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Layers Of The Atmosphere. Bell Ringer!. What factors can affect the atmosphere? Environmental - volcanoes and meteorites Humans – burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) and using CFCs. What is atmosphere? . A thin layer of air that forms a protective covering around the planet.
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Bell Ringer! • What factors can affect the atmosphere? • Environmental - volcanoes and meteorites • Humans – burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) and using CFCs.
What is atmosphere? • A thinlayer of air that forms a protective covering around the planet. • A mixture of gases, solids, and liquids that surround the planet.
How are the layers separated? By temperature
What happen if Earth had NO Atmosphere? DAYS NIGHTS Extremely COLD! • Extremely HOT!
What is the function of our atmosphere? • It keeps Earth from absorbing too much heat from the Sun. • It keeps too much heat from escaping into space. • It protects life-forms from some of the Sun’s harmful rays.
Gases in the Atmosphere 21% 78%
There are 5 layers in Earth’s atmosphere, each with it’s own unique properties.The lower layers contain most of the air.
Troposphere • Lowest layer • Weatheroccurs in this layer. • This is where all plants and animals breathe. • The temperature decreases with altitude. • Extends up to 10 km above Earth’s surface. • Hot air balloons travel
Stratosphere • Extends from 10 km above Earth’s surface to about 50 km. • Contains the “Ozone Layer” • The Ozone Layer prevents many of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays from reaching the Earth. • People can NOT breathe in this layer. • Airplanes reach altitude in this layer. • Temperatures increase with altitude.
Mesosphere • Extends from 50km to 85 km above Earth’s surface. • Meteors burn up in this layer (preventing harm to Earth). • Temperature decreases with altitude. • Coldest layer
Thumbs up/Thumbs down • The Thermosphere has the highest temperature. • Meteors burn up in the Exosphere. • The Ionosphere is made up of electrically charged particles. • The temperatures in the Mesosphere increase with altitude.
The Ionosphere allows radio waves to travel across the country to another city. • Day– energy from the Sun interacts with the particles in the Ionosphere, causing them to absorb AM radio frequencies. • Night – without the Sun, AM radio transmissions reflect off the ionosphere, allowing radio transmissions to be received at greater distances.
Exosphere • The air is very thin in this layer. • Atoms and molecules escape into outer space. • Satellites& space shuttleorbits Earth in the exosphere. • Warmest layer
Magnetosphere • Earth’s magnetic field that protects us from the solar wind. • Causes the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)