Atmosphere (from the Greek ατμός - "steam" and σφαῖρα - "sphere") - the gaseous shell of a celestial body, held around it by gravity. Atmosphere - the gaseous shell of the planet, consisting of a mixture of various gases, water vapor and dust. The exchange of matter between the Earth and the Cosmos takes place through the atmosphere. The Earth receives cosmic dust and meteorite material, loses the lightest gases: hydrogen and helium. The Earth's atmosphere is penetrated through and through by the powerful radiation of the Sun, which determines the thermal regime of the planet's surface, causing the dissociation of atmospheric gas molecules and the ionization of atoms.
The Earth's atmosphere contains oxygen, which is used by most living organisms for respiration, and carbon dioxide, which is consumed by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria during photosynthesis. The atmosphere is also a protective layer on the planet, protecting its inhabitants from solar ultraviolet radiation.
All massive bodies have an atmosphere - terrestrial planets, gas giants.
Composition of the atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases consisting of nitrogen (78.08%), oxygen (20.95%), carbon dioxide (0.03%), argon (0.93%), a small amount of helium, neon, xenon, krypton (0.01%), 0.038% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of hydrogen, helium, other noble gases and pollutants.
The modern composition of the Earth's air was established more than a hundred million years ago, but the sharply increased human production activity nevertheless led to its change. At present, there is an increase in the content of CO 2 by about 10-12%. The gases that make up the atmosphere perform various functional roles. However, the main significance of these gases is determined primarily by the fact that they very strongly absorb radiant energy and thus have a significant effect on temperature regime Earth's surface and atmosphere.
The initial composition of a planet's atmosphere usually depends on the chemical and thermal properties of the sun during the formation of the planets and the subsequent release of external gases. Then the composition of the gas envelope evolves under the influence of various factors.
The atmospheres of Venus and Mars are mostly carbon dioxide with small additions of nitrogen, argon, oxygen and other gases. The earth's atmosphere is largely a product of the organisms living in it. Low-temperature gas giants - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - can hold mostly low molecular weight gases - hydrogen and helium. High-temperature gas giants, such as Osiris or 51 Pegasi b, on the contrary, cannot hold it and the molecules of their atmosphere are scattered in space. This process is slow and continuous.
Nitrogen, the most common gas in the atmosphere, chemically little active.
Oxygen, unlike nitrogen, is a chemically very active element. The specific function of oxygen is the oxidation of organic matter of heterotrophic organisms, rocks and under-oxidized gases emitted into the atmosphere by volcanoes. Without oxygen, there would be no decomposition of dead organic matter.
Atmospheric structure
The structure of the atmosphere consists of two parts: the inner - troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere, or ionosphere, and the outer - magnetosphere (exosphere).
1) Troposphere- this is Bottom part atmosphere, in which 3\4 are concentrated i.e. ~ 80% of all earth's atmosphere. Its height is determined by the intensity of vertical (ascending or descending) air currents caused by the heating of the earth's surface and the ocean, so the thickness of the troposphere at the equator is 16-18 km, at temperate latitudes 10-11 km, and at the poles - up to 8 km. The air temperature in the troposphere at altitude decreases by 0.6ºС for every 100m and ranges from +40 to -50ºС.
2) Stratosphere located above the troposphere and has a height of up to 50 km from the surface of the planet. The temperature at an altitude of up to 30 km is constant -50ºС. Then it begins to rise and at an altitude of 50 km reaches +10ºС.
The upper boundary of the biosphere is the ozone screen.
The ozone shield is a layer of the atmosphere within the stratosphere, located on different height from the Earth's surface and having a maximum ozone density at an altitude of 20-26 km.
The height of the ozone layer at the poles is estimated at 7-8 km, at the equator at 17-18 km, and the maximum height of the presence of ozone is 45-50 km. Above the ozone screen, life is impossible due to the harsh ultraviolet radiation of the Sun. If you compress all the ozone molecules, you get a layer of ~ 3mm around the planet.
