The Atmosphere — Physical Factors and Their Effect on the Atmosphere

About this lesson

This unit covers physical factors affecting the atmosphere: heat, atmospheric pressure, wind, and humidity. It explains how heat transfers (conduction, convection, radiation), how temperature is measured on Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin scales, and how organisms adapt to extreme temperatures (e.g., wood frog, ice fish, desert lizards). It also discusses atmospheric pressure, its measurement with a barometer, its effect on living organisms (including blood pressure and blood components), and wind systems. Humidity is defined, its measurement and effects on humans and plants are described, and the role of plant tissues (parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma) in wind resistance is introduced. The unit includes practical activities for measuring weather factors and analyzing weather data, plus review questions.