Transcript Layers of the Atmosphere

Earth’s Atmospheric
Layers
Troposphere
• Distance above sea level: 0-16 km
• Average Temperature: -50º to 70º F
• All weather happens here.
• Warm air rises to form clouds, rain falls.
• As altitude increases, temperature decreases.
(The higher you go the colder it gets)
• Warmed by the ground below
Troposphere
• 80% of the total atmospheric mass
• 99% of Earth’s water vapor
• Air pressure the highest
• Layer nearest Earth’s surface
• All life exists here. This is where we live!
Stratosphere
• Distance above sea level: 16-50 km
• Average temperature: -50º to 0º
• Ozone layer located at the top of this layer.
• Gets warmer as you go up in the layer: ozone
absorbs radiation from the sun, which makes it
hotter.
• As altitude increases, temperature increases
Stratosphere
• Jets cruise near the bottom of this layer
• Less than 20% of the total atmospheric mass
• Warmer than the troposphere
• Clear, dry layer
• Weather balloons are flown to this layer.
Mesosphere
• Distance above sea level:50-90 km
• Coldest layer
• Average temperature: 0º to -90º F
• Gets colder as you go up: decrease in ozone gas
• Heated from below (ozone layer)
• As altitude increases, temperature decreases
• Meteors or shooting stars burn up
Mesosphere
• Less than 1% of the atmospheric mass
• Hardest to study since planes can’t fly high
enough and satellites can’t fly low enough
• Extremely thin air
Thermosphere
• Distance above sea level: 90-300 km
• Average temperature: -90º to 120º F
• Hottest layer of the atmosphere
• Gets warmer as you go up: closer to the sun
• As altitude increases, temperature increases
• Shimmering curtains of light called auroras
happen there
Thermosphere
• Space shuttles orbit at this layer
• Less than 1% of the atmospheric mass
• Near a vacuum so not enough contact with
atoms of gas to transfer much heat
Exosphere
• Distance above sea level: 300-600 km
• Average temperature: Extreme highs and extreme lows
• Temperature begins to level off
• Many satellites orbit at this layer
• Less than 1% of the atmospheric mass
• Sometimes considered as part of outer space
• Air pressure the lowest
Layers of the
Atmosphere
Layers of the atmosphere