3) Mesosphere– the upper boundary of this layer is located up to a height of 80 km. Its main feature is a sharp drop in temperature -90ºС at its upper boundary. Silvery clouds consisting of ice crystals are fixed here.
4) Ionosphere (thermosphere) - located up to an altitude of 800 km and it is characterized by a significant increase in temperature:
150km temperature +240ºС,
200km temperature +500ºС,
600km temperature +1500ºС.
Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation from the sun, gases are in an ionized state. Ionization is associated with the glow of gases and the occurrence of auroras.
The ionosphere has the ability to repeatedly reflect radio waves, which provides long-range radio communications on the planet.
5) Exosphere- is located above 800 km and extends up to 3000 km. Here the temperature is >2000ºС. The speed of gas movement approaches the critical ~ 11.2 km/sec. Hydrogen and helium atoms dominate, which form a luminous corona around the Earth, extending to an altitude of 20,000 km.
Atmosphere functions
1) Thermoregulating - the weather and climate on Earth depends on the distribution of heat, pressure.
2) Life-supporting.
3) In the troposphere, there is a global vertical and horizontal movement of air masses, which determines the water cycle, heat transfer.
4) Almost all surface geological processes are due to the interaction of the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere.
5) Protective - the atmosphere protects the earth from space, solar radiation and meteorite dust.
Atmosphere functions. Without an atmosphere, life on Earth would be impossible. A person daily consumes 12-15 kg. air, inhaling every minute from 5 to 100 liters, which significantly exceeds the average daily need for food and water. In addition, the atmosphere reliably protects a person from the dangers that threaten him from outer space: it does not let meteorites and cosmic radiation through. A person can live five weeks without food, five days without water, and five minutes without air. The normal life of people requires not only air, but also a certain purity of it. The health of people, the state of flora and fauna, the strength and durability of structures of buildings and structures depend on air quality. Polluted air is detrimental to waters, land, seas, soils. The atmosphere determines the light and regulates the thermal regimes of the earth, contributes to the redistribution of heat on the globe. The gas envelope protects the Earth from excessive cooling and heating. If our planet were not surrounded by an air shell, then within one day the amplitude of temperature fluctuations would reach 200 C. The atmosphere saves everything living on Earth from destructive ultraviolet, X-ray and cosmic rays. The importance of the atmosphere in the distribution of light is great. Her air breaks Sun rays into a million small rays, scatters them and creates uniform illumination. The atmosphere serves as a conductor of sounds.
The surrounding world is formed from three very different parts: land, water and air. Each of them is unique and interesting in its own way. Now we will talk only about the last of them. What is atmosphere? How did it come about? What is it made of and what parts is it divided into? All these questions are extremely interesting.
The very name "atmosphere" is formed from two words of Greek origin, translated into Russian they mean "steam" and "ball". And if you look at the exact definition, you can read the following: "The atmosphere is the air shell of the planet Earth, which rushes along with it in outer space." It developed in parallel with the geological and geochemical processes that took place on the planet. And today all the processes occurring in living organisms depend on it. Without an atmosphere, the planet would become a lifeless desert like the moon.
What does it consist of?
The question of what is the atmosphere and what elements are included in it has interested people for a long time. The main components of this shell were already known in 1774. They were installed by Antoine Lavoisier. He found that the composition of the atmosphere is mostly formed from nitrogen and oxygen. Over time, its components have been refined. And now we know that it contains many more gases, as well as water and dust.
Let us consider in more detail what the Earth's atmosphere near its surface consists of. The most common gas is nitrogen. It contains a little more than 78 percent. But, despite such a large amount, nitrogen in the air is practically not active.
The next largest and most important element is oxygen. This gas contains almost 21%, and it just shows very high activity. Its specific function is to oxidize dead organic matter, which decomposes as a result of this reaction.
Low but important gases
The third gas that is part of the atmosphere is argon. Its slightly less than one percent. It is followed by carbon dioxide with neon, helium with methane, krypton with hydrogen, xenon, ozone and even ammonia. But they are contained so little that the percentage of such components is equal to hundredths, thousandths and millionths. Of these, only carbon dioxide plays a significant role, since it is building material required by plants for photosynthesis. Its other important function is to keep out radiation and absorb part of the sun's heat.
