Download - Conackamack Middle School

• The atmosphere is the layer of
gasses that surrounds the
planet.
• All of earth’s
weather takes
place in the
atmosphere.
• Earth’s
atmosphere
makes conditions
suitable for life.
• Weather is the condition of
the earth’s atmosphere at one
particular location at one
particular time.
• The atmosphere provides life
with the following:
1.) breathable oxygen - a gas
found in the atmosphere
2.) protection from harmful rays
and meteors
3.) warmth - greenhouse gasses
trap the sun’s heat energy
4.) liquid water - through the
water cycle
• The atmosphere is composed
of a mixture of gasses:
–Nitrogen
–Oxygen
–Carbon dioxide
–Water vapor
–Argon
–And small amounts of others…
• Nitrogen is the most common
gas found in the atmosphere
• Living things need nitrogen to
survive.
• Bacteria found in soils convert
the nitrogen in the air into
usable forms called nitrates.
• Plants absorb nitrates as they
grow from the soil
• Oxygen, the second most abundant
gas in the air, is essential to life on
earth.
• It is used in its gas form to provide
fuel for cellular respiration.
• Oxygen is also used as the fuel for
burning substances, like a match.
• Oxygen is also partially
responsible for the chemical
weathering of oxidation.
• Ozone is a
form of oxygen
that is a
molecule of 3
oxygen atoms.
• There is a layer of ozone in the
atmosphere that helps block
harmful ultraviolet radiation
that leaves the sun
• Carbon dioxide is a gas found
in small amounts in the air.
• CO2 is used by plants to
produce food through the
process of photosynthesis.
• Burning fossil fuels raises the
level of carbon dioxide in the
earth’s atmosphere.
• Increased levels of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere can
lead to a rise in the Earth’s
temperatures.
• This is known as the
greenhouse effect, and is a
contributing factor to global
warming.
• Water vapor, the gas form of
H2O is found in varying
amounts throughout the
planet.
• Amounts of water vapor are
noticeable in cloud
formations, precipitation, and
humidity.
• The atmosphere is divided
into four distinct levels, each
with their own properties:
1 – Troposphere
2 – Stratosphere
3 – Mesosphere
4 – Thermosphere
• Each
layer
begins
and ends
at
specific
altitudes
• The troposphere is the layer
closest to sea level.
• We live in the troposphere.
• All weather that occurs on
earth happens in the
troposphere.
• It is the shallowest layer, but it
contains the majority of mass
in the whole atmosphere.
• Above the troposphere is the
stratosphere
• The stratosphere is where the
ozone layer protects from
harmful ultraviolet rays.
• Pollution from the use of
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
contribute to the ozone layer
decreasing its protective
ability.
• Above the stratosphere is
another protective layer called
the mesosphere.
• The matter in the mesosphere
is the first significant amount
that will cause objects to burn
up upon entering it.
• Meteors often do not impact
earth’s surface due to the
mesosphere.
• The outermost layer is the
thermosphere.
• The air in the thermosphere is
extremely thin - only 0.001% as
thick as the air at sea level.
• The thermosphere extends out
into space and is where auroras
become visible.
• It is divided into the
Ionosphere and the Exosphere.
• As altitude increases into the
atmosphere, temperatures
vary based on the layers’
properties.
• How might these properties
affect temperatures in each
layer?