ASTR 1210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Sulfuric Acid, Acid Rain, Subduction
24 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Atmospheres of moon, mercury, mars, venus, and earth. Motion away from equator is deflected east; toward the equator is directed west. Particles in atmosphere move due to thermal motion: higher temperature and/or lighter particles move faster. Fast-moving particles in exosphere can leave the planet: little h and he remain in atmospheres of terrestrial planets because they are lightweight and can escape more easily. Both too small to hold on to their gases in the atmosphere: no absorption = no layers (troposphere, stratosphere, etc. ) just exosphere. Original atmosphere long gone, mainly through thermal escape. Extremely thin gas: thinner than air at sea level by a factor of more than a trillion. No atmosphere for all practical purposes, but not devoid of gas: e. g. no changer to ir or sunlight. Gas comes from impacts that eject surface atoms. Basic numbers for the atmosphere of mars today. Average pressure ~1% of sea level on earth. Composition: 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen.
