Air Here, Air There, Air Everywhere!
Although we can't see it, air is all around us. Air is one of the most
important things on earth. Without air we could not breathe! Clean air
is a mixture of invisible gases. Check out Breezy to find out what air
is made of. 
The air that surrounds the earth is called the atmosphere. The atmosphere
extends to a height of 434 miles above the earth and it has four layers.
We live in the troposphere. This area is zero to six miles above the earth's
surface. This is where the clouds form and the rest of the weather occurs.
Six to thirty miles above the troposphere is the stratosphere. This dry
warm area is the location of the ozone layer. The next layer is the cold
mesosphere. It is thirty to fifty miles above the ground. Temperatures
can drop to -184 degrees Fahrenheit. The outer layer is the thermosphere
and includes everything over fifty miles. This is where meteors and auroras
can be seen. It gets very hot in this area because the thin gases absorb
the ultraviolet rays.
Air In Action
There
are lots of fun ways for you to see air in action.
You can see air working each day in your home if you use a hair dryer
or a ceiling fan.
People who forecast weather also watch the winds. This is because a change
in wind can often predict a change in weather. You can become a wind-watcher
too. It's easy! Tie several thin strips of cloth to the top of a stick.
Put the stick in the ground and wait for a windy day. The wind will cause
the strips to flutter and you will know the direction that the wind is
blowing.
Wind is the movement of air. Wind begins as the sun heats the land. Then,
the land warms the air above it. The warm air rises and cold air moves
in to replace the warm air. This replacement of warm air with cold air
creates an air flow that we call wind. The speed of the wind depends upon
the pressure of the air. Winds move from areas of high pressure to areas
of low pressure. Areas of low pressure usually bring windy weather and
areas of high pressure usually bring calm weather. An instrument called
a barometer measures the air pressure. Check outside today and see what
the wind is doing in your neighborhood.
The Earth's Cap?
Do
you ever wear a cap or hat to protect your eyes and head from the sun?
The earth wears sun protection too. It is called the ozone layer. It absorbs
some of the sun's ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays, also called UV rays,
can be both helpful and harmful. Some UV rays are important to plant life,
while other UV rays can damage our skin. The ozone layer protects us from
many of the harmful UV rays.
In 1985, scientists discovered that there was a hole or thinning in the
ozone layer above the Antarctic at certain times of the year. This was
caused by several factors, including the use of chemicals called CFCs
(chlorofluorocarbons). These chemicals rise into the stratosphere. Sunlight
breaks them down and chlorine is released. Scientists have learned that
chlorine thins the ozone layer.
| DID YOU KNOW? Ozone isn't always helpful. When it is in the stratosphere, we couldn't survive without its protection from the sun's rays. But when ozone forms in the troposphere where we live, it becomes unhealthy. In this layer of the atmosphere, it is a main ingredient of smog. |
Before anyone knew that CFCs were harmful to the ozone layer, they were used regularly in many products.
Where
were CFCs found? In 1987, many nations from around the world got together and signed a treaty to limit the use of CFCs. In the United States, CFCs have been banned since 1996. Companies no longer use them when they make new products. Scientists are still hard at work trying to answer many complicated questions about the ozone layer and its thinning.
Will You Please Make Up Your Mind?
How's the weather in your town today? Rainy? Cloudy? Windy? Warm? The weather effects everything on earth. It provides us with water, helps plants to grow and changes the landscape of our planet. The weather effects every part of our daily lives. Can you think of things that the weather effects in your life? How about the outdoor games you play? Or if you walk or get a car ride? What are some other things on earth effected by the weather?
But what exactly is weather? Weather is described by the conditions of the air around us. There are a lot of factors to consider when determining weather. These include:
- air temperature;
- air pressure;
- amount of moisture;
- and the presence or absence of wind and clouds.
Sky High Cotton Candy
Have you ever looked
into the sky on a cloudy day and seen a dragon? How about a fluffy lamb
or huge heaps of cotton candy? Have you ever noticed that there are different
kinds of clouds? This is because they form at different heights and temperatures.
There are three main types of clouds: cirrus, cumulus, and
stratus. 
High
cirrus clouds are a sign that a weather front is coming. 
When
you see a white, fluffy cumulus cloud, it usually means sunny weather. 
Have
you ever walked through a low-lying stratus cloud? You have every time you've
gone through FOG! | FUN FACT: Clouds look white because their water droplets are reflecting light. |
Clouds are actually billions of tiny drops of floating water or ice crystals. The sun heats the water in oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. The water evaporates and rises into the air in the form of water vapor.
When the warm moist air meets the cool air, the vapor turns into drops of water again. These drops all get together and turn into clouds. When the water drops inside the clouds get too heavy, it begins to rain. If it's cold enough, the water will freeze and form crystals. Then, the water falls as sleet, hail or snow.
S.M.O.G.: So Much Other Gunk
We depend on air to live. We breathe about 20,000 times a day. That means that in the last five minutes you've taken almost seventy breaths! Air carries oxygen, which is the most plentiful element on earth. Oxygen enters our bodies through the lungs. It passes through the lungs and into our blood. Our blood nourishes our bodies by carrying oxygen and nutrients to our organs! That is why clean air is so important to our health. But sometimes air has a lot of other things in it that aren't very clean.
