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The Atmosphere

The Atmosphere. Chapter 17. Composition – What’s in the air?. Earths atmosphere is a mixture of gases that has changed over time The atmosphere did not contain a significant amount of oxygen until 2.5 billion years ago

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The Atmosphere

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  1. The Atmosphere Chapter 17

  2. Composition – What’s in the air? • Earths atmosphere is a mixture of gases that has changed over time • The atmosphere did not contain a significant amount of oxygen until 2.5 billion years ago • The atmosphere continuously exchanges gases and particles with the oceans and with earths surface

  3. Composition – What’s in the air? • Major components of the atmosphere are about the same everywhere on earth • Air is mostly nitrogen and oxygen (99%) • The remaining 1% is argon • 0.04% is carbon dioxide (CO2)

  4. Composition – What’s in the air? • Variable components change from place to place • Dust - from smoke, ash, soil, and sea salt • Ozone – protects life on Earth by absorbing harmful UV radiation • Water vapor – the source of all clouds and precipitation. Absorbs heat from the earth and from the sun • Pollution – particles and gases that are harmful to living things

  5. Structure of the atmosphere • Air is concentrated near Earths surface and thins as you travel away from Earth until the molecules are too spread out to detect. • Air is a form of matter, so it exerts pressure on the Earth • Air pressure decreases as you go higher in altitude

  6. Structure of the Atmosphere • The atmosphere is divided into 4 layers based on temperature Terms: Altitude - describes the height of something above the ground vs. Elevation – the height of a landform

  7. Structure of the atmosphere Troposphere : 0 – 10 km above Earth • All major weather events happen in the troposphere • The troposphere has the most air particles • The temperature of the air decreases as altitude increases • The troposphere ends at the tropopause

  8. Structure of the atmosphere Stratosphere: 10 – 50 km above Earth • The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere • Commercial airplanes travel in the stratosphere • Temperatures increase as the altitude increases in the stratosphere • This is because the ozone layer absorbs solar radiation • The stratosphere ends at the stratopause

  9. Structure of the atmosphere Mesosphere: 50 - 80 km above Earth • Meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere usually burn up in the mesosphere • Temperatures decrease as altitude increases in the mesosphere • The mesosphere ends at the mesopause

  10. Structure of the atmosphere Thermosphere: 80 – 140 km above Earth • Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights) occur in the thermosphere • The thermosphere has the least amount of air particles • Temperature increases as altitude increases in the thermosphere

  11. What causes the northern lights?

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