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COMPONENTS OF ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere of earth is a layer of gases. By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen,
0.93% Argon, 0.04% CO2 and small amounts of other gases like Ne, CH4, H2, Kr, etc. Air also contains a
variable amount of water vapour, on average around 1% at sea – level and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.

Earth’s atmosphere can be divided into 5 main layers namely

1) Troposphere – 0 -12 km
2) Stratosphere – 12-50 km
3) Mesosphere – 50-80 km
4) Thermosphere 80-700 km
5) Exosphere – 700-10000 km
TROPOSPHERE : It is the lowest layer of earth’s atmosphere. It extends from earth’s surface to an average
height of 12 km, although this varies from about 9 km at poles and 17 km at equator. The temperature
decreases with increasing height in the troposphere because troposphere is mostly heated through energy
transfer from the surface. The troposphere contains roughly 80% of the mass of earth’s atmosphere.

STRATOSPHERE : It extends from 12km above sea level to about 50 km. In this layer, the temperature
increases with height, due to heating within the ozone layer caused by capture of ultra violet rays from the
sun. About 20% of the atmosphere’s mass is contained in the stratosphere. The border between the
troposphere and the stratosphere is the tropopause. The top of the stratosphere is the stratopause, above which
the temperature decreases with height. Aircrafts usually fly in this layer.

MESOSPHERE : It is the layer of earth’s atmosphere that is directly above the stratosphere. It extends from
50-80 km above sea-level. In this layer, temperature decreases as the altitude increases. The upper boundary
of the mesosphere is the mesopause, which can be the coldest naturally occurring place on earth.

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THERMOSPHERE: It is the layer of atmosphere ranging from 80-700 km. It is the region of the
atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the height at which atmosphere ceases to have the properties of a
continuous medium. It is characterized throughout by an increase in temperature with height. The temperature
at the thermosphere’s greatest height can reach upto 2000oC. The main components of air in the thermosphere
include He, N and O.
EXOSPHERE: It is the outermost layer of earth’s atmosphere. It extends from an altitude of 700-10000
km above sea-level. It is mainly composed of extremely low densities of H, He and several heavier molecules
including N, O, CO2. The exosphere contains most of the satellites orbiting the earth.
BIOSPHERE:
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed as the zone of life on earth. By
definition, the biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships,
including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. It is classified as:
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and pedosphere.
1) ATMOSPHERE: It is a layer of gases surrounding a planet or other material body that is held in place
by the gravity of that body. Earth’s atmosphere contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93%
Argon, 0.04% CO2 and small amounts of other gases like Ne, CH4, H2, Kr, etc.
2) HYDROSPHERE: It is the combined mass of water found on, under and above the surface of a planet.
This includes water in liquid and frozen forms in groundwater, oceans, lakes and streams. Saltwater
accounts for 97.5% of this amount. Freshwater accounts for only 2.5%. Out of this, 68.7% is in the
form of ice and snow in the arctic, antarctic and glaciers. 29.9% is in the form of fresh groundwater.
Only 0.26% is in easily accessible lakes, reservoirs and rivers.
3) LITHOSPHERE: It is a rigid, outermost shell of a planet or natural satellite that is defined by its rigid
mechanical properties. On earth, it is composed of crust, mantle and core.
4) PEDOSPHERE: It is the outermost layer of the earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil
formation processes. It exists at the interface of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and
biosphere. The sum total of all organisms, soils, water and air is termed as the pedosphere.

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HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE: The continuous circulation of water from land, water bodies etc., which joins
the atmosphere and finally condenses in the form of precipitation. A part of water is lost by evapotranspiration
and certain portion percolate into the ground to form ground water reservoir and the remaining water flows on
the ground as runoff and joins the streams, rivers and finally into sea. This cycle is continuously repeated.
Water is the main constituent of hydrosphere & is renewable resource. Water is next to air that man requires for
his survival and existence. Water is needed for daily use by organisms, for irrigation, industrial electricity
production and domestic use. Hence, water is an important resource in all economic activities ranging from
agriculture to industry. The distribution of water resources is not uniform over the earth’s surface. About 97%
of it is salt water in the seas & oceans, 2.6% is trapped in polar ice caps & glaciers. Only 0.4% is
available as fresh water.

Figure 1: hydrological cycle/ water cycle

OXYGEN CYCLE: Oxygen is present in CO2, CH2O (carbohydrates) and H2O. Oxygen is released into the
atmosphere by plants during photosynthesis and taken up by both autotrophs and heterotrophs during
respiration. All the oxygen in the atmosphere is biogenic i.e., it was released from water through the process
of photosynthesis. Because of the vast amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere, even if all photosynthesis cease
it would take 5000 million years to strip out more or less all oxygen.

CARBON CYCLE: All life is based on the element carbon and hence carbon is the main constituent of

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living organisms. Carbon may be present in most organic matter from fossil fuels to the complex molecules
(DNA & RNA). In fact, the lithosphere is only 0.032% carbon by weight. In comparison, oxygen and silicon
make up 45.2% and 29.4% respectively of the earth’s surface rocks. Plants absorb CO2 during photosynthesis
whereas animals emit CO during respiration. Animals obtain all their carbon through their food and thus, all
carbon in biological systems ultimately comes from plants (autotrophs). The dead bodies of plants and
animals as well as the body wastes are decomposed by micro-organisms which release carbon in the form of
CO2. The weathering of rocks also contributes CO2 into the environment.

