Atmosphere

and Climate
A Science A–Z Earth Series
Word Count: 2,236

Atmosphere
and Climate

Written by Karen de Seve

Visit www.sciencea-z.com www.sciencea-z.com

Atmosphere Key elements Used in This Book
The Big Idea: Our atmosphere contains the air we breathe, keeps the

and Climate
planet at a comfortable temperature, and shields us from harmful
radiation. Understanding our atmosphere helps students realize the
importance of protecting it. To reduce the release of excess greenhouse
gases, many people conserve energy, use alternative energy resources,
reuse and recycle products, and make other changes. They do so in
hopes that this planet will always be a good home.
Key words: aerosols, air pressure, atmosphere, carbon dioxide, climate,
condense, cores, debris, dense, deserts, emissions, evaporate, exosphere, force,
gases, global warming, gravity, greenhouse effect, mesosphere, methane,
molecules, nitrogen, oxygen, ozone layer, polar zones, precipitation, solar
radiation, stratosphere, temperate zones, temperature, thermosphere, tropical
zone, troposphere, ultraviolet rays, water cycle, water vapor, weather, weight

Key comprehension skill: Cause and effect

Other suitable comprehension skills: Compare and contrast; classify information;
elements of a genre; identify facts; interpret graphs, charts, and diagrams; using
a glossary and boldfaced terms; using a table of contents and headings

Key reading strategy: Retell

Other suitable reading strategies: Ask and answer questions; connect to prior
knowledge; visualize; retell

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Brown/The Peninsula Daily News/AP Images; page 9 (top): © iStockphoto.com/MightyIsland; page
9 (bottom): © iStockphoto.com/Antema Photography page 10 (top left): NASA/GSFC-STScI; page
10 (top center): © Paul Paladin/123RF; page 10 (top right): NASA/JPL; page 10 (bottom): NASA/
GSFC-SVS; page 11: © Jupiterimages Corporation; page 12 (bottom): © iStockphoto.com/Floortje;
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(top center): © iStockphoto.com/Alexey Avdeev; (right): © iStockphoto.com/photo75; (center left):
© iStockphoto.com/Cathy Keifer; page 15 (left): © iStockphoto.com/Eric Gevaer; page 15 (center):
© Comstock Photos; page 15 (right): © iStockphoto.com/Lars Christensen; page 16 (top left), page
20 (bottom right): © iStockphoto.com/Pavel Khorenyan; page 16 (bottom): © iStockphoto.com/Juan
Silva; page 17 (top left): © iStockphoto.com/Steve Stone; page 17 (top right): © iStockphoto.com/
Daniel Bendjy; page 17 (bottom): © iStockphoto.com/Yenwen Lu; page 18 (top): © iStockphoto.com/
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Written by Karen de Seve Illustration Credits:

Page 16 (top right), page 20 (bottom left): Cende Hill/© Learning A-Z; page 12 (top), page 19 (top):
© Learning A-Z

Atmosphere and Climate

© Learning A–Z
Written by Karen de Seve
www.sciencea-z.com
All rights reserved.

www.sciencea-z.com
 Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................... 4
Earth’s Invisible Shield............................................. 5
Layers of Atmosphere.............................................. 8
Earth: Just Right for Life.......................................... 9
The Atmosphere and Weather............................... 11
Wind’s Driving Force............................................. 11
Water and Weather................................................ 12
A Balancing Act..................................................... 14
The Atmosphere and Climate............................... 15
Climate Zones........................................................ 16
Climate Change....................................................... 20
Consequences of Climate Change........................... 22
Conclusion............................................................... 24
Glossary.................................................................... 25
Index......................................................................... 26
3 4
Introduction
The next time you go outside, take a moment
to look up into the sky. You won’t see it, but
there’s a very thin, invisible shield surrounding
and protecting Earth. It’s called the atmosphere.
This invisible shield makes life on Earth possible.
It provides the air we breathe, the weather we
experience, and the conditions needed for life on
Earth. The atmosphere protects us from the Sun’s
harmful rays, and it controls the amount of Earth’s
heat that escapes into space. It even protects us
from objects such as meteors falling from space.
In this book, you will learn about Earth’s
atmosphere, what it is made of, and how it makes
life possible. You will learn the difference between
weather and climate, as well as what makes up
the atmosphere and how it is changing.
 Earth’s Invisible Shield
The atmosphere acts like a blanket, protecting
and warming Earth’s surface. It rises more than
700 kilometers (430 mi.) above Earth’s surface
and contains all the gases needed for life. The
atmosphere is a mixture of 78 percent nitrogen
and 21 percent oxygen. There are also small
amounts of argon, carbon dioxide (CO2), water
vapor, and a few other gases, but it is oxygen
that we need most. Without it, life as we know
it could not exist.
Composition of Earth’s atmosphere
Gases, like all matter, are made up of small,
invisible particles called molecules. These
molecules are pulled toward Earth by the force of
gravity. Gravity pulls down on the air molecules,
so air close to the ground is denser than air close
to outer space. The blanket of gas molecules
presses down, creating air pressure on all things
within the atmosphere.
Air at the top of the atmosphere is about a
million times less dense than the air at sea level.
This means the molecules are spread farther apart.
As a result, the air pressure is much lower high in
the atmosphere.

