Download Layers of the Atmosphere

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The layers of our
atmosphere are based
on temperature
changes.
The Troposphere: The Layer
in Which We Live The lowest
layer of the atmosphere, which
lies next to the Earth’s surface,
is called the troposphere.
The Stratosphere: Home of
the Ozone Layer The
atmospheric layer above the
troposphere is called the
stratosphere.
The Mesosphere: The
Middle Layer The
mesosphere is the middle
layer of the atmosphere. It is
also the coldest layer.
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The Thermosphere:
The Edge of the
Atmosphere The
uppermost
atmospheric layer is
called the
thermosphere.
The Ionosphere:
Home of the Auroras
In the upper
mesosphere and the
lower thermosphere,
nitrogen and oxygen
atoms absorb harmful
solar energy. This area
is called the
ionosphere.
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Troposphere:
temperature at surface is
warmed by the earth
absorbing energy from
the sun.
Convection currents
carry the heat upward, so
the air cools as it rises.
The air cools by about
6.5°C for every 1-km
above the ground.
 Ozone
absorbs
ultraviolet
radiation from the
sun, causing the
temperature to
increase.
 This
layer does not
absorb energy from
the sun, so it starts
to cool again.
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Solar radiation first hits
this layer, so the few
particles that are here can
gain lots of energy. They
move rapidly, so they have
a very high temperature.
But the air is so thin here
that it takes special
instruments to measure
the temperature
accurately.
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Lowest (inner) layer
weather occurs here
we live in it.
“tropo” means turning or
changing conditions
depth varies from 9km above
the poles to 16km at the
equator
shallowest (least thick) layer,
but contains most of the mass.
Heated by convection currents
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“strato” means layer or
spreading out
Contains the ozone layer
which absorbs energy
and causes the
temperature to rise
The ozone layer protects
the surface from
dangerous UV rays
Jet stream
 Drop
in temperature
marks beginning of
mesosphere
 “Meso” means middle
 Most meteors burn
up here
 Coldest layer
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Very top layer
Air is very, very thin,
about 1/1000th as dense as
the air at sea level
“Thermo” means heat
Extends from 80km to
space
No definite outer edge
Very hot (1800°C), but
since air is so thin it would
not feel warm at all.
Divided into two parts,
the ionosphere and the
exosphere
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Energy from sun strips the
electrons from the gas
molecules creating charged
particles called ions.
Radio waves can bounce off of
ions, allowing radio waves to
travel great distances.
The aurora borealis (Northern
Lights) occur here
 “Exo”
means outer
 Extends for 1000’s
of miles
 Satellites orbit here
 No definite edge