hottest layer of Earth's atmosphere, where the International S…. Fifty percent of the total mass of the atmosphere is located in the lower 5.6 km (3.5 mi; 18,000 ft) of the troposphere. Planes usually fly in the lowest parts of the stratosphere layer. Blue light is scattered more than other wavelengths by the gases in the atmosphere, giving Earth a blue halo when seen from space. In May 2017, glints of light, seen as twinkling from an orbiting satellite a million miles away, were found to be reflected light from ice crystals in the atmosphere.[38][39]. Various industrial pollutants also may be present as gases or aerosols, such as chlorine (elemental or in compounds), fluorine compounds and elemental mercury vapor. Tiny, hardy organisms are swept up from the thin transition where Earth's atmosphere meets the planet and carried into the lower layers of the atmosphere on an epic detour. However, the atmosphere is more accurately modeled with a customized equation for each layer that takes gradients of temperature, molecular composition, solar radiation and gravity into account. If the light does not interact with the atmosphere, it is called direct radiation and is what you see if you were to look directly at the Sun. Also, this layer of the atmosphere has the lowest temperature of all layers, and they drop down to -90° C. The layer that is located between 500 and 1000 km above the Earth’s level is known as the thermosphere. The atmosphere becomes thinner and thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. Many substances of natural origin may be present in locally and seasonally variable small amounts as aerosols in an unfiltered air sample, including dust of mineral and organic composition, pollen and spores, sea spray, and volcanic ash. In summary, the mass of Earth's atmosphere is distributed approximately as follows:[36]. Although the temperature may be −60 °C (−76 °F; 210 K) at the tropopause, the top of the stratosphere is much warmer, and may be near 0 °C.[23]. The Earth's atmosphere is divided up into five layers:Let's Learn about each layer … The height of the thermopause varies considerably due to changes in solar activity. The higher we go in this layer of the atmosphere, the ‘’thinner’’ the air gets, meaning it is significantly harder for us humans to breathe. The troposphere starts at the Earth's surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9 miles). You have guessed it, high temperatures are the name of the game here. This image shows the Moon at the centre, with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere. This layer is mainly composed of extremely low densities of hydrogen, helium and several heavier molecules including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide closer to the exobase. A jacket for the planet Earth is a great planet to live on because it has a wonderful atmosphere around it. [11] The remaining gases are often referred to as trace gases,[12] among which are the greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. That is why climbing high mountain peaks is so challenging! Different molecules absorb different wavelengths of radiation. It is not solid and thus it fades away with height. water vapor. Atmospheric effects become noticeable during atmospheric reentry of spacecraft at an altitude of around 120 km (75 mi). This layer extends from the top of the troposphere at roughly 12 km (7.5 mi; 39,000 ft) above Earth's surface to the stratopause at an altitude of about 50 to 55 km (31 to 34 mi; 164,000 to 180,000 ft). the upper limit of the atmosphere). Colors roughly denote the layers of the atmosphere. For example, O2 and O3 absorb almost all wavelengths shorter than 300 nanometers. The thermosphere is the second-highest layer of Earth's atmosphere. The next layer up is called the stratosphere. The easiest way to think about the atmosphere above our planet is to imagine an invisible shield that protects our planet from all the bad stuff that floats around in the universe. Within this layer of the atmosphere, ultraviolet radiation causes photoionization/ photodissociation of molecules, creating ions; the thermosphere thus constitutes the larger part of the ionosphere. The atmospheric pressure at the top of the stratosphere is roughly 1/1000 the pressure at sea level. By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Each layer has its own properties, depending on how far you are from the surface of the planet. The temperature of the thermosphere gradually increases with height and can rise as high as 1500 °C (2700 °F), though the gas molecules are so far apart that its temperature in the usual sense is not very meaningful. Ancient sediments in the Gabon dating from between about 2.15 and 2.08 billion years ago provide a record of Earth's dynamic oxygenation evolution. Common examples of these are CO2 and H2O. (D) Water vapor is about 0.25% by mass over full atmosphere As the name suggests, we are halfway up our atmosphere layers when we reach this part. The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15×1018 kg,[9] three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. Some gases in the atmosphere absorb and emit infrared radiation, but do not interact with sunlight in the visible spectrum. