APES Unit Guide

Unit 4: Atmospheric Science and Global Climate Change

This unit of APES will acquaint you with the atmosphere, air pollutants and global climate change.

Textbook Reference:
Withgott & Brennan, Environment, 2nd & 3rd editions, Chapters 17 & 18
Outside Reading:
Gonick, and Outwater, The Cartoon Guide to the Environment Chapter 13
Additional Resources:
 AIRNow, US Environmental Protection Agency (www.airnow.gov )—This interagency and international website
provides air quality forecasts, information, and reports on air quality to the general public.
 Air and Radiation: Where You Live, US Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/air/where.html )
 Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University
(www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/english.html )
 The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study,Hubbard Brook Research Station (www.hubbardbrook.org )
 Global Warming Site, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ ) This website
has national and international information about climate, greenhouse emissions, potential impacts, actions, and
links to other resources.
 Global Warming, Earth Observatory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
(http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/ )
 NOAA-CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce (http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/climateinfo/tools.html ) This web resource provides a gateway to data
and basic information about climate and climate assessment.
 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) (www.ipcc.ch ) The official IPCC website has information about IPCC and its
activities, publications, press releases, and official documents.
 Climate Prediction Center, The National Weather Service (NWS), NOAA, Department of commerce
(www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov ) This part of the National Weather Service website is dedicated to presenting climate
data, models, and statistical analyses to predict future climate trends

Vocabulary

Ch. 17
Acidic deposition Aerosols Air pollutant
Air pollution tropospheric ozone Atmospheric pressure
Carbon monoxide Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Clean Air Act of 1970
Clean Air Act of 1990 climate volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
convective circulation Coriolis effect Criteria pollutant
Ferrel cell Hadley cell High-pressure system
Industrial smog Inversion layer lead
low-pressure system Montreal Protocol Nitrogen dioxide
Ozone layer Particulate matter Photochemical smog
troposphere Primary pollutant radon
relative humidity secondary pollutant stratosphere
sulfur dioxide temperature inversion thermal inversion

Ch. 18

Albedo thermohaline circulation greenhouse effect

La Niña Milankovitch cycle greenhouse gas
El Niño Kyoto Protocol Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC)
global climate change proxy indicator
ASSIGNMENTS:
Read Chapters 17 & 18
Vocabulary terms on Unit four guide
Ch. 17 & 18 Testing your comprehension questions 1-10
Online assignments
Ch. 17
 Ch. 17 online quiz
 Graph it! (Atmospheric CO2)
 Investigate It! Select a Topic—Air Pollution
Switzerland (Earth is getting brighter)
China (As China roars…)
Go to www.scorecard.org/ and enter your ZIP code to learn about toxic chemicals released into the air by local sources.
1. Who is the top polluter in Fairfax County?
2. What ranking is Fairfax County for total environmental releases in the state of Virginia?
3. Explore the site and list three other interesting facts from all the data provided.
Ch. 18
 Ch. 18 online quiz
 Graph It! (Climate Change)
 Investigate It!—Select a Topic—Global Warming
Choose New York State (Day After Tomorrow)
The Netherlands (The Climate Divide)—this is a long article—stick with it

Essential Knowledge and Skills:

 Name the atmosphere’s four layers and one characteristic of each
 Distinguish between tropospheric and stratospheric ozone.
 Distinguish between weather and climate. What factors determine weather? What factors determine climate?
o How does climate change naturally?
o How can humans influence climate (anthropogenic climate change)?
 Explain why we have seasons
 How does a temperature inversion cause an air pollution problem?
o Where are inversions common?
 How has air quality in the United States changed in the last half century?
o explain the role of legislation and treaties (Clean Air Act, Montreal Protocol) in affecting air quality
 Describe how smog forms
 Compare and contrast el Niño and la Niña
 How do scientists study past climates?
o What are proxy measures?
o Describe the study of ice cores and what they can tell us
 Describe the role of Milankovitch cycles and ocean circulation in climate
 What are greenhouse gases and how do they compare in their effects?
 Describe how the greenhouse effect works
 What human activities influence climate?
 What is the IPCC and what has it concluded?

Figures to pay attention to:

17.2, 17.4, 17.5, 17.8, 17.13, 17.14, 17.15, 17.17,The Science Behind the Story CFC diagram, 17.18, 17.22, 18.1, table
18.1, 18.4, 18.5, 18.7, table 18.12, 18.15, 18.17