GEG 1301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Tropopause, Mount Pinatubo, Thermosphere
30 Mar 2016
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GEG 1301 Full Course Notes
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The atmosphere is created and maintained by the earth"s gravity. Argon is produced by the decay of 40k in rocks. Homosphere: up to 80 km, gasses are well mixed. Heterosphere: 80 480 km, gasses are stratified bases on molecular weight. Co2 levels vary between glacial and interglacial periods. Ancient levels of gases are determined using ice cores. Major volcanic eruptions can have major effects on the earth"s climate. Pinatubo eruption dropped temperatures globally by ~ 0. 5 c for a year. Wildfires cause an increase in co2 and produce large amounts of black soot. Troposphere: 0-12/18km, temperatures decrease with increasing altitude. Decrease in atmospheric pressure drive the drop in temperature. Midlatitude tropopause is at 12 km, while the equatorial tropopause is found at 18 km. Stratosphere: 12/18 50 km, temperatures increase form - 60 to 0 c. Contains ozone layer (20-40 km) which absorbs uv radiation and reemits long wave radiation, which increases temperature.
