Atmosphere. Earth’s atmosphere reaches from Earth’s surface to 40,000 miles from Earth’s surface. The farther you travel from Earth’s surface the less.

The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases, retained by Earth's gravity, which surround the planet Earth.

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10

atmosphere

• Earth’s atmosphere reaches from Earth’s surface to 40,000 miles from Earth’s surface.

• The farther you travel from Earth’s surface the less and less air there is and therefore less and less air pressure.

• The farther you travel from Earth’s surface the sun’s radiation is more intense.

• Scientists have separated Earth’s atmosphere into layers based on temperature changes as you travel from one layer to the next.

EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE MAKES LIFE POSSIBLE BECAUSE….The atmosphere provides air for us to breathe

Creates a blanket which allows the atmosphere to warm

Protects us from meteors (most burn up in mesosphere)

Protects us from harmful solar radiation like UV, gamma and X rays

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10

THE ATMOSPHERE’S LAYERS ARE BASED

ON TEMPERATURE CHANGESTROPOSHERE- lowest layer and most dense contains > 75% of atmosphere’s total mass where weather is found

STRATOSPHERE- very thin and cold layer contains ozone layer which protects us from UV rays

MESOSPHERE- coldest layer where meteors burn up

THERMOSPHERE- warmest layer of atmosphere because it absorbs a great deal of solar radiation

EXOSPHERE- layer where a few gas molecules have escaped earth’s gravity

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE• Troposphere– highest

content of oxygen, contains 75% of gases of the atmosphere, great amount of breathable air, water cycle, weather, meteors, sun’s radiation is absorbed, traps in heat

• Stratosphere– very cold, ozone layer absorbs dangerous UV radiation, sun’s radiation is absorbed, meteors, no breathable air

• Mesosphere– coldest layer, sun’s radiation is absorbed,

most meteors burn up in this layer, no breathable air•Thermosphere– warmest layer because it absorbs a great deal of the sun’s radiation, the sun’s very dangerous gamma and X rays are absorbed here, meteors, no breathable air •Exosphere– a few gas molecules drift this far away from earth’s surface, meteors, sun’s radiation, no breathable air

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10

Many materials can block gamma, x and UV rays.

The denser the material the more effectively the rays will be blocked.

Concrete, metals and even paper can block these rays.

The most effective of these is metal because of its high density. The most effective metal is lead.

OZONE LAYER DOES NOT WARM UP THE PLANET

OZONE LAYER LOCATED IN

STRATOSPHERE BLOCKS HARMFUL

ULTRAVIOLET RAYS A THINNER OZONE

LAYER, ALLOWS UV RAYS TO DAMAGE LIFE ON OUR PLANET

NO OZONE LAYER =

DEATH OF LIFE

GREENHOUSE EFFECT GASES ( WATER

VAPOR, OXYGEN, METHANE, CO2, ETC.) IN THE TROPOSPHERE TRAP IN HEAT

GREENHOUSE GASES ACT LIKE A BLANKET

OUR ATMOSPHERE IS HEATED BY…1. The sun’s rays warm the ground—RADIATION

2. Air touching the ground is warmed by CONDUCTION

3. Warmer air rises and carries energy upward in the atmosphere-CONVECTION

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10

THE SUN HEATS OUR EARTH BUT NOT ALL ITS ENERGY IS ABSORBED BY EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE

SOME OF THE SUN’S ENERGY IS REFLECTED BACK INTO SPACE

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10

WIND IS CAUSED BY…Uneven heating of the earth’s surface

At the equator, the sun’s rays are more direct and the equator heats up more than the poles

Darker surfaces heat up more than lighter colored areas

Water heats up and cools down slowly

Air above warmer surfaces warms and rises

Cooler air moving in to replace the rising air is wind

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10

JETSTREAMS ARE HIGH ALTITUDE “RIVERS” OF FAST MOVING AIR.

JETSTREAMS TYPICALLY ARE THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN AIR MASSES OF DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES.

JETSTREAMS PUSH WEATHER SYSTEMS ACROSS OUR PLANET.

Created by Roger Johnson MMS 01/10