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Layers of the Atmosphere. Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere. The Troposphere. Layer closest to the earth and contains approximately 75% of all the mass of the atmosphere. Ten miles deep. This layer is turbulent, with storms and atmospheric mixing. Weather! .
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Layers of the Atmosphere Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere
The Troposphere • Layer closest to the earth and contains approximately 75% of all the mass of the atmosphere. • Ten miles deep. • This layer is turbulent, with storms and atmospheric mixing. Weather!
The air cools gradually as it gets further from the earth. At the very top of this layer the air temperature is about 76 degrees below zero on the Fahrenheit scale. • This is important, because it changes water vapor into ice, forming the cold trap.
COLD TRAP: a temperature region where water vapor stops going up. If we had no cold trap, water molecules could rise in the atmosphere where they would eventually break down into oxygen and hydrogen. Leaving earth with limited water.
The Stratosphere • The stratosphere lies above the troposphere. It is about twenty miles deep. • The stratosphere contains about 24% of the mass of all the atmospheric molecules. • This layer has the ozone layer in it.
The ozone layer protects all life on earth from the harmful and potentially even lethal ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun. • The lower part of the stratosphere is cold, but it warms up as it gets farther from the earth -- another effect of the ozone.
The Mesosphere • Extends to about 50 miles, temperature drops again to as low as -173 degrees F. • Meteors, small pieces of matter drawn to the atmosphere by earth's gravity, become visible to the naked eye as they enter the mesosphere and are heated through friction caused by collisions with air molecules.
The Thermosphere • Considered the "hot layer" because it contains the warmest temperatures in the atmosphere.3272 degrees F • However, because the air is so thin (less dense), our bodies would not be able to detect this heat. • There would not be enough molecules bombarding your body to transfer heat to your skin.
Ionosphere: Energy from the sun causes gas molecules to become electrically charged particles called ions. Radio waves bounce off. • Exosphere :The exosphere is the region where molecules from the atmosphere can overcome the pull of gravity and escape into outer space.
