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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
