The Atmosphere

(Composition, General characteristics and Stability)

 Atmosphere
• is a layer of gases surrounding a planet or
other material body of
sufficient mass that is held in place by
the gravity of the body.
• is more likely to be retained if the gravity
is high and the atmosphere's temperature
is low.
 Vertical Structure
• Troposphere
– Lowest layer of the atmosphere
– Depth = 8 to 16 km (3.6 to 10 miles)

• Stratosphere
- Second lowest layer of atmosphere
- Depth = Approx. 20km (12 miles)
• Mesosphere
– Third layer in the atmosphere
– Depth = approx. 80km (50 miles)

• Thermosphere
– Outermost layer of atmosphere
– Depth = begins t 80 km
 Additions
• Tropopause
– Transition zone where the temperature ceases to
decrease

• Stratopause
– Top of stratopause, temperatures continue to
increase
• Mesopause
– Very top of the mesosphere, continuing into the
thermosphere

• Ionosphere
– Extends from the upper mesosphere into the
thermosphere
• Exosphere
– The upper part of thermosphere

• Magnetosphere
– The area around the earth that extends beyond the
atmosphere
 Composition of the Atmosphere
• The atmosphere is composed of a mix of several different gases in
differing amounts.  The permanent gases whose percentages do
not change from day to day are nitrogen, oxygen and argon. 
Nitrogen accounts for 78% of the atmosphere, oxygen 21% and
argon 0.9%.  Gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane,
and ozone are trace gases that account for about a tenth of one
percent of the atmosphere.  Water vapor is unique in that its
concentration varies from 0-4% of the atmosphere depending on
where you are and what time of the day it is.  In the cold, dry artic
regions water vapor usually accounts for less than 1% of the
atmosphere, while in humid, tropical regions water vapor can
account for almost 4% of the atmosphere.  Water vapor content is
very important in predicting weather.
P[[
• Homosphere
– The lowest 80km of the atmosphere, which the
relative abundance of permanent gases is constant.
• Heterosphere
– The high atmosphere where gases are not well
mixed but rather are stratified according to weight
 Atmospheric stability
• is a measure of the atmosphere's tendency to
encourage or deter vertical motion, and
vertical motion is directly correlated to
different types of weather systems and their
severity. In unstable conditions, a lifted parcel
of air will be warmer than the surrounding air
at altitude.
• Absolutely unstable : if the environmental
lapse rate is greater than 9.8 C per kilometer
(i.e. greater than the dry adiabatic rate), then
any rising parcel, saturated or not, will be
warmer than it's environment. The parcel will
be buoyant in this case, and so the atmosphere
is characterized as absolutely unstable. 
• Conditionally unstable : if the environmental
lapse rate lies in the range between 4 C per
kilometer and 9.8 C per kilometer, then the
atmosphere is characterized as conditionally
unstable. A rising parcel could become buoyant
if at some point it becomes saturated. Whether it
becomes saturated depends on the surface
temperature and humidity. 
• Absolutely stable : if the environmental lapse
rate is less than 4 C per kilometer, then any
rising air parcel will be colder than the
environment, and will sink back down. The
atmosphere is characterized as absolutely
stable because no matter if the parcel is
saturated or not, it cannot become buoyant.