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to... Mesosphere. The temperature of the troposphere is highest near the surface of the Earth and decreases with altitude. Of all the atmosphere's layer's, the troposphere is the one we're most familiar with (whether you realize it or not) since we live at its bottom -- the Earth's surface. The division of the atmosphere into layers mostly by reference to temperature is discussed above. troposphere. Earth's atmosphere backlit by the Sun in an eclipse observed from deep space onboard Apollo 12 in 1969. Troposphere. Much of the blue light has been scattered out, leaving the red light in a sunset. The constant re-arrangement of continents by plate tectonics influences the long-term evolution of the atmosphere by transferring carbon dioxide to and from large continental carbonate stores. The mean mass of water vapor is estimated as 1.27×1016 kg and the dry air mass as 5.1352 ±0.0003×1018 kg. It extends from Earth's surface to an average height of about 12 km (7.5 mi; 39,000 ft), although this altitude varies from about 9 km (5.6 mi; 30,000 ft) at the geographic poles to 17 km (11 mi; 56,000 ft) at the Equator,[19] with some variation due to weather. The study of Earth's atmosphere and its processes is called atmospheric science (aerology), and includes multiple subfields, such as climatology and atmospheric physics. It is not to be confused with, Gas layer surrounding Earth: Mostly nitrogen, uniquely high in oxygen, with trace amounts of other molecules, Two recent reliable sources cited here have total atmospheric compositions, including trace molecules, that exceed 100%. Earth’s atmosphere has a layered structure. Atmospheric pressure is the total weight of the air above unit area at the point where the pressure is measured. However, temperature has a more complicated profile with altitude, and may remain relatively constant or even increase with altitude in some regions (see the temperature section, below). Published by Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2005. The line between Earth’s atmosphere and space is set at 100 km / 62 miles up. The mesosphere goes up to 85 km above the surface of our planet, and the temperatures here behave as they do in the troposphere. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atmosphere_of_Earth&oldid=996991205, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2016, Articles needing additional references from October 2013, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Exosphere: 700 to 10,000 km (440 to 6,200 miles), Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km (50 to 440 miles), Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles). However, non-hydrometeorological phenomena such as the aurora borealis and aurora australis are occasionally seen in the thermosphere. Depending on solar activity, satellites can experience noticeable atmospheric drag at altitudes as high as 700–800 km. Nearly all atmospheric water vapor or moisture is found in the troposphere, so it is the layer where most of Earth's weather takes place. Colder objects emit less radiation, with longer wavelengths. When light passes through Earth's atmosphere, photons interact with it through scattering. Ahrens, C. Donald. Earth is approximately 290 K (17 °C; 62 °F), so its radiation peaks near 10,000 nm, and is much too long to be visible to humans. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with height until it eventually merges with space. In this … This... Stratosphere. [43] How Earth at that time maintained a climate warm enough for liquid water and life, if the early Sun put out 30% lower solar radiance than today, is a puzzle known as the "faint young Sun paradox". The stratospheric temperature profile creates very stable atmospheric conditions, so the stratosphere lacks the weather-producing air turbulence that is so prevalent in the troposphere. This is also why sunsets are red. The Earth is enveloped by an atmosphere that is composed of five layers, namely troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere. The atmosphere of Earth p… Lightning-induced discharges known as transient luminous events (TLEs) occasionally form in the mesosphere above tropospheric thunderclouds. In general, air pressure and density decrease with altitude in the atmosphere. The refractive index of air is close to, but just greater than 1. The troposphere is the lowest layer in the atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is divided up into 5 major layers: Exosphere - The last layer and the thinnest. [41], Outgassing from volcanism, supplemented by gases produced during the late heavy bombardment of Earth by huge asteroids, produced the next atmosphere, consisting largely of nitrogen plus carbon dioxide and inert gases. This is the first and the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Because of this, the temperatures in this layer can even reach 2,000° C! Still another region of increasing temperature with altitude occurs at very high altitudes, in the aptly-named thermosphere above 90 km. In this layer, the temperature rises as you go further up, and it has something to do with the ozone layer that is found inside the stratosphere. [8] The refractive index of air depends on temperature,[40] giving rise to refraction effects when the temperature gradient is large. The lower part of the thermosphere, from 80 to 550 kilometres (50 to 342 mi) above Earth's surface, contains the ionosphere. Earth’s atmosphere is divided into five primary layers: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere