Reading Assignments and Exercises for Science 010 in 95-3
Lecture 1 - September 4
Claim your ACS computer accounts.
Read first four articles:
1 The Evolution of the Earth, SA Oct 84
2 How Plants Make Oxygen, SA Feb 90
3 How Climate Evolved on Terrestrial Planets, SA Feb 88
4 The Climate of Mars, SA May 86
Lecture 2 - September 12
This is not a sample question after all.
Please try to do the assignment and hand it in. You
will be marked more on participation than anything else!
Air pressure at sea level is equivalent to about 1.01 x 10^5 N/m^2.
(It's probably more familiar as 14 lbs per square inch,
but scientists HATE these archaic units.)
(a) Calculate the weight of the entire atmosphere.
Your answer should be in units of Newtons (N).
(b) Calculate the mass of the entire atmosphere
Your answer should be in Kilograms (Kg)
(c) Express the atmosphere's mass as a percentage of the
mass of the Ocean,
and as a percentage of the mass of the Earth.
(Some library is required work here!)
Read the fifth article:
5 The Atmosphere, SA Sep 83
Lecture 3 - September 19
Physical Structure and Regions of the Atmosphere
Calculate the number of gas molecules in one cubic meter at
(a) sea level
(a) 1 km above sea level, and
(a) 10 km above sea level
Compare the mass of the atmosphere located within 1 km of sea
level to that of the entire atmosphere.
Lecture 4 - September 26
Atmospheric Chemistry
Read the sixth article:
6 El Nino, SA Jun 86
Discrepancies in the experimental values of the molecular weight
(molar mass) of nitrogen provided some of the first evidence for the
existence of the noble gases. If pure nitrogen is collected from the
decomposition of ammonium nitrite, it's measured molecular weight is
28.01. If O2, CO2, and H2O are removed from a sample of air, the
remaining gas has an apparent (average) molecular weight of 28.15.
Assuming this discrepancy is solely a result of the presence of argon
(atomic weight = 39.95) calculate the ratio of the moles Ar to moles
N2 in air. While we are at it, write the formula for ammonium nitrite
and the equation for its decomposition, and suggest how you would go
about chemically removing O2, CO2 and H2O from air.
Lecture 5 - October 3
Climate
Read the following articles:
7 Climate Modeling, SA May 87
8 Calculating Reality, SA Jan 91
9 Large Scale Motion, Introduction to the Atmosphere
Lecture 6 - October 10
Weather and Atmosphere Dynamics
How fast are we moving relative to the Earth's axis?
(Assume that the equator is moving at 1600 km/h and that
Vancouver lies at 50 degrees North.
Alternatively, you may want to use the radius of the earth to calculate
more precicely the speed of the Earth's equator.)
What does the phrase
"40% chance of precipitation in Vancouver in the next 24 hours"
mean, exactly? Cite your sources.
Assume that Milankovich's cycles have the following periods.
Variation in Earth's tilt: P1 = 41,000 yrs
Eccentricity of Earth's orbit: P2 = 100,000 yrs
Season in which Earth is closest to sun: P3 = 22,000 yrs
Assume also that in 10,000 yrs, we will simultaneouly have
that the Earth's tilt is maximum,
that its orbit is most eccentric,
and that the sun is furthest from the Earth during the northern summer.
When is the first time after that at which all
three conditions simultaneously reoccur?
Lecture 7 - October 17
Radiation
Read the following articles:
10 Polar Stratospheric Clouds and Ozone Depletion, SA Jun 91
11 The Antarctic Ozone Hole, SA Jan 88
Lecture 8 - October 24
Photochemistry -- Ozone
Read the following articles:
12 Global Warming Trends, SA Aug 90
13 Modeling the Geochemical Carbon Cycle, SA Mar 89
14 The Microbial Origin of Fossil Fuels, SA Aug 84