BIG IDEA: The Atmosphere

THE INVISIBLE
BLANKET
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What would life be without
the atmosphere?
How does Earth’s
atmosphere protect us?
What is an atmosphere?
pIt is the gas part of the Earth
pIt is made up of air composed of
different gases
pIt is the Earth’s invisible blanket
What will happen
without the
atmosphere?
 Importance of the Earth’s atmosphere:
It makes life possible by:
Maintaining temperature that
makes life possible (33oC warmer than the
moon; Earth’s temperature will be as low as -18oC
without it)
Supplying oxygen needed by animals
and human beings
Providing carbon dioxide needed by

plants
Importance of the Earth’s atmosphere:
Transporting water and energy
over the face of the Earth (rain)
Protecting us from meteor impacts
Shielding us against harmful
ultraviolet radiation through the
Ozone layer
Causes brilliant sunsets
What are the
layers of the
atmosphere?
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
The five distinct layers of the
atmosphere are:
TROPOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
EXOSPHERE
To remember them…
 The  Troposphere
 Science  Stratosphere
 Monkey  Mesosphere
 Took  Thermosphere
 Evan  Exosphere

MEANS….
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
TROPOSPHERE
-it extends about
14-18km from the
Earth’s surface
(closest to the
Earth)
-we live here
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
TROPOSPHERE
-air here is denser
since the air above it
pushes the air
molecules close
together
-it is where most of the
water vapor in the
atmosphere is found
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
TROPOSPHERE
-it is also where
clouds and
storms (weather)
occur
-at its topmost part
JET STREAM (a
fast-moving river of
air about 375km/h)
is located
 TROPOPAUSE

-boundary
between the
Troposphere
and the next
layer.
What happens in the temperature in the
troposphere as the altitude increases?
In the troposphere, the
temperature decreases
as the altitude
increases (from about
15oC to –45oC)
Why is that so?
The troposphere is heated from
below by the ground through
radiation and convection.
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
-it is about 50km
above the Earth
-very little water
vapor is found
here, so no clouds
are found here
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
-air is used by pilots
to speed up and
avoid the weather
in the troposphere
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
-it is where the
Ozone layer is
located

Why is the ozone

layer important?
 Which do you
think is warmer,
the troposphere
or the
stratosphere?

Why is that so?

What happens in
the temperature
in the
stratosphere as
the altitude
increases?
 STRATOPAUSE
-boundary
between the
Stratosphere
and the next
layer.
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
-it extends about
90km above the
Earth
-this is the
coldest region in
the atmosphere
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
-it is where
meteoroids burn
and become
meteors
(falling/shooting
stars)
 Why is the
mesosphere
the coldest
layer of the
atmosphere?
Mesosphere is the coldest
layer because only small
amount of radiation
coming from the sun is
absorbed.
 What do you
think happens
in the
temperature in
the mesosphere
as the altitude
increases?
 In the mesosphere, the
temperature decreases as
the altitude increases (from
5oC to about –90oC)
 MESOPAUSE
boundary
between the
Mesosphere
and the next
layer.
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
-it extends 80-
110km above the
Earth
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
-it contains the
IONOSPHERE
which reflects
electromagnetic
waves back to the
Earth making radio
communication
possible.
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
-it contains little
amount of air
-the temperature here
reaches up to 1 727oC
(hottest layer of the
atmosphere)
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
-it is where
auroras are
formed
 (formed when solar wind strikes gases
AURORAS in the atmosphere)

Aurora Aurora
australis- borealis-
south pole north pole
Why we can’t see auroras in
the Philippines?
Because layers of the
atmosphere are thicker near
the equator and thinner
near the poles.
What do you think
happens in the
temperature in the
thermosphere as
the altitude (height)
increases?
The temperature
in this layer
increases as the
altitude
increases.
 LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
EXOSPHERE
-begins at the top of
the thermosphere
until the outer space
-composed primarily
of hydrogen and
helium
-it is the upper limit of
the atmosphere
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
EXOSPHERE
-it is 500-1000km
above the Earth
-it is where
satellites are
stationed
 Layers of the atmosphere

outermost layer
Where satellites are found
hottest layer
Where auroras form

Where meteoroids form

coldest layer

where jet streams

where weather are found
occurs
 Watch this video
presentation to sum up the
information about the
layers of the atmosphere.
Take down important
notes you will get from the
video.
What is the The layers of the
basis for the Earth’s
division of atmosphere is
the Earth’s divided based on
atmosphere? temperature
differences
Composition of
the Atmosphere
Gases in the atmosphere
Gases in the atmosphere
99% of the volume of dry air =
Nitrogen and Oxygen
0.9% of the volume of dry air =
Argon (comes from the breakdown
of radioactive potassium)
0.1% of the volume of dry air =
composed of Carbon dioxide, water
vapor and other trace gases.
Which among those
gases you think affect
the weather?
Water vapor has a great effect
on weather since it’s the main
ingredient of rain, hail, snow,
fog, and clouds.
Now, summarize the concepts
and ideas you’ve learned about
the layers of the atmosphere.
Organize the data in a table like
the one after this slide. Work in
triads. Use an activity sheet for
your work.
 Data about the atmosphere

lationship between the temperature

stimated distance from the ground

Events happening in this layer

Layer

Estimated temperature

Other information
and altitude
Activity Title: The atmosphere
and its layers
Learning Target: Organize in a
table the information about the
layers of the atmosphere.
THE END