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Earth’s Atmosphere

Earth’s Atmosphere. Why is it so important to life on Earth?. Earth’s atmosphere is made up of 5 different layers…. What makes up our atmosphere?. Nitrogen - 78% Oxygen - 21% Water Vapor – 0 to 4% Carbon Dioxide - .037% Argon - .93%

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Earth’s Atmosphere

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  1. Earth’s Atmosphere Why is it so important to life on Earth?

  2. Earth’s atmosphere is made up of 5 different layers…

  3. What makes up our atmosphere? • Nitrogen - 78% • Oxygen - 21% • Water Vapor – 0 to 4% • Carbon Dioxide - .037% • Argon - .93% • Traces of neon, helium, methane, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, and ozone

  4. Did you know that Thailand's Science Makes the Energy? • Troposphere • Stratosphere • Mesosphere • Thermosphere • Exosphere • Thailand's • Science • Makes • The • Energy

  5. Why is the atmosphere divided into 5 different layers? • The atmosphere changes with altitude giving us different layers. • Two properties change with altitude, the AIR PRESSURE and the AIR TEMPERATURE

  6. Air Pressure and Altitude • Gravity pulls the atmosphere towards Earth. • A column of air exerts pressure on anything below it. • The air is less dense at higher altitudes, exerting less pressure.

  7. Temperature and Altitude • In Tropo. & Meso. temps decrease with altitude • In Strat. & Therm. Temps increase with altitude, Strat has ozone • Therm. receives large amount of energy over small amount of particles

  8. Energy From the Sun • The Sun’s energy reaches Earth through radiation (transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves) • Visible light (what you can see) • Ultraviolet light (UV) • Infrared Radiation (IR) • At Earth’s surface, visible light converted into thermal energy, or HEAT

  9. Incoming Radiation

  10. Balancing the incoming radiation • Land, water, plants and other organisms absorb solar radiation. • Then it bounces back into the atmosphere, mostly Infrared radiation which human eyes cannot detect • This process heats our atmosphere

  11. The Greenhouse Effect • Greenhouse gases act like glass to allow sunlight in, but traps Infrared Radiation (IR) • Water Vapor, Carbon Dioxide, and Methane • Additional buildup of thermal energy (heat) at Earth’s surface

  12. Thermal Energy Transfer • Three Types of Transfer: • Radiation • Conduction • Convection • REMEMBER: Radiation is the process that transfers energy from the Sun to Earth

  13. Conduction • Conduction: transfer of thermal energy by collisions between particles of matter • Particles must be close enough to touch • Conduction occurs where the atmosphere touches Earth

  14. Convection • Convection: the transfer of thermal energy by movement of particles within matter • Molecules close to Earth are heated by conduction then they spread apart. • Models spread and air becomes less dense. • Less dense air rises, transferring thermal energy to higher altitudes.

  15. Latent Heat and Water • Latent heat is the exchanged when water changes from one phase to another • Latent heat energy is transferred from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere.

  16. The first layer of the atmosphere is the… TROPOSPHERE • The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere nearest to earth. • The troposphere goes from 0km to 16km. • All weather happens in the troposphere. • More than half the air in the total atmosphere is in this layer. • The temperature drops as the altitude increases. • Harmful ozone is found here…IT CREATES SMOG!

  17. What is OZONE? • A gaseous layer in the upper atmosphere that protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. • At lower levels, ozone becomes a major pollutant. What is SMOG? • Pollution formed by the interaction of pollutants and sunlight • Restricts visibility, and occasionally hazardous to health.

  18. The second layer of the atmosphere is the… STRATOSPHERE • The stratosphere goes from 16km to 50 km. • The temperature goes up with altitude. • Most jets fly in this layer. • The protective ozone is at the top of the atmosphere (It protects us from the ultraviolet radiation of the sun.) • Rivers of air, called Jet Streams, can be found at the base of this layer.

  19. The third layer of the atmosphere is the… MESOSPHERE • The Mesosphere goes from 50km to 90km. • In the mesosphere, the temperature drops with altitude. • The mesosphere is the coldest layer of the atmosphere. • Meteors burn up in this layer. • Radio waves are reflected back to earth in the mesosphere.

  20. The fourth layer of the atmosphere is the… THERMOSPHERE • The thermosphere goes from 90km to 300km. • In the thermosphere the temperature goes up with altitude. • The thermosphere is the hottest layer of the atmosphere. • Curtains of light called auroras occur in this layer. • The Ionosphere is found in the thermosphere. This is the component of the thermosphere that makes the auroras.

  21. The last layer of the atmosphere is the… EXOSPHERE • The exosphere is the outermost layer of the atmosphere. • The temperature in the exosphere goes up with altitude. • Satellites orbit earth in the exosphere.

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