The Earth's atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen and was formed through complex evolutionary processes over billions of years. It protects life on Earth by trapping heat via the greenhouse effect and shielding the planet from harmful solar radiation with the ozone layer. The atmosphere is divided into five main layers - the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere - with varying temperature and composition profiles. Global warming occurs as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap excess heat in the lower atmosphere, threatening climate stability.
The Earth's atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen and was formed through complex evolutionary processes over billions of years. It protects life on Earth by trapping heat via the greenhouse effect and shielding the planet from harmful solar radiation with the ozone layer. The atmosphere is divided into five main layers - the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere - with varying temperature and composition profiles. Global warming occurs as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap excess heat in the lower atmosphere, threatening climate stability.
The Earth's atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen and was formed through complex evolutionary processes over billions of years. It protects life on Earth by trapping heat via the greenhouse effect and shielding the planet from harmful solar radiation with the ozone layer. The atmosphere is divided into five main layers - the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere - with varying temperature and composition profiles. Global warming occurs as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap excess heat in the lower atmosphere, threatening climate stability.
The Earth's atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen and was formed through complex evolutionary processes over billions of years. It protects life on Earth by trapping heat via the greenhouse effect and shielding the planet from harmful solar radiation with the ozone layer. The atmosphere is divided into five main layers - the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere - with varying temperature and composition profiles. Global warming occurs as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap excess heat in the lower atmosphere, threatening climate stability.
We know that the Earth is the only planet that supports life.
The presence of life-supporting gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide make it a unique planet. All these gases are present in a gaseous layer that envelopes the Earth. This layer is known as the atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is believed to have been formed by complex evolutionary processes. Water was present on the Earth billions of years ago. The air at that time contained large quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide and ammonia. There was no freely occurring oxygen in the air. The first organisms on the Earth survived without any oxygen. Gradually, these organisms started the process of photosynthesis. This led to the accumulation of oxygen in the air and eventually the formation of the ozone layer. The atmosphere is not as dense as land or water but it has weight and exerts pressure.
Composition of the Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixture of colourless, odourless and tasteless gases. The composition of air is not uniform. It varies from place to place and time to time. ❖ The atmosphere is composed of gases, water vapour, dust particles and smoke. ❖ The gases include nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, neon, ozone, hydrogen, helium and methane. ❖ Of these gases, nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) are the two main gases. The other gases are found in very small quantities (1%). ❖ The heavier gases like oxygen and water vapour, and dust particles are found in the lower layers of the atmosphere. ❖ At many places, impurities like smoke, salts, carbon monoxide and other chemicals are also found. Structure of the Atmosphere The atmosphere has a layered structure. On the basis of composition, density and temperature, the atmosphere can be divided into five layers- troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.
Troposphere This is the lowest layer of the atmosphere and also the most important. It protects us from the heat of the sun during the day and keeps the earth warm at night. This is the densest layer of the atmosphere and its thickness varies from 8km over the poles to 18km over the equator. In this layer, temperature decreases with height. The rate at which the temperature drops is 1°C per 165 metres. This is also called the lapse rate. All weather phenomena such as clouds, rain, storms, etc. occur in this layer. The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere is called the tropopause.
Weather phenomena occurs in the troposphere
Stratosphere This layer extends from the top of the troposphere up to 50 km above the surface of the earth. There are no clouds or weather changes. This layer is, therefore, safest for air travel. This layer has a band of ozone gas, which protects us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. The stratopause, the upper part of this layer, separates it from the mesosphere. The temperature remains more or less steady in its lower part. But in the upper part, the temperature increases steadily to reach 0°C at the stratopause. Mesosphere This layer extends from the top of the stratosphere up to a height of 80 km above the earth. Here, the temperature decreases with height till it reaches - 100°C at the end of the mesosphere. This layer has the lowest temperature in the atmosphere. Most meteors from space burn up in this layer. The mesopause, the upper part of this layer, separates it from the thermosphere.
Meteors burn in the mesosphere and appear as bright streaks of light in the night sky. Thermosphere The layer above the mesosphere is called the thermosphere. It has little air. The upper part of the thermosphere is called the ionosphere. The ionosphere contains electrically charged particles called ions, which help in transmitting communication signals. Communication satellites orbit in this layer. They help in transmitting the signals back to the earth. This layer extends upwards from 80 km to about 500 km.
Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, Iceland
Exosphere This is the outer most layer of the atmosphere in which the air thins until it ultimately merges into outer space. The temperature increases rapidly in this layer because of solar radiation.
Significance of Atmosphere ❖ The atmosphere contains oxygen and nitrogen that are essential for the existence of life. ❖ It receives insolation and preserves some amount of heat within the earth to keep it warm. ❖ The ozone layer protects us from the harmful infrared and ultraviolet rays. ❖ The water vapour present in the atmosphere brings about rainfall which supports plant life and is a source of water. ❖ The atmosphere absorbs almost half of the solar radiation and, therefore, the Earth is able to receive only optimum temperature required for life to survive on the Earth.
The Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space. The rest is absorbed by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. These gases trap the heat and do not allow it to escape back into space. This is known as the greenhouse effect. This heating is required as it is essential for our survival. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are some greenhouse gases. Gases such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of industrial processes. The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s temperature at a level which allows life on the Earth to exist.
Global warming Greenhouse effect of the atmosphere and destruction of the ozone layer have led to the phenomenon called global warming, which means an increase in the average temperatures on Earth.
Depletion of Ozone Layer
The ozone layer absorbs the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun and thus protects life on earth. The concentration of ozone in the atmosphere varies according to weather, altitude and latitude. The depletion of the ozone layer can allow more ultraviolet rays to reach the Earth’s surface. This can cause serious damage to different forms of life in the biosphere. The negative influences include increase in skin cancer, eye cataract, immune deficiency and respiratory illness.
The ozone hole over the Antarctic region
Impact of Global warming
Global warming has a number of serious consequences. They are: ❖ the melting of glaciers ❖ the rise in sea level ❖ changes in the global rainfall pattern ❖ changes in agricultural yields
Ways to reduce global warming
Global warming is a very disturbing phenomenon and we should try to reduce it by controlling deforestation, cutting down on vehicular emissions, reducing use of CFC gases and changing our lifestyle.