Air pressure

Altitude
Oxygen Nitrogen
21% 78%

Other Scientists measure

gases, air pressure in several
including: ways. At sea level,
Argon—0.9% air pressure is about
CO2—0.037% 1,013 millibars, 29.9
inches of mercury,
The atmosphere is mostly made up of nitrogen and oxygen, or 14.7 pounds per
but it also has small amounts of other gases. square inch.

5 6
 Layers of Atmosphere

Scientists have divided the atmosphere into

five layers. Each layer is a sphere that surrounds
Earth. One layer gradually changes into another.

We live in the first

Five layers of Earth’s
layer of the atmosphere, Atmosphere
You do not normally feel the pressure of the called the troposphere. 10,000 km
atmosphere because the pressure inside your Earth’s weather forms here
Exosp 600 km
body is in balance with the outside pressure. and changes within the re
The rmosphe
But if you go higher in the atmosphere, the air troposphere. 90 km
pressure drops, while the pressure inside your osphere
The second layer, M es
body stays the same. That’s why you feel your 50 km
ears pop when you take off in an airplane or drive called the stratosphere, tos p h e re
Stra 20 km
up a mountain. As the outside air pressure drops, acts like a filter. The h e r e
pos p
lowest part of the Tro
the air pressure inside your ears becomes greater.
As air escapes, it makes a popping sound. stratosphere, called
the ozone layer, is
important to living
things because it absorbs harmful ultraviolet rays
from the Sun. Certain chemical gases that people
Air pressure drops the release at Earth’s surface threaten the ozone layer.
higher you go. If you These chemicals can float up into the stratosphere
go high enough, the air and break down ozone. Then the ozone can no
molecules are very spread
longer absorb ultraviolet rays. This leaves the
out, so you will need
extra oxygen to breathe. living things on Earth’s surface vulnerable.

The mesosphere is the layer in which meteors

fly. Spacecraft orbit in the thermosphere. The
exosphere is the outermost layer.

7 8
 Earth: Just Right for Life comparing atmosphere temperatures

Life exists on Earth because our planet has

liquid water and the air is not too hot or too cold
in most places. Earth is just right for life because Mars Earth Venus
of its distance from the Sun. If Earth were much
closer to the Sun, as Venus is, it would be too hot
for life. If Earth were farther from the Sun, as Mars
–60ºC (–80ºF) 10˚C (50˚F) 482ºC (900ºF)
is, it would be too cold for life. Atmospheres not drawn to scale

