Atmosphere

Daniela G. Camhy, Anja Lindbichler

PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY:THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY

© ACPC Daniela G. Camhy 2013

ATMOSPHERE – ABSTRACT

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The atmosphere is a layer of gases that surrounds the earth. The principal

ingredients are nitrogen, oxygen, the noble gas argon, steam as well as carbon

dioxide. There are even further trace gases which matter only a very small set of

the atmosphere but can influence the life on the earth.

The atmosphere is divided up into three zones. The troposphere corresponds to a

height of something over 10 km. The weather happens mainly here and up to this

height the temperature decreases continuously -up to -55° degrees Celsius. The

tropopause in which the temperatures remain constant lies between the

troposphere and the next zone. The temperature rises to approx. 0° degrees

Celsius in the stratosphere being over it again.

The air gets thinner and thinner the higher you go, 90% of all the molecules in the

atmosphere are in the troposphere.

Volcano ash is formed during explosive volcanic eruptions and may rise over 40 km,

penetrating the stratosphere. Ozone is present in low concentrations throughout the

Earth´s atmosphere. In total, ozone makes up only 0.6 parts per million of the

atmosphere. Ozone is important to life because it absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation

from the sun. Recent investigations of the ozone layer have discovered areas of severe

thinning located primarily at the South Pole.

The stratopause in approx. 50 km height is almost the center of the atmosphere which is

the numeric between two layers. The mesosphere which approximately reaches to up to

the height of 80 km starts over it. The mesopause lies in this height. The thermosphere

which reaches to approximately 500 km height is over it. The exosphere follows - the

furthest of the four sphere zones.

. 3© ACPC Daniela G. Camhy 2013

4© ACPC Daniela G. Camhy 2013

El Greco, Toledo, 1595/1600, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of ArtPicture Source: www.prometheus-bildarchiv.deThe image only may be used for research and teaching.

5Höch Hannah, Storm, 1935, private collectionSource: www.prometheus-bildarchiv.de © ACPC Daniela G. Camhy 2013

6Thomas Fearnley, Windhose am Golf von Neapel, 1833, OsloSource: www.prometheus-bildarchiv.de © ACPC Daniela G. Camhy 2013

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Discussion-plan:Naturale disasters

How is human intervention

responsible for natural disasters?

How can we prevent climate

change?

Is it our duty to protect the

rights of future generations?

What is nature?

Is there a possible relation between climate

change and natural disasters?

What is corporate responsibility?

What reason do we have to care

about future generations?

© ACPC Daniela G. Camhy 2013

LITERATURE

Justus Georg SchotteliusDonnerlied

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SWefel / Wasser / Feur und DampfWollen halten einen Kampf,Dikker Nebel dringt gedikkt /Licht und Luft ist fast erstikkt.

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Drauf die starken Winde baldSausen / brausen / mit Gewalt

Reissen / werfen / Wirbelduft /Mengen Wasser / Erde / Luft.

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Plötzlich blikt der Blitz herein /Macht das finstre feurig seyn /Swefelklumpen / Strahlenlicht /

Rauch und Dampf herein mit bricht.

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Drauf der Donner brummt und kracht /Rasselt / rollet hin mit Macht /Prallet / knallet grausamlich /Puffet / sumsend endigt sich.

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Bald das Blitzen wieder kommt /und der Donner rollend brummt:

Bald hereilt ein Windesbraus /und dem Wetter macht garaus.

8Source: Leitner, Anton G.: „Feuer, Wasser, Luft & Erde. Die Poesie der Elemente“, Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart 2003, 106.

MUSIC

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Glenn Miller OrchestraMoonlight Serenade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQseFAcWvtE&feature=rellist&playnext=1&list=PL47BF432FFC5667672012-10-31

FILM

Jonathan RenoufDer Klimakrieg _ Teil 2/3 _ Kampf um die WahrheitEarth: The Climate WarsEngland 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcTtRKuw7Y&feature=relmfu2012-10-31

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Discussions plan: Climatic change – Can morality be a question

of survival?

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Is it fair that future generations must

suffer what previous generations have

caused?

Should we claim threshold countries to slow down their emerging markets?

Is there an individual

responsibility?

May one still carry on as always if one knows that these attitudes

contribute to the climatic change?

Can all people be made discharged their duties morally because of the climate change

and are they encouraged to reassess their behavior and to

change their behavior if necessary?

How far does responsibility go?

ARTICLE

Climatic change – how do we heat up the climateKlimawandel – wie wir das Klima aufheizen Booklet of the Austrian environmental organization Global 2000

Here you can find the article :http://global2000.at/module/media/data/global2000.at_de/content/klimabrschueren09/08_KLIMAWANDELthemenbroschrerz1_themenbroschre.pdf_me08_KLIMAWANDELthemenbroschrerz1_themenbroschre.pdf2012-10-31

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