Another rare but important gas, ozone, exists to trap ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun. Thanks to this property, all life on the planet is reliably protected. On the other hand, ozone affects the temperature of the stratosphere. Due to the fact that it absorbs this radiation, the air is heated.
The constancy of the quantitative composition of the atmosphere is maintained by non-stop mixing. Its layers move both horizontally and vertically. Therefore, anywhere in the world there is enough oxygen and there is no excess of carbon dioxide.
What else is in the air?
It should be noted that in airspace steam and dust can be detected. The latter consists of pollen and soil particles, in the city they are joined by impurities of particulate emissions from exhaust gases.
But there is a lot of water in the atmosphere. Under certain conditions, it condenses, and clouds and fog appear. In fact, this is the same thing, only the first ones appear high above the surface of the Earth, and the last one spreads along it. Clouds take on a variety of shapes. This process depends on the height above the Earth.
If they formed 2 km above land, then they are called layered. It is from them that rain falls on the ground or snow falls. Cumulus clouds form above them up to a height of 8 km. They are always the most beautiful and picturesque. It is they who are examined and wondered what they look like. If such formations appear in the next 10 km, they will be very light and airy. Their name is cirrus.
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
Although they have very different temperatures from each other, it is very difficult to say at what particular height one layer begins and another ends. This division is very conditional and is approximate. However, the layers of the atmosphere still exist and perform their functions.
The lowest part of the air shell is called the troposphere. Its thickness increases when moving from the poles to the equator from 8 to 18 km. This is the warmest part of the atmosphere, since the air in it is heated from the earth's surface. Most of the water vapor is concentrated in the troposphere, so clouds form in it, precipitation falls, thunderstorms rumble and winds blow.
The next layer is about 40 km thick and is called the stratosphere. If the observer moves to this part of the air, he will find that the sky has become purple. This is due to the low density of the substance, which practically does not scatter the sun's rays. It is in this layer that jet planes fly. For them, all open spaces are open there, since there are practically no clouds. Inside the stratosphere there is a layer consisting of a large amount of ozone.
It is followed by the stratopause and the mesosphere. The latter has a thickness of about 30 km. It is characterized sharp decline air density and temperature. The sky appears black to the observer. Here you can even watch the stars during the day.
Layers with little to no air
The structure of the atmosphere continues with a layer called the thermosphere - the longest of all the others, its thickness reaches 400 km. This layer is characterized by a huge temperature, which can reach 1700 ° C.
The last two spheres are often combined into one and called it the ionosphere. This is due to the fact that reactions occur in them with the release of ions. It is these layers that allow you to observe such a natural phenomenon as the northern lights.
The next 50 km from the Earth are reserved for the exosphere. This is the outer shell of the atmosphere. In it, air particles are scattered into space. Weather satellites usually move in this layer.
The Earth's atmosphere ends with a magnetosphere. It was she who sheltered most of the artificial satellites of the planet.
After all that has been said, there should be no question about what the atmosphere is. If there are doubts about its necessity, then it is easy to dispel them.
The value of the atmosphere
The main function of the atmosphere is to protect the surface of the planet from overheating during the day and excessive cooling at night. Following importance of this shell, which no one will dispute, is to supply oxygen to all living beings. Without it, they would suffocate.
Most meteorites burn up in the upper layers, never reaching the Earth's surface. And people can admire the flying lights, mistaking them for shooting stars. Without an atmosphere, the entire Earth would be littered with craters. And about protection from solar radiation has already been mentioned above.
How does a person affect the atmosphere?
Very negative. This is due to the growing activity of people. The main share of all the negative aspects falls on industry and transport. By the way, it is cars that emit almost 60% of all pollutants that penetrate the atmosphere. The remaining forty are divided between energy and industry, as well as industries for the destruction of waste.
List harmful substances, which daily replenish the composition of the air, is very long. Because of the transport in the atmosphere are: nitrogen and sulfur, carbon, blue and soot, as well as a strong carcinogen that causes skin cancer - benzopyrene.
