Earth’s Atmosphere

Structure
 Structure
• Layers of gases are held close to Earth due to
gravity (remember…gases are made of atoms or
molecules and therefore have a mass which
gravity can act on)
• 99% of total mass of the atmosphere is below
altitude of 32 km
• Gases push down on the surface creating air
pressure
• Air pressure decreases as altitude rises…WHY?
• Atmosphere is divided into layers based on
distinct and rapid temperature changes at
particular altitudes
 Structure - Troposphere
• Layer closest to earth – we live in it
• Starts at altitude of 0 km and continues to:
– 6-8 km above surface at
polar regions
– 17 km above surface at
equatorial regions
 Structure - Troposphere
• All weather (precipitation, tornadoes, etc) occurs
here
• Air currents (moving of surface air) occur here as
a result of differential heating and cooling of
surface
• Temperature drops 6.5°C every kilometer you
rise, until at about 12 km it starts dropping more
rapidly. (What’s the trend?)
 Structure - Stratosphere
• Starts at altitude where troposphere ends and
continues upward to an altitude of about 50 km
• Temperatures start at a chilly
-40°C and rise to nearly 0°C
• Location of the jet stream
– “River” of air that blows at
lower level of stratosphere
at about 320 km/hr
– Enables faster
trans-Atlantic flight
•
Structure - Stratosphere
This is location of our very important, ever threatened
ozone
• Ozone (O3) is a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms
and has an overall charge of 2-.
• Due to its molecular charge, ozone is very reactive and
latches onto many different chemicals that we release as
well as absorbs incoming solar radiation
• Ozone is our most important solar radiation shield
 Structure - Mesosphere
• Starts at altitude of about 50 km and continues to
approximately 80 km above the surface
• Temperatures are a freezing -100°C
• Thin ice clouds form here when
water vapor is present
• Mesosphere protects Earth from
incoming meteroids (burn up due
to friction…these are the
“shooting stars” that you see)
 Structure - Thermosphere
• Starts at altitude of about 80 km and continues upward
• Temperatures here are a very balmy 2000°C. Why so hot?
• N and O absorb a lot of incoming
UV and converts it to heat
• Thermosphere can further be
divided into sublayers…
 Structure - Thermosphere
• Ionosphere
– About 80-550 km altitude
– Composed of electrically charged ions that are essential
to our radio communications
– Radio waves bounce off the “bottom” of the ionosphere
and are reflected back toward Earth and can travel long
distances (radio waves are low E)
– Solar flares can interfere with our radio waves
• Exosphere
– Extends from 550 km to up and out and away!
– Satellites orbit here