atmosphere and why we have a diversity of climates throughout the Earth.

1.  UNEVEN HEATING OF THE EARTH

- Shape

- Tilt (23.5 degrees from the vertical axis)

- Orbit

We did a quick experiment with the globe to show how the shape and tilt affect the heating of the Earth. We used one of the globes at school and put thermometers on the Equator, North Pole, and between those two. We then had a bright light shine on the globe to see how the shape and tilt affects the thermometer’s temperatures. After time, the equator had risen 8 degrees, the one close to where we live had risen 6 degrees, and the thermometer further north had not changed. This showed that since the poles get less direct energy than the equator causing the Earth to be heated unevenly.

We also looked at how the Earth orbits around the sun:

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/mclass/sl/1/4.html

There are parts of the world that have 1, 2, or 4 seasons due to where they are located and where the Earth is in comparison to the sun.

2. DIFFERENCES IN LAND AND WATER

- Distribution

- Specific Heat (The amount of energy it takes to change a piece of matter by 1 degree)

- Convection Cells

We did an experiment to look at how the distribution of the land and water can affect seasons. We compared water and soil under a strong a light with a thermometer. The water has a higher specific heat causing the water’s temperature to rise slower than the soil. Since there is more land north of the equator than south of the equator and the land heats up quicker than the Earth, it makes a difference on how the Earth heats up.

For an experiment to make a convection cell, we used two tubes (one with ice at the bottom and one with hot water). The equation D=M/V proves that warm air rises and cold air sinks. So we stuck a stick that had the edge on fire so that we could see the flow of the air with the smoke. We then put a tube connecting the hot and cold tube so we could see how the air flows between the two tubes. The cold air would sink, go through the connecting tube, and then rise in the warm tube creating a convection cell.

3. ROTATION OF EARTH

- Global Winds

- Coriolis Effect

http://theparadoxproject.com/Blog/tabid/68/EntryId/7/Four-Corners-of-the-Earth-Explained.aspx

We then looked at a diagram very similar to this one in our packet and discussed how the winds go both East and West. These winds take place in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, which are 2 of the structures that we talked about the day before.

We also watch a quick film on the Coriolis Effect, which showed why the winds go in the directions that they do. They showed a good example on a Merry-Go-Round with someone who was throwing a ball to another. YOUTUBE VIDEO. It is very similar to this video on Youtube. If someone on a merry-go-round throws a ball to someone off of it, it will appear as if the ball is curving, but if you watch it from above you will see that the ball is actually going in a straight line. It is because of the force that the Earth has as it is rotating and this is why the winds curve instead of going straight.

What’s Really in our Atmosphere?

In order to understand biomes, we have to understand why temperature and precipitation change in different places around the world. To start the understanding of this we talked about the composition and structure of the Earth’s atmosphere.

I: Composition-

• 78% Nitrogen- stable, inert gas because of the triple bond between the two nitrogen, does not help or harm organisms when they breath it in.
• 21% Oxygen- highly reactive
• 1%- Variable gases: water, {carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide} warming gases, ozone

II: Structure- 4 basic layers- highest to lowest

• Thermosphere
• Mesosphere
• Stratosphere- contains the ozone layer which is blocks u.v. rays and is called “global sunscreen”
• Troposphere- called the “weather maker” because all weather occurs in this layer of atmosphere
• As you move higher in the atmosphere the atmospheric pressure goes down

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/atmosphere/atmosphere/layers.gif

One other important thing to know in order to understand biomes is the difference between climate and weather because climate is the reason for different biomes, not weather.

Climate v.s. Weather

Climate- regional, years/decades, occurs in upper troposphere and lower stratosphere: driven by the sun and the composition of the Earth

Weather- local, hour/day/week, occurs in lower troposphere: driven by climate