Another key
The amount of heat energy trapped by Earth’s
reason Earth can
Why might some atmosphere is just right to support life. The
support life is
people call Earth average temperature on Earth is 10˚C (50˚F). On
its atmosphere. a “Goldilocks planet”? the other hand, Venus is closer to the Sun, and it
Earth’s atmosphere
has a very thick atmosphere made up of different
works like a global greenhouse. A real greenhouse
gases. It traps even more CO2 than Earth’s
is a glass building that traps heat energy from the
atmosphere does, so Venus is a very hot planet.
Sun. When sunlight, or solar radiation, passes
Mars is farther from the Sun. Its atmosphere is
through the atmosphere, some of it is absorbed
much thinner than Earth’s. It traps very little CO2,
into the ground and oceans. This absorbed energy
so Mars is very cold. As far as we know, Venus is
changes to heat energy, which radiates into the
too hot for life to exist there, and Mars is too cold.
atmosphere and warms the air. The atmosphere
prevents some of the heat from escaping back into
space. This natural
feature of our
The Moon has almost no atmosphere. With no
atmosphere is called protection from direct sunlight, the lunar surface
the greenhouse effect. temperature soars to 123ºC (253ºF) when the Sun
(See diagram on shines on it. At night, the Moon cools to a frigid
page 20.) –233ºC (–387ºF) because there is nothing to trap the
A greenhouse
Sun’s heat energy. Talk about temperature extremes!

9 10
 The Atmosphere and Weather the Water Cycle

condensation
Weather happens in the troposphere. Air
evaporation precipitation
constantly circulates up and down and moves
in other directions. Warmer air and cooler air
combine. Areas of high and low air pressure meet. surface runoff
soil
This mixing of air creates the conditions that lake
cause weather to change.
ocean groundwater
Wind’s Driving Force
When air passes over Earth’s warm surface,
Water and Weather
it heats up. This heating makes the air molecules
move farther apart. Now the air mass expands The water cycle begins when heat energy
and becomes lighter, or less dense. This warm, from the Sun warms up surface water in bodies
lighter air rises. of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and seas.
When warmed, water molecules get energized
As the rising warm air moves away from and move apart. The energized liquid water
Earth’s warm surface, it begins to cool. The air molecules turn into water vapor and evaporate
becomes denser and sinks to the ground, where into the air. As the invisible water vapor rises,
it once again warms up. Air keeps rising and it cools. Now the water molecules lose energy
sinking, plus it is pushed along by the planet and begin to collect together, or condense, on
itself as it MOVING AIR CREATES WIND dust particles. This condensed water vapor forms
rotates. This cooler small water droplets; millions of droplets gather
constant warm air to form clouds.
cools cool air
movement sinks
of air in the warm
atmosphere air rises
creates wind. cool air When salt water evaporates from the
warms warmer
oceans, it leaves behind the salt.
Only the freshwater vapor rises.

11 12
 As the water droplets in clouds cool, they
join to make bigger droplets. When the droplets
become large enough, they are pulled to Earth’s
surface by gravity. The water falling to Earth is
called precipitation. It may fall in the form of
liquid rain or as solid ice in the form of snow,
sleet, or hail. The type of precipitation depends
on the temperature in the clouds as well as the
temperature near the ground. It also depends on
the wind speed high above Earth.

Humidity is the amount

of water vapor in the air
at a certain location.

