Download Properties of the atmosphere

METEOROLOGY
PROPERTIES OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
The Atmosphere
 Atmosphere: Envelope of gas that
surrounds a planet
 Origin of the Atmosphere: most likely
from out-gassing, which is gases
released by a volcano
 The early atmosphere was changed
by organisms who performed
photosynthesis
The Atmosphere is
about 78% nitrogen
and 21% oxygen
(ESRT pg 1)
Layers of the Atmosphere
 ESRT page 14
Troposphere (0-7 miles)
 Closest to Earth’s surface
 Where weather occurs
 Lower portion warmed by heat
coming from Earth’s surface
 Upper boundary is tropopause
Stratosphere (7-30 mi)
 Air temp. is relatively constant
 Location of Jet Stream
 Ozone is located here
 Upper boundary is stratopause
Mesosphere (30-50 mi)
 Temperature steadily decreases
with increasing altitude
 Upper is coldest region of atm.
 Asteroids usually burn up here
Ionosphere
DO NOT WRITE
 Not one of the main layers
 Located in the mesosphere and
thermosphere
 Aurora borealis: occur when ionized
gases emit visible light
 Ionization: Occurs when gases lose
electrons due to radiation from the
sun
Thermosphere and Exosphere
WRITE: Thermosphere (50-180 mi)
 Temperature increases with altitude due to
solar energy
DO NOT WRITE: Exosphere:
 Not a main layer
 Last layer
 Extends into outer space
Layers of the Atmosphere
 A trip through the atmosphere
***Based on what we covered in class today and the video about the
layers of the atmosphere, complete this worksheet, which is due
tomorrow. I will be collecting it
***You may use colored pencils, markers, and drawings, as long as I can
read/see your work.
***Read the steps below carefully!!!!
 On the pie chart, label each section with the proper gas and the




percentage amount. You can use arrows to point to the proper
section if you do not have room to write.
Draw three circles around the Earth on the next page. The first one
has been drawn for you
Label the four major layers of the atmosphere by writing the proper
name on the diagram below
Draw a line and label it with the thickness of the layers with the
proper distance. The first one has been done for you
The video showed clouds, a plane, a weather balloon, an asteroid,
northern lights, rockets and a space shuttle. Place these objects
(either through a drawing, illustration or by writing the name if the
object) in the proper layer. If you’re stuck between two layers, pick
the layer that you think it fits into the best