The industry accounts for the following chemical elements: sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and phenol, chlorine and fluorine. If the process continues, then soon the answers to the questions: “What is the atmosphere? What does it consist of? will be completely different.
The end of the term is always a busy time for caring parents. :) Since I think it's embarrassing to have a 4 in geography, I decided to pull up my son in this subject and give a short lesson explaining to him what the atmosphere is called and what its role is. By the way, the efforts were not in vain, and my son "shines" five!
What is atmosphere
First you need to figure out what it is. So, this is the lightest shell of all, however, its role in all the processes of our planet is very significant. She is heterogeneous- the higher from the surface of the planet, the more it is discharged, as a result of which its composition is also changing.. Science considers this shell in the form of several layers:
- troposphere- here the maximum density is observed, and here all atmospheric phenomena occur;
- stratosphere- characterized by a lower density, and the only phenomenon observed here are noctilucent clouds;
- mesosphere- there is a significant decrease in temperature;
- thermosphere- here the air density is several hundred thousand times less;
- exosphere- represented by ionized gases - plasma.
What is the meaning of the atmosphere
First, it made it possible emergence of life. Animals cannot survive without oxygen, and plants cannot survive without another gas, carbon dioxide. It is essential for plants the main component of the photosynthesis process, as a result of which the oxygen necessary for animals is produced. It should be noted the special importance of this shell as a shield, which counteracts solar radiation and meteors - they simply burn in its thickness. It acts as a heat regulator, leveling temperature fluctuations: excessive overheating during the day, and hypothermia at night. She wraps our planet like a blanket, delaying back heat radiation.
Due to the fact that the planet warms up unevenly, pressure drops occur, which cause winds and weather changes. Winds are involved in processes called "weathering", forming various relief zones. In addition, without it, another paramount process would be impossible - the water cycle, thanks to which clouds form and precipitation falls.
Results
Thus, the meaning of the atmosphere is as follows:
- protection- from radiation and asteroids;
- climate- maintains relative temperature stability;
- source of oxygen- the most important condition of life;
- transportation- is a medium in which air masses and moisture move;
- habitatI- for insects, birds, bacteria.
atmosphere environmental pollution
Atmospheric air - required natural resource. Oxygen, which is part of the atmosphere, is used by living organisms in the process of respiration. It is used when burning any fuel in various industrial plants and engines. The atmosphere is an important communication route used by aviation.
The main consumers of air in nature are the flora and fauna of the Earth. It is estimated that the entire air ocean passes through terrestrial organisms in about ten years.
The atmosphere is permeated with powerful solar radiation, which regulates the thermal regime of the Earth, it contributes to the redistribution of heat throughout the globe. The radiant energy of the Sun is practically the only source of heat for the Earth's surface. This energy is partially absorbed by the atmosphere. The energy that reaches the Earth is partially absorbed by soil and water and partially reflected from their surface into the atmosphere. It is not difficult to imagine what the temperature regime of the Earth would be like if there were no atmosphere: at night and in winter it would be strongly cooled due to solar radiation, and in summer and during the day it would overheat due to solar radiation, as happens on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere.
Thanks to the atmosphere on Earth, there are no sharp transitions from frost to heat and vice versa. .
If the Earth were not surrounded by the atmosphere, then within one day the amplitude of temperature fluctuations would reach 200 C: during the day about +100 C, at night about 100 C. An even greater difference would be between winter and summer temperatures. But thanks to the atmosphere, the average temperature of the Earth is about +15 "C.
The atmosphere is a reliable shield that saves all organisms living on Earth from harmful ultraviolet, X-ray and cosmic rays, which are partially scattered and partially absorbed in its upper layers.