Yuck! All that
gross stuff? At the same time that it brings us life-giving oxygen, the
air also carries pollution from car and bus exhaust, industrial waste, cigarette
and cigar smoke, dust and many other things. The air is a world traveler and does not observe national borders. It moves all over the earth, picking up stuff as it travels. Unfortunately, it doesn't know the difference between what's healthy and what's harmful.
Most air pollution comes from automobile exhaust and burning fossil fuels like coal. These pollutants create smog and make the sky brown. They are unhealthy to breathe. They can also hurt plants and animals. When these pollutants mix with the rain, acid rain is produced. Acid rain can increase the acid levels in lakes and, therefore, harm fish and other wildlife. It can also damage soils and ruin the metal and stone on outdoor structures.
| DID YOU KNOW? Pollution travels around the earth. We share our air with the entire world. |
Beware of CO in the Air!
One of the main pollutants in the air is carbon monoxide. The abbreviation for carbon monoxide is CO. The "C" stands for carbon and the "O" for oxygen. In 1869, Scientist Dmitri Mendeleev developed a system, which arranged the natural chemical elements found in the environment. The Periodic Table of the Elements contains 103 abbreviations that represent all the known chemical elements.
Can you figure out what elements are in H2O by using the Periodic Table of Elements?
Can you figure out what elements make up CO2?
Carbon
monoxide (CO) is formed when fuels containing carbon such as wood, natural
gas, oil, coal, gasoline, kerosene or propane are burned in a place where
there isn't much air. Can you think of ways that these fuels are used in
different homes? Most indoor carbon monoxide (CO) comes from kerosene and gas space heaters, stoves and furnaces. When appliances are working properly, have no leaks, and the room has plenty of fresh air, the amount of CO present is not a risk. However, faulty appliances that have leaks or are in small, stuffy spaces can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. This means that too much of the poisonous gas has been breathed in. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be extremely dangerous.
House and office appliances aren't the only way that carbon monoxide escapes into the air. When cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles burn gasoline, carbon monoxide is created. Also, factories and natural events, like wildfires, add CO to the air. Whatever the source, organizations worldwide are working to keep the air clean and safe to breathe.
You Care, I Care, We All Care About Clean Air
The United States Government created a scale called the PSI (Pollution Standard Index) to measure how much pollution is in the air. This PSI is often used in weather reports. It is also known as the Air Quality Index. Many cities have also created Air Quality Management Districts (AQMD) that check air quality on a daily basis. The amount of unhealthy gases in the atmosphere is measured in percentages. The concentration of unhealthy gas is very low compared to the amount of other gases in the atmosphere and is based on the parts per million (ppm) scale.
| 0 - 50 | Good |
| 51 - 100 | Moderate |
| 101 - 200 | Unhealthful (200 is a 1st Stage Alert) |
| 138 - 200 | Health Advisory Alert |
| 201 - 275 | Very Unhealthful (275 is a 2nd Stage Alert) |
| 275 + | Hazardous |
Solutions to Pollution
The good news is that every time you cut down air pollution, you're helping the entire planet. Following this pollution checklist will help!
- Walk, jog, bike or rollerblade to school or other activities.
- Take a bus or the subway with a parent's or guardian's permission.
- If you travel by car, carpool with other family and friends if possible.
- Plan to take care of several errands on one car or bus trip, rather than making lots of short trips.
- Remind your adult that a poorly tuned vehicle can spew a lot of pollutants. Over 50 percent of automobile pollution comes from 10 percent of the cars on the road--those are the cars that are not running properly.
Related Books and Websites
While you are at it, why not breeze into these books and website for more information?
Books:
Holmes, Anita. I Can Save the Earth: A Kid's Handbook for Keeping the Earth Healthy and Green, (New York: Simon and Schuster,1993).
Seabury, Debra L. Earth Smart!, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994).
Savan, Beth. Earthwatch, Earthcycles and Ecosystems, (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing,1991).
Sheehan, Kathryn and Mary Waidner. Earth Child 2000, (Tulsa: Council Oaks Books, 1998).
Taylor, Barbara. Weather and Climate, (New York: Kingfisher, 1993).
The Nature Company Discoveries Library, Time-Life Books. Weather, (San Francisco, CA: Weldon Owen, 1996).
Websites:
The Weather Channel has great weather info at:
http://www.weather.com
Check out the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) site for loads of interesting and helpful information at:
http://www.osha.gov
Be sure to stop by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and find out what is being done to help the environment at:
http://www.epa.gov
If you want to learn more about SMOG and other information about air quality, cruise through the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) site. Be sure to check out the kids page at:
http://www.aqmd.gov
If you need to find some good information fast, check out Electric Library's Encyclopedia.com site at:
http://www.encyclopedia.com
If you're looking to find more information about chemical elements, visit the Kapili.com Chem4Kids website. It is awesome! Find it at:
http://www.chem4kids.com