NITROGEN CYCLE: Nitrogen is one of the primary nutrients required for the survival of all living
organisms. The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into various chemical
forms as it circulates among the atmosphere and land and aquatic ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can
be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Nitrogen fixation or conversion of free nitrogen
into biologically acceptable form is referred to as Nitrogen Fixation. Nitrogen fixation is also carried out by
biological process by means of blue – green algae in the oceans. Examples: Rhizobium bacteria fix nitrogen in
the roots of leguminous plants, blue – green algae fix nitrogen.
Ammonification: when plants or animals die or release waste, the nitrogen is returned to the soil as ammonia.
The bacteria (nitrite bacteria) in the soil and in the water take up ammonia and convert it to Nitrite (NO).
Other bacteria (Nitrate bacteria) take nitrite and convert it to Nitrate (NO3) which can be taken up by plants to
continue the cycle.
Nitrification means conversion of ammonia into nitrite by some of the bacteria such as Nitrosmonas,
Nitrococcus in oceans and soils.

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GREEN HOUSE EFFECT : Observations of the earth have shown that the atmosphere constituents such as
water vapour, CO2, methane, nitrogen oxides and chloro-fluoro carbons (CFCs) trap heat in the form of
infrared radiations near the earth’s surface. This is known as the Greenhouse Effect. It is a naturally
occurring process that results in heating of the earth’s surface and atmosphere. Green House effect results
from the gases such as CO2; NO (Nitrous Oxide); CFC’s; Halogens (F, Br, Cl, I). Ultimately, the Green House
effect may lead to the death of both plants and animals including human beings.
GLOBAL WARMING: As a result of higher concentrations of gases (especially CO2); the earth’s climate
becomes warmer and this is referred to as Global Warming. Reports say that the average climate/ temperature
of the earth have increased during the twentieth century by about 0.6˚C.
The following are the effects of global warming:
→ Global warming causes decrease in rate of precipitation on land
→ Sea level rises and low lying areas will be inundated
→ Global Warming changes the direction of wind.
→ CFC’s convert Ozone into oxygen and oxygen radical and thus ozone depletes in the atmosphere.
→ Global temperature will increase at least by 4˚C.
The following are the solutions for Global Warming:
→ By reducing the emissions of Green House gases.
→ Clean electricity technologies such as wind mills/turbines; solar panels; tidal energy etc. are to be used
→ Bio-fuels (Ex: ethanol - a type of alcohol) and Bio-diesel could minimize the CO2 emission.

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ACID RAIN: When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are burned, chemicals like sulfhur dioxide
and nitrogen oxides are produced. These chemicals react with water and other chemicals in the air to form
sulfhuric acid and nitric acid. These acid pollutants spread upwards into the atmosphere, and are carried by air
currents, to finally return to the ground in the form of acid rain, fog or snow. Acid rain indirectly affects plants
by removing nutrients from the soil in which they grow. Acid rain that falls or flows as ground water to reach
rivers, lakes etc, causes the water in them to become acidic. This affects plant and animal life in aquatic
ecosystems. Acid rain also has far reaching effects on wildlife. Acid rain damages buildings, automobiles, and
other structures made of stone or metal.

OZONE DEPLETION:
Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) are those which deplete the ozone layer. The ODS’s a r e Chloro
Fluoro Carbons (CFS’s) Hydro Chloro Fluoro Carbons (HCFS’s). Ozone makes human beings eyes itch,
causes burning sensation, lowers the human body resistance power and leads to cold and pneumonia. Ozone
reacts with tissues and causes for breathing problem and decrease the working ability of the lungs. The
thinning of the ozone layer may lead to an increase of skin cancers. Certain crops may be damaged if ozone
layer is depleted thus affecting natural food chains and food webs so that the ecology system disturbs. The
effect of ozone depletion in Antarctica is severe; however, the ozone in the arctic region should not be
neglected. Depletion of ozone causes Global warming.
DEFORESTATION refers to the loss of forest cover or the aimless destruction of trees. The clearing of
forests across the earth has been occurring on a large scale basis for many centuries. This process involves the
cutting down, burning and damaging of forests.
Causes of deforestation:
a. For need of money for developing / weak countries
b. To construct various projects
c. To develop industries
d. For making roads to access the interiors of the areas
Effects of deforestation:
a) The removal of trees leads to soil exposure & results in soil erosion, rapid water run-off, loss of
wildlife.
b) Deforestation cause unknown effects on global climate and eliminating the majority of plant and
animal species on this earth.
c) A variety of food products such as coffee, tea, spices, nuts, fruits etc. will be reduced.
d) Rainfall decreases to a great extent.

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Desertification: The processes by which an area becomes even more barren, less capable of retaining
vegetation is known as desertification. This may become a disaster in long term. Hence, desertification refers
to land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas due to man-made activities. Desertification often starts as
patchy destruction of productive land. Increased dust particles in atmosphere also lead to desertification. The
chief causes of desertification also include: Climatic factors and (ii) human factors (population growth,
increased population density. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP),
deforestation is an important factor contributing to desertification.

Questions:
1. Explain the phenomenon of acid rain and its side effects.
2. What are the causes and impacts of deforestation? How does it cause desertification?
3. Define the following with neat sketches:
a) Water cycle
b) Oxygen cycle
c) Nitrogen cycle
d) Carbon cycle
4. Discuss the following in details:
a) Greenhouse Effect
b) Global Warming
c) Acid Rain
d) Biosphere
e) Ozone depletion

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