GGR100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Sulfur Oxide, Smog, Mount Pinatubo
Document Summary
We examine the modern atmosphere using criteria of composition, temperature ad function. Our look at the atmosphere also includes the spatial aspects of both natural and human-produced air pollution. We all participate in atmosphere processes with each breath we take, the energy we consume, the traveling we do and the products we buy. Human actives cause stratospheric ozone losses and the blight of acid deposition on ecosystems. These topics are essential to physical geography, for we are influencing the atmospheric composition for the future. Think of it as a thin envelope of imperfectly shaped concentric shells or spheres . Using chemical composition, the atmosphere divides into 2 broad regions: heterosphere (80-480 km) Less than 0. 001% of atmo. mass is here. Gases in layers, heavier lower (o, n), lighter higher (h, he: homosphere (earth surface-80 km) < 0. 999% of the atmo. mass is here [mainly n2 @ 78%, o2 @ 21%, argon, co2 <1%]
