1. ATMOSPHERE, CLIMATE, AND ORGANISMS
Dr. B. H. Lower, Ph.D.

2. Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant – New York, NY
• Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant uses 2.5 billion gallons of H2O per
day (this is >2-times the water used by New York City) to produce steam
& cool reactors.
• Supplies up to 30% of electricity to New York City
• Once used the water is put back into Hudson River is 20-30 degrees
hotter, which kills fish and other aquatic organisms
• Produces zero greenhouse gases
• Its federal license for the plant expires in 2013
• New York State has determined that plant violates Clean Water Act

3. Bioremediation of Nuclear Waste – OSU Research:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/science/stories/2009/04/05/
sci_toxbacteria.ART_ART_04-05-09_G3_QKDEBCE.html?sid=101
• Hanford Site, WA –
plutonium production for most
of USA’s 60,000 nuclear
weapons
• $2 billion per year spent at
Hanford Site to clean up site.
Total before is is “done” is
$100,000,000,000.
>50 million gallons of highly-radioactive waste remains on site
Originally part of Manhattan Project, active from 1943 – 1987

4. Evolution of Life on Earth
• Earth is 4.5 billion years old
• Earliest life forms are 3.5 billion
years old
• 20% oxygen atmosphere about
1.2 billion years ago

5. Becoming Human
Chapter 1 of 5 – The First
Humans on Earth
http://video.pbs.org/video/1319997127/
Neanderthals, Humans
Interbred?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/
2010/05/100506-science-neanderthals-humans-
mated-interbred-dna-gene/

6. Earth’s Atmosphere
o Thin layer of gases
that envelops Earth

7. Layers of Earth’s
Atmosphere
Gases in extremely thin air absorb X-
rays and short-wave radiation raising
temperature to 1000oC or higher
Temperatures as low as -140oC
Meteors burn up from friction with air molecules
Ozone layer is thickest at 25-30 km
99% of atmosphere (by weight)
is below 30 km

9. Video, ozone hole over Antarctica:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/news/environment-news/
antarctica-ozone-vin.html

11. Coriolis Effect
o Earth’s rotation from
west to east causes
wind and water to
swerve to right in
Northern Hemisphere
and to the left in
Southern Hemisphere
• Prevailing winds
1. polar easterlies
2. westerlies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_36MiCUS1ro
3. trade winds

12. Atmospheric Circulation and Heat Exchange

14. Surface Ocean Currents
Winds largely cause basic ocean currents
clockwise – northern hemisphere
partially from Coriolis effect
counterclockwise – southern hemisphere

15. Ocean Conveyer Belt
north pole – cold salty water sinks
equator – water wells up becoming warmer and fresher
south pole – cold salty water sinks

16. El Nino Video:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=Saturday%20Night
%20Live%20El%20Nino%20Chris
%20Farley&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

17. Normal
El Niño
Surface water warms and prevents
upwelling of nutrient-rich bottom water
= bad for fishing industry.

18. Orographic precipitation
and
Rain shadow effect
Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau

19. Global distribution of photosynthesis including
oceanic phytoplankton and terrestrial vegetation

20. Light
chlorophyll chlorophyll
light absorb light absorb
chlorophyll

21. PBS Heat – Watching the Earth Change:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/heat/view/1.html

22. Heat and Air Temperature
1. Conduction – transfer of
heat between objects that
are in direct physical
contact
2. Electromagnetic
radiation – heat transfer Q10 = 2
between substances
without direct contact

23. Precipitation and humidity
• Precipitation – water • Dew point –
that reaches surface of temperature where
Earth condensation occurs
• Movement of water: • Humidity – amount of
1. Condensation water gas in given
2. Evaporation volume of air
3. Transpiration • Condensation nuclei –
4. Sublimation suspended air particles
on which condensation
of water occurs