Earth’s Atmosphere

1. Earth’s Atmosphere Evolution – Additional references • Evolution of the atmosphere (Walker, 1975) • Chemistry of Atmospheres (Wayne, 1991) • Chemistry of the Natural Atmosphere (Warneck, 2000) • Kump, Nature, 2008 • Falkowski, Science, 2005 • Arrhenius law • Atmospheric fraction of CO2 • Temperature structure • Manabe and Wetherald, JAS, 1967 • Manabe and Stickler, JAS, 1964 • Atmospheric radiation

2. Wayne, 1991 Warneck, 2000

3. Banded iron formations Red beds

4. Mass dependent fractionation Mass independent fractionation Kump, 2008

5. Warneck, 2000

6. Methanogens

7. http://www.snowballearth.org/overview.html

8. Falkowski et al., 2005

9. Falkowski et al., 2005

11. KH Temperature (K)

18. JAS, 1964

23. O2 Fraunhoffer Lines Fe Na • First observed by Wollatson (1802). Fraunhoffer independently discovered them in 1814 and studied them thoroughly. • The continuous emission of photosphere is interrupted by selective absorption and re-emission in upper photosphere. Seen in visible and IR spectra only as absorption lines. Lines at  < 185 nm appear in emission. • Fraunhoffer mapped over 570 lines. Later these lines were associated with atoms/molecules in the upper solar atmosphere. H – Balmer series

24. Primary atmospheric molecules involved in absorption of radiation Bohren and Clothiaux, 2006 • Atmospheric molecules are characterized by discrete rotational and vibrational energy states in addition to the electronic transitions. • Transitions • Electronic – Ionization, dissassociation – UVsome visible. • Vibrational – IR, far IR • Rotational – far IR, microwave • The lower energy states significantly impact terrestrial radiation, which peaks in the IR.

25. Ionize Dissasociate Vibrational --- Rotational

26. CO2 O3 CH4 H2O