MORE ON THE ATMOSPHERE

WHAT IS WATER VAPOR?

• Water vapor is water in the form of a gas.
• It is not the same thing as steam, which is tiny droplets of water.
• The amount of water vapor in the air varies greatly from place to place.

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• Clouds are formed from water vapor that has condensed out of the air and formed tiny droplets of water, or crystals of ice.
• If these droplets or crystals become heavy enough, they fall as rain or snow.

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• The amount of water vapor in the air can greatly affect an area's landscape.
• Which place do you think has more water vapor in the air: a desert or a rain forest?
• What factors would affect how much water vapor is in the air?

PARTICLES

• Pure air contains only gases.
• The air in the real world, however, contains tiny solid and liquid particles of dust, smoke, salt, and chemicals.
• Sometimes you can see some of these particles in the air around you, but most of them are too small to see.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS A SYSTEM

• What is a system?

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• A is System is a group of elements that are interdependent, and that act upon each other to form a complex whole.
• An example is the human body considered as whole.

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• The atmosphere is a system that interacts with other Earth systems, such as the ocean.
• It has many parts you can see such as clouds.
• It also has many parts you can't see, such as air, wind, and energy.
• You may be able to feel energy from the sun, or the wind blowing.

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• The wind blowing and the sun's energy may seem unrelated.
• However, different parts of the atmosphere interact with one another.
• Events in one part of the atmosphere affect other parts of the atmosphere.

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• Energy from the sun drives the motions in the atmosphere.
• Storms such as hurricanes involve a huge amount of energy.
• Hurricanes have a spiraling motion due in part to the Earth's rotation.
• Hurricanes also gain their energy from warm ocean water that has been heated by the sun.