atmosphere the envelope of gases that surrounds the earth composed of: – nitrogen (78%) – oxygen...
TRANSCRIPT
Atmosphere
• The envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth
• Composed of:– Nitrogen (78%)– Oxygen (21%)– Carbon Dioxide (0.04%)– Water Vapor (0.5%)– Other Gases
Layers of the Atmosphere
• The Earth’s atmosphere is divided into five basic layers:– Troposphere– Stratosphere– Mesosphere– Thermosphere– Exosphere
Air Pressure/Air Particles
• Most of the air particles in the atmosphere can be found in the troposphere
• Troposphere has high air pressure
• Thermosphere has few air particles and very low air pressure
Temperature Changes
• If Earth’s atmosphere is invisible, how can we divide it into different layers?
• We divide the atmosphere into different layers based upon changes in temperature
Troposphere
• Layer closest to the Earth
• Contains most of the air particles because gravity pulls them down
• Only layer that has weather
• Layer in which we live
Stratosphere
• 10-50 Km above the Earth
• Contains the “Ozone Layer”- protects us from the sun’s UV rays
• Airplanes prefer to fly here
• Temperature rises slowly as you go higher
Mesopshere
• 50-85 Km• Temperatures drop
greatly in this layer• Coldest temperatures in
the atmosphere• Contains a layer of
charged particles called the “ionosphere”- This allows radio/tv signals to work
Thermosphere
• Over 85-300 Km above the Earth
• Thinnest layer- particles very spread out
• Temperatures rise as you go higher- hottest layer
• Where the Northern Lights occur