Through the atmosphere, the exchange of substances between the Earth and Space is carried out. At the same time, the Earth loses the lightest gases - hydrogen and helium and receives cosmic dust and meteorites. The atmosphere protects us from stellar debris. The sizes of meteorites in most cases are no more than a pea; under the influence of gravity, they crash into the atmosphere at a tremendous speed of 11-64 km / s, due to friction against the air they heat up and mostly burn out at an altitude of 60-70 km from the Earth's surface. The radiant energy of the Sun is practically the only source of heat for the Earth's surface. This energy is partially absorbed by the atmosphere. The energy that reaches the Earth is partially absorbed by soil and water and partially reflected from their surface into the atmosphere. It is not difficult to imagine what the temperature regime of the Earth would be like if there were no atmosphere: at night and in winter it would be strongly cooled due to solar radiation, and in summer and during the day it would overheat due to solar radiation, as happens on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere.
Thanks to the atmosphere on Earth, there are no sharp transitions from frost to heat and vice versa. If the Earth were not surrounded by the atmosphere, then within one day the amplitude of temperature fluctuations would reach 200 C: during the day about +100 C, at night about 100 C. An even greater difference would be between winter and summer temperatures. But thanks to the atmosphere, the average temperature of the Earth is about +15 "C.
The most important protective value is the ozone shield. It is located in the stratosphere, at an altitude of 20-50 km from the Earth's surface. Total ozone in the atmosphere is estimated at 3.3 billion tons. The thickness of this layer is relatively small: from 2 mm at the equator to 4 mm at the poles under normal conditions. The main value of the ozone shield is to protect living organisms from ultraviolet radiation.
The atmosphere is a reliable shield that saves all organisms living on Earth from harmful ultraviolet, X-ray and cosmic rays, which are partially scattered and partially absorbed in its upper layers. Through the atmosphere, the exchange of substances between the Earth and Space is carried out. At the same time, the Earth loses the lightest gases - hydrogen and helium and receives cosmic dust and meteorites. .
The atmosphere protects us from stellar debris. The sizes of meteorites in most cases are no more than a pea; under the influence of gravity, they crash into the atmosphere at a tremendous speed of 11-64 km / s, due to friction against the air they heat up and mostly burn out at an altitude of 60-70 km from the Earth's surface. The atmosphere is playing great importance in the distribution of light. The air breaks the sun's rays into millions of small rays, scatters them and creates that uniform illumination that we are used to.
The presence of an air shell gives our sky a blue color, since the molecules of the main elements of air and the various impurities contained in it scatter mainly rays with a short wavelength, i.e. blue, blue, violet. Sometimes, due to the presence of impurities in the atmosphere, the color of the sky is not pure blue. As you rise up, the density and contamination of the air decreases, i.e. the number of scattering particles, the color of the sky becomes darker, turns into deep blue, and in the stratosphere - into black-violet. The atmosphere is the medium in which sounds propagate. Without air, the Earth would be silent. We would not hear each other, nor the noise of the sea, wind, forest, etc. .
The ionosphere facilitates the transmission of radio signals and the propagation of radio waves.
For a long time it was believed that air has no mass. Only in the 17th century it was proved that the mass of 1 m 3 of dry air, if weighed at sea level at a temperature of 0 ° C, is 1293 g, and for every square centimeter of the earth's surface there is 1033 g of air.
The human palm experiences air pressure with a force of about 1471 N, and the air presses on the entire human body with a force of 1471 * 103 N. We do not notice this gravity only because all the tissues of our body are also saturated with air, which balances external pressure. If this balance is disturbed, our well-being worsens: the pulse quickens, lethargy, indifference, etc. appear. A person experiences the same sensations when climbing a mountain or diving to great depths, as well as when taking off and landing an airplane. At the top, air pressure and its mass decrease: at a height of 20 km, the mass of 1 m 3 of air is 43 g, and at a height of 40 km - 4 g. The radiant energy of the Sun is practically the only source of heat for the Earth's surface. This energy is partially absorbed by the atmosphere. The energy that reaches the Earth is partially absorbed by soil and water and partially reflected from their surface into the atmosphere. It is not difficult to imagine what the temperature regime of the Earth would be like if there were no atmosphere: at night and in winter it would be strongly cooled due to solar radiation, and in summer and during the day it would overheat due to solar radiation, as happens on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere.
