Chapter 1

Earth’s Atmosphere

  1. Chemical composition

a.     Table 1.1

b.    Major gases (N2, O2, Ar)

c.     Trace gases (CO2 (Figure 1.3), O3, CH4, CFCs)

d.    Water vapor (invisible gas, variable concentration)

e.    Particles (aerosols, variable concentration)

  1. Vertical structure

a.     Pressure (mass) structure (Figure 1.5, 1.6)

b.    Temperature (energy) structure (Figure 1.7)

  1. WX Elements

a.     T

b.    P

c.     RH

d.    Wind

e.    Cloud

f.       Precipitation

g.    Visibility

  1. WX Maps, Satellite Imagery

a.     Overview – much more to come (Figure 1.10, 1.11)

  1. Some Important Professional Organizations

a.     NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

                                                              i.      NWS (National Weather Service)

b.    NASA (National Space Administration)

c.     UCAR (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research)

                                                              i.      NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

d.    AMS (American Meteorological Society)

e.    AGU (American Geophysical Union)