and the Exosphere. This layer contains hydrogen and traces of helium, carbon dioxide and atomic oxygen… Troposphere contains most of the mass of the atmosphere (about 75-80%). The OZONE layer is located at the top of the stratosphere. Air pollution is the introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulate matter or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to organisms. water in its gaseous form. The large-scale structure of the atmospheric circulation varies from year to year, but the basic structure remains fairly constant because it is determined by Earth's rotation rate and the difference in solar radiation between the equator and poles. Temperature decreases with altitude starting at sea level, but variations in this trend begin above 11 km, where the temperature stabilizes through a large vertical distance through the rest of the troposphere. This rise in temperature is caused by the absorption of ultraviolet radiation (UV) radiation from the Sun by the ozone layer, which restricts turbulence and mixing. The troposphere is the first and lowest layer of the atmosphere of the earth. Earth's atmosphere has changed much since its formation as primarily a hydrogen atmosphere, and has changed dramatically on several occasions—for example, the Great Oxidation Event 2.4 billion years ago, greatly increased oxygen in the atmosphere from practically no oxygen to levels closer to present day. O2 showed major variations until reaching a steady state of more than 15% by the end of the Precambrian. See more ideas about earth's atmosphere layers, atmosphere, earth atmosphere. TROPOSPHERE • Lowest and thinnest layer — 16 km at equator, 8 km at poles • 90% of the atmosphere’s mass  Temperature decreases with altitude — 6°C per kilometer — Top of troposphere averages — –50°C  Where weather occurs  Boundary between the troposphere, and the stratosphere is called the tropopause More sophisticated models are used to predict orbital decay of satellites. The concentration of water vapor (a greenhouse gas) varies significantly from around 10 ppm by volume in the coldest portions of the atmosphere to as much as 5% by volume in hot, humid air masses, and concentrations of other atmospheric gases are typically quoted in terms of dry air (without water vapor). Layers of Earth's Atmosphere The atmosphere grows thinner (less dense and lower in pressure) as one moves upward from Earth's surface. [50], On October 19, 2015, NASA started a website containing daily images of the full sunlit side of Earth on http://epic.gsfc.nasa.gov/. This heats the atmosphere, but the atmosphere also cools by emitting radiation, as discussed below. The atmosphere becomes very thin in this layer. Troposphere. [18] Because the thermopause lies at the lower boundary of the exosphere, it is also referred to as the exobase. Humans have also contributed to significant changes in atmospheric composition through air pollution, especially since industrialisation, leading to rapid environmental change such as ozone depletion and global warming. Even above the Kármán line, significant atmospheric effects such as auroras still occur. Free oxygen did not exist in the atmosphere until about 2.4 billion years ago during the Great Oxygenation Event and its appearance is indicated by the end of the banded iron formations. to sea level or ground level. Before this time, any oxygen produced by photosynthesis was consumed by oxidation of reduced materials, notably iron. The surface-based homosphere includes the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and the lowest part of the thermosphere, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere does not depend on molecular weight because the gases are mixed by turbulence. a layer of relatively warm air above a colder one), and in others by a zone which is isothermal with height.[24][25]. These fluctuations in oxygenation were likely driven by the Lomagundi carbon isotope excursion.[44]. 1. Beyond the exosphere is outer space. Atmospheric density decreases as the altitude increases. Troposphere. Just below the mesopause, the air is so cold that even the very scarce water vapor at this altitude can be sublimated into polar-mesospheric noctilucent clouds. The stratosphere defines a layer in which temperatures rise with increasing altitude. If the entire mass of the atmosphere had a uniform density equal to sea level density (about 1.2 kg per m3) from sea level upwards, it would terminate abruptly at an altitude of 8.50 km (27,900 ft). The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere has fluctuated over the last 600 million years, reaching a peak of about 30% around 280 million years ago, significantly higher than today's 21%. The hierarchical arrangement of various layers of the Earth’s atmosphere . It is the lowest layer of the earth atmosphere. Periods with much oxygen in the atmosphere are associated with rapid development of animals. The troposphere is bounded above by the tropopause, a boundary marked in most places by a temperature inversion (i.e. The air is a bit thinner, so there is not much resistance, which makes the planes fly faster. Objects tend to emit amounts and wavelengths of radiation depending on their "black body" emission curves, therefore hotter objects tend to emit more radiation, with shorter wavelengths. 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