All processes developing in the atmosphere are carried out due to the energy of the Sun. Thanks to it, billions of tons of water annually evaporate from the Earth's surface. The atmosphere plays the role of redistributing moisture on the globe.
The physical properties and state of the atmosphere change: 1) in time - during the day, seasons, years; 2) in space - depending on the height above sea level, latitude and distance from the ocean.
The atmosphere always contains a certain amount of impurities. Sources of pollution can be natural or artificial. Natural sources include: dust (plant, volcanic and cosmic origin), dust storms, particles sea salt, weathering products, fog, fumes and gases from forest and steppe fires, various products of plant, animal and microbiological origin, etc. Natural sources of atmospheric pollution are such a formidable natural phenomenon as volcanic eruption. Usually it is catastrophic. When volcanoes erupt, a huge amount of gases, water vapor, solid particles, ash and dust are emitted into the atmosphere, thermal pollution of the atmosphere occurs, since highly heated substances are emitted into the air. .
Their temperature is such that they burn everything in their path. After the extinction of volcanic activity overall balance gases in the atmosphere is gradually restored.
Large forest and steppe fires significantly pollute the atmosphere. Most often they occur in dry years. The smoke from the fires spread over vast areas. Dust storms arise in connection with the transfer of the smallest particles of soil lifted from the earth's surface by strong winds. strong winds- tornadoes, hurricanes - raise large fragments of rocks into the air, but they do not stay in the air for a long time. During strong storms, up to 50 million tons of dust rises into the air. The causes of dust storms are drought, dry winds, which occur due to intensive plowing, grazing, and destruction of forests. Dust storms are most frequent in steppe, semi-desert and desert regions. Catastrophic phenomena associated with volcanic eruptions, fires and dust storms lead to the emergence of a light shield around the Earth, which somewhat changes the heat balance of the planet. But for the most part, these phenomena are local in nature. Air pollution associated with weathering and decomposition of organic substances is of a very insignificant local character. .
Natural sources of pollution are either distributed, such as cosmic dust, or short-term natural, such as forest and steppe fires, volcanic eruptions, etc. The level of atmospheric pollution by natural sources is background and changes little over time. Artificial pollution is the most dangerous for the atmosphere. The most stable zones with high concentrations of pollution occur in places of active human activity. Anthropogenic pollution is characterized by a variety of species and a multitude of sources. Natural sources of air pollution are such a formidable natural phenomenon as volcanic eruption. Usually it is catastrophic. When volcanoes erupt, a huge amount of gases, water vapor, solid particles, ash and dust are emitted into the atmosphere, thermal pollution of the atmosphere occurs, since highly heated substances are emitted into the air. Their temperature is such that they burn everything in their path. After the attenuation of volcanic activity, the overall balance of gases in the atmosphere is gradually restored. .
The problem of air pollution is not new. More than two centuries ago, serious concerns began to cause air pollution in large industrial centers in many European countries. However, for a long time these pollution had a local character. Smoke and soot polluted relatively small areas atmosphere and were easily diluted with a mass of clean air at a time when there were few plants and factories and the use chemical elements was limited. If at the beginning of the 20th century 19 chemical elements were used in industry, in the middle of the century about 50 elements were already used, at the present time - almost all elements of the periodic table. This significantly affected the composition of industrial emissions and led to a qualitatively new pollution of the atmosphere with aerosols of heavy and rare metals, synthetic compounds, radioactive, carcinogenic, bacteriological and other substances that do not exist and are not formed in nature.
The rapid growth of industry and transport means that this amount of emissions can no longer be dissipated. Their concentration increases, which entails dangerous and even fatal consequences for the biosphere. This problem became especially acute in the second half of the 20th century, i.e., during the scientific and technological revolution, characterized by extremely high growth rates. industrial production, generation and consumption of electricity, production and use in in large numbers Vehicle.
The main air pollution is created by a number of industries, motor transport and thermal power engineering. Moreover, their participation in atmospheric pollution is distributed as follows: ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, oil production, petrochemistry, production of building materials, chemical industry - 30%; thermal power engineering - 30%, motor transport - 40%.
