Meteorology is the study of Atmospheric Phenomena.
Meteorology is derived from the greek word for Air "Meteora". The word Atmosphere comes from Greek "Atmos" which means Vapor and "Sphaira" which means Sphere. Weather is the continuously changing conditions of the lower atmosphere. A thorough study from ground to outer space is termed atmospheric science.
Earth's atmosphere evolved into its present condition
over millions of years. The gravitational attraction between Earth
and the atmosphere is greater near the surface, and decreases with increasing
altitude. Half the mass of the atmosphere lies below an altitude
of 11 km (7 miles). Above 320 km (200 miles) the density is
1 gas molecule per square mile. There is no upper limit for the atmosphere
which just merges interplanetary gases. The physical variations in
atmosphere occur with altitude, temperature, and ozone and ionic concentrations.
For the composition of the atmosphere, variations due to temperature and
ozone and ionic concentrations, click below:
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The Sun is the most important source of energy. This energy travels through space in the form of radiation, and the portion incident on the Earth's atmosphere is called insolation. Because the Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees, the amount of insolation received varies. The greatest amount received in the northern hemisphere is in June and in the southern hemisphere in December. 33% of insolation is reflected back to space by cloud reflection, scattering of particles in the atmosphere and reflection from terrestrial surfaces such as water, ice and ground. This is known as albedo (Latin albus "white") The atmosphere, particularly the troposphere receives most of its energy directly from the Earth, by:
1. Absorption of terrestrial radiation.
2. Latent heat of condensation.
3. Conduction from the Heat's surface.
Why is the sky blue? Why do sunsets appear red? Click below for answers.