Overview of the Earth’s Atmosphere • The stratopause is the upper boundary

The Composition of the Earth’s Atmosphere for this layer.

The atmosphere, solar energy and our • greenhouse effect and the ozone
planet’s magnetic fields support life on layer both protect life on earth.
Earth. The atmosphere absorbs the energy • greenhouse effect lets sunshine in
from the Sun, recycles water and other and prevents the heat from escaping,
chemicals, and works with the electrical and the ozone layer prevents harmful
magnetic forces to provide a moderate ultraviolet radiation from entering the
climate. atmosphere.
Atmosphere Mesosphere
• layers of gases surrounding a planet or • the "Middle Sphere“
other celestial body. • coldest layer of the atmosphere.
• The atmosphere also protects us from • There are very few gases available in
high-energy radiation and the frigid this layer to absorb the heat from the
vacuum of space. sun.
• The earth is surrounded by a blanket • mesopause is the upper boundary for
of air that we call atmosphere. this layer.
Atmosphere Thermosphere
• the atmosphere is considered in terms • between 80 km and 110 km above the
of layers, or regions, arranged like Earth.
spherical shells above the surface of • Ionosphere is located in this layer.
the Earth. Ionosphere
• It reaches over 560 kilometers (348 • The ionosphere is further subdivided
miles) from the surface of the Earth, into four layers.
so we are only able to see what occurs • The first layer is the very bottom
fairly close to the ground where small meteors flash into view.
The Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere • The second layer is where the
spectacular display of Northern Lights
called Aurora Borealis and the
Southern Lights called Aurora
Australis are seen.
• The third and fourth layers are where
great number of ultraviolet rays, radio
waves, cosmic rays, and other
particles enter from outer space.
Troposphere
• It is in these layers that radio waves
• the lowest layer of the atmosphere
used for communication are bounced
where all weather occurs.
back to different parts of the Earth.
• Starting at ground level, it extends
Exosphere
upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or
• The upper limit of our atmosphere.
about 33,000 feet) above sea level.
• This layer of the atmosphere merges
• The temperature decreases as one
into space.
goes higher.
• Satellites are stationed in this area,
• The tropopause, a transition zone
500 km to 1000 km from Earth.
between the troposphere and the
stratosphere.
• We humans live in the troposphere.

Stratosphere
• The stratosphere extends from the top
of the tropopause to about 50
kilometres(kms.) or (31 miles).
• The temperature begins to rise in this
layer because it contains the highest
concentration of ozone.
• This layer is ideal for jets to travel in
because the air is so “thin" that it
offers little resistance to the aircraft.
• Planes often fly here.
• There is no weather in this layer
because there is no water vapor

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 • High Pressure
• Region where air has piled up
Where does the Word Meteorology • Warmer and dryer than surrounding
come from? air
• The term meteorology has quite the • Low Pressure
history deriving from the Greek word • Region where air has stretched out
meteoron, which means any
• Tends to rise and cool, vapor
phenomenon that is high in the sky.
condenses into clouds
The suffix "-logy" means "the study
Humidity
of." Around 340 BC, the famous
• “relative humidity” –the ratio of
philosopher Aristotle wrote a treatise
amount of water vapor in air at current
called Meteorologica.
temp to max amount vapor air can
• Aristotle's Meteorologica is the oldest
hold at that temp
comprehensive treatise on the subject
Cloudiness
of meteorology. The work is in four
• Water droplets
books of which the first three deal with
• Ice crystals
what we now consider meteorology,
• Warm air rises, cools and condenses
and the fourth book is mainly
(phase change)
chemistry.
Winds
• Meteorology is the study of the
• Due to differential heating of the
atmosphere, atmospheric phenomena,
earth’s surface
and atmospheric effects on our
• Warm air rises
weather. The atmosphere is the
• Cooler air flows in
gaseous layer of the physical
Origins of the Atmosphere
environment that surrounds a planet.
Earth's atmosphere is roughly 100 to • About 4.5 billion years ago, Earth formed
125 kilometers (65-75 miles) thick. out of nebula of gases and dust that
Importance of Meteorology were to become the solar system
Meteorologists play a crucial role in helping • Small objects--called planetoids--
governments and industries understand and accreted or combined together to build
prepare for the risks associated with natural larger objects…such as planets
disasters such as floods, fires, and • However, the Earth, along with all of the
windstorms. other planets in our solar system, began
Chemical Composition of the Atmosphere to form out of these semi-solid objects
• Nitrogen 78% that we call planetoids.
• Oxygen 21% • This process is related to what scientists
• Argon 0.9% call the Solar Nebula Theory, which
• Carbon Dioxide 0.03% discusses the origins of the solar system.
• Trace substances • As a result of the formation of the
• Water Vapor planets, this might be how your favorite
5 variables influence the atmosphere: planet may have looked when it was first
Temperature born!
• Measure of heat • The original atmosphere
• Average kinetic energy of molecules • Probably made up of hydrogen
• Weather reports give air temperature and helium.
at ground level • These are fairly common in the
Pressure universe.

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 • Original atmosphere stripped away CH4 – methane,
by the solar wind H2O – water for energy.
• H and He are very light
Photosynthetic organisms evolve.
• Hydrogen and helium have
(cyanobacteria)
the smallest atoms by mass. These organisms use CO2 and produce
The secondary atmosphere oxygen (O2) as a waste product.
• Formed from degassing of volcanoes
• Gasses emitted probably similar to the Where did the O2 come from?
gasses emitted by volcanoes today. – Produced by photosynthetic life
– H2O (water), 50-60% (cyanobacteria).
– Where did the CO2 go?
– CO2 (carbon dioxide), 24%
– Dissolves in water in the oceans
– SO2 (sulfur dioxide), 13% – Used by life by photosynthesis and
– CO (carbon monoxide), buried when plants and micro-
– S2 (sulfur), organisms die.
– Cl2 (chlorine), – The source of coal and oil
– N2 (nitrogen), Cyanobacteria are microbes that live
– H2 (hydrogen), primarily in seawater. They are believed to
have been the first organisms on Earth to
– NH3 (ammonia) and
perform oxygenic photosynthesis. In this
– CH4 (methane) process, they produce organic carbon, the
WHERE DID THE VOLCANOES COME building blocks of life’s molecules, and
FROM FOR THE SECONDARY release oxygen gas (O2). The O2 enters into
ATMOSPHERE? the seawater, and from there some of it
The Earth was initially very hot and molten escapes into the atmosphere.
when it first form 4.5 billion years ago. As the
• The composition of Earth’s atmosphere
Earth sat for millions of years, the surface has changed over geologic time.
started to cool slowly over time. This is when • Earth’s atmosphere is unique in the solar
the actual solid surface of the Earth began to system in that it contains substantial
form oxygen.
• The most primitive atmosphere was
BUT! It was still very hot inside the Earth, the comprised of mainly helium and
hydrogen. The early atmosphere
heat from deep within left cracks in the
contained mostly CO2, CO, and water
Earth’s surface. These cracks in the Earth vapor. This atmosphere was then
were where the first volcanoes began to modified by early photosynthetic life.
form, release magma, heat, and many • Early photosynthetic life such as
gasses trapped under the Earths new crust! cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
consumed carbon dioxide and generated
Modern (Third) atmosphere oxygen.
• It was only after early photosynthetic life
Nitrogen (N2)- 78%
generated oxygen that animal life
became possible.
Oxygen (O2)- 21%,

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 0.03 %,

Life changes the atmosphere

With the evolution of life the first cellular
organisms began to use the gasses in the
early atmosphere
NH3 – ammonia,
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