The most common toxic substances polluting the atmosphere are: carbon monoxide CO, sulfur dioxide SO 2 , carbon dioxide CO 2 , nitrogen oxides NO x , hydrocarbons C p N m and dust. The approximate relative composition of harmful substances in the atmosphere of large industrial cities is: CO - 45%, SO - 18%, CH - 15%, dust - 12%. .
In addition to these substances in polluted air, there are other more toxic substances, but in smaller quantities. For example, ventilation emissions from electronics factories contain vapors of hydrofluoric, sulfuric, chromic and other mineral acids, organic solvents, etc. At present, there are more than 500 harmful substances polluting the atmosphere, and their number is increasing. Artificial pollution is the most dangerous for the atmosphere. The most stable zones with high concentrations of pollution occur in places of active human activity. Anthropogenic pollution is characterized by a variety of species and a multitude of sources. Natural sources of air pollution are such a formidable natural phenomenon as volcanic eruption. Usually it is catastrophic. When volcanoes erupt, a huge amount of gases, water vapor, solid particles, ash and dust are emitted into the atmosphere, thermal pollution of the atmosphere occurs, since highly heated substances are emitted into the air. Their temperature is such that they burn everything in their path. After the attenuation of volcanic activity, the overall balance of gases in the atmosphere is gradually restored.
Question 1. What is air?
Air is a natural mixture of gases (mainly nitrogen and oxygen - 98-99%, as well as argon, carbon dioxide, water, hydrogen), which forms the earth's atmosphere.
Question 2. What is the role of the air envelope for our planet?
The air shell of our planet - the atmosphere - protects living organisms on the earth's surface from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and other harsh cosmic radiation. Protects the Earth from meteorites and space dust. The atmosphere also serves as "clothing" that does not allow the loss of heat radiated by the Earth into space. Atmospheric air is a source of respiration for humans, animals and vegetation.
Question 3. What is the importance of the atmosphere in the life of our planet?
Protects the Earth from meteorites and space dust. The atmosphere also serves as "clothing" that does not allow the loss of heat radiated by the Earth into space. Atmospheric air is a source of respiration for humans, animals and vegetation. The ozone layer, which protects living organisms from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the Sun, plays a special role for all life on Earth.
Question 4. What gases does air consist of?
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases, in which 78% is nitrogen, about 21% is oxygen, and 1% is other gases, including carbon dioxide and water vapor.
Question 5. What kind of clouds can you observe?
There are cirrus, stratus and cumulus clouds.
Question 6. What is wind?
The movement of air along the Earth's surface is called wind. The wind can blow in different directions and at different speeds. The greater the wind speed, the greater its strength.
Question 7. Why does a thunderstorm occur?
It occurs when multiple electric discharges - lightning - occur between powerful rain clouds or between clouds and the earth. Electric sparks, breaking through the air, instantly heat it up, it expands sharply, producing a loud noise, and we hear a thunderclap.
Question 8. What is the weather? What indicators of the state of the atmosphere are reported in weather forecasts transmitted by radio and television?
Weather is the state of the lower layer of the atmosphere at a given place and in this moment. The weather is characterized by temperature, humidity, cloudiness, wind direction and speed, precipitation.
Question 9. What is climate? How is it different from the weather?
Each area is characterized by certain types of weather and their change, i.e., the weather regime. The long-term weather pattern is called the climate. The climate, like the weather, includes the most important characteristics of the state of the atmosphere: temperature, humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, winds.
Weather is a one-time state of nature, and climate is a constant for a given area.
Question 10. What is the climate typical for your area: cold, temperate or hot; dry or wet?
Our area has a temperate climate.
Question 11. Do hurricanes occur in your area? Why are they dangerous?
There are no hurricanes in our area. Hurricanes are usually accompanied by heavy rains leading to flooding. All this brings great destruction, leads to human casualties.
Question 12. Describe the weather today.
Air temperature - 5 degrees Celsius, low humidity, little cloudiness. Wind speed 3.1 m/s, direction - southwest. Precipitation is not expected.