layers of the atmosphere - ms. la guardia's 6th grade ...€¦ · earth’s atmosphere made up...
TRANSCRIPT
Weather
Weather
Conditions of Earth’s atmosphere at particular time and place
Climate
Average weather conditions of a region throughout the year
Atmosphere
Layer of gases that surround the planet
Earth’s Atmosphere make conditions on Earth suitable for living things
Earth’s Atmosphere
Made up of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and many other gases, as well as particles of liquids and solids
Nitrogen (N) – 78%
Oxygen (O) – 21%
Other Gases – 1%
Layers of the Atmosphere
¤ Troposphere ¤ Stratosphere ¤
¤ Mesosphere ¤ Thermosphere ¤
What are the four layers of the atmosphere?
Thermosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Troposphere
Ozone Layer
0 - 9 miles
9 - 39 miles
39 - 50 miles
50 - 800 miles
What is the troposphere?
¤ Lowest layer ( You are in it right now ! )
Ground up to about 9 miles! ¤ Layer where all weather occurs Temperature decreases as you go
up -60oC at the top!
¤ 75% of the Earth’s air (most mass!)
What is the stratosphere?
¤ 30 miles up from Troposphere (about 39 miles from the ground!)
¤ Contains the ozone layer Ozone protects the Earth from the Sun’s
ultraviolet radiation ¤ Ozone’s reaction with UV rays causes
warming to 0oC
Ultraviolet radiation can cause skin cancer and eye disease. Without the ozone layer, there
would be no life on Earth.
What is the mesosphere?
¤ About 50 miles up! ¤ Temperature drops to -90oC ¤ Protect the Earth from meteoroids
Millions of meteors burn up daily in the mesosphere when the meteors collide with air molecules.
Meteors travel towards Earth at 45 miles per second. Friction with the air causes the meteor to vaporize.
If you traveled at 45 miles per second, you could go from
Newport News to LA in one minute
What is the thermosphere?
¤ Highest layer! ¤ Nitrogen and oxygen molecules can be 1,800oC HOWEVER, they are so far apart
so a thermometer would show it as very cold
¤ Contains little or no air ¤ Contains Earth’s man-made satellites