As moist air warms and rises over land, it cools and forms
clouds. The clouds may produce rain.
13
A Balancing Act
The movement of air and water helps the
environment maintain its balance, keeping
Earth just right for living things. The
temperature range is narrow enough to allow
diverse plant and animal life to survive.
Because air is always on the move, it provides
the healthy balance of gases that organisms
need. All plants and animals need enough
water to grow and to live, and many live in
water habitats. Weather, the water cycle, and
the greenhouse effect are all important to
making our planet a great place to call home.
14
 The Atmosphere and Climate
When we talk about the weather, we mean
the conditions for today, tomorrow, or a few days
from now. Weather can be hot or cold, raining
or snowing, dry or humid. Weather can change
quickly as a result of air and moisture circulating
through the troposphere.
Climate, on the other hand, is the average
weather over years and decades in a location
on Earth. The major components of climate are
temperature and precipitation. These components
of climate determine what types of plants and
animals can live in a region. As you read on, think
about the climate where you live. How does the
temperature vary? How much precipitation
do you get? What kinds of plants and animals
live in your climate?
15
North Pole
Sun’s rays
Sun
Equator
Sunlight reaches Earth’s surface more directly near the
equator, and less directly near the poles.
Climate Zones
Earth has three major climate zones. Each
climate zone is made up of several climate types.
The intensity of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface
affects the climate in each zone.
Near the equator, sunlight strikes Earth’s
surface directly. More sunlight gets absorbed
and changed into heat energy, making the
temperatures warmer. The tropical zone is
warm year-round, often
with lots of rainfall. Some
specific climates within
the tropical zone, such as
the rainforest climate, get
rain throughout the year.
Others, such as the wet-dry
tropical climate, get heavy
rainfall during part of the
year but none during the
rest of the year.
16
 Near each of
Earth’s poles,
sunlight strikes the
surface at a less
direct angle. As
a result, it gets
filtered through
a lot of atmosphere.
This makes the
climate much
colder near the
poles than it is in the other zones. The polar
zones are often classified in two ways. The first
climate is extremely cold and fairly dry. The
little precipitation that falls near Earth’s ice
caps falls as snow and does not melt. The
buildup of snow over time has resulted in
permanent ice sheets. The second polar climate,
North and South of the tropical zone lie the called tundra, is not as cold and does not have
temperate zones. During summer, the Sun’s rays permanent ice sheets.
strike the surface more directly, so it is warmer.
During winter, the Sun’s rays strike the surface
less directly, so it is cooler. The temperate zone
is warm during summer and cold in winter. But
within this zone, the climate can differ widely, The coldest
from dry to humid and from warmer to cooler. temperature ever
In the United States, for example, the Northeast is recorded on Earth
a humid continental climate, while the Southeast was in Antarctica,
is a humid subtropical climate. The Pacific coast near the South Pole.
That temperature was
has marine climates, while not far from there are
−89.2ºC (−128.6ºF).
large deserts.
17 18
Climate
Zone 60˚N
Map
30˚N
Equator 0˚
30˚S
60˚S
Tropical Zone Temperate Zone Polar Zone
Some climate types can be found in more
than one climate zone. For example, deserts can
be found in all three climate zones. Deserts are
dry, generally with fewer than 10 inches of rain
per year. Most deserts are hot, but Earth also has
cold deserts, such as in Antarctica. Even in hot
deserts, it can be quite cold at night and at certain
times of year. The driest deserts are called arid.
They include the Sahara Desert in Africa, the
Great Australian Desert, and the Atacama Desert
in South America. Other deserts receive more
precipitation and are called semi-arid. The western
United States contains several semi-arid deserts.
If Earth were completely covered
with desert sand, it would actually be
cold, not hot. This is because a lighter
colored, sandy surface would reflect,
not absorb, most of the Sun’s energy.
19
Climate Change
The atmosphere and Earth’s climates are closely
linked. This means that changes in the atmosphere
can change the climate, too. Remember that the
atmosphere acts like a greenhouse surrounding
Earth. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane
in the air are the main “greenhouse gases.” These
gases, plus dust and other tiny particles, float in the
air. Under normal conditions, there is just the right
amount of these materials to trap some of the heat
energy reflected from Earth. But in recent years, the
amount of certain gases in the atmosphere has been
increasing. During the same time period, humans
have been burning more fossil fuels, such as gas,
coal, and oil, to heat buildings, run vehicles, and
manufacture goods. Might there be a connection?
Greenhouse Effect
energy
reaching
trapped space
solar energy
sola
r ene
rgy
atmosphere
Not drawn to scale
More solar energy is being trapped by Earth’s atmosphere now
than in the past.
20

When coal burns, it emits, or gives off,
carbon dioxide (CO2). We use coal mostly
to generate electricity. Oil, another fossil fuel,
doesn’t emit as much CO2 as coal, but it is still
a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions
Consequences of Climate Change
The recent small increase (about 1ºF) in the
world’s average temperature has made a big
difference on a global scale. Global warming is
causing changes in the weather. Extreme storms
are on the rise, causing flooding and erosion.
Heat waves that cause drought are more common.
Regions that used to be green and good for farming
are now dry, with infertile soil. Warmer weather in
the polar regions is melting ice and threatening the
survival of some polar animal species. Many
enormous glaciers have receded to a much smaller
size, while others have completely melted away.
58.0° 360

CO2 Concentration in PPM (parts per million)

because we burn so much of it. 57.5° 340

Scientists have determined that the recent

Temperature in °F
57.0° 320
increase in CO2 emissions is causing the Temperature
atmosphere to trap more heat and causing
56.5° 300
temperatures to increase. This widespread type
of climate change is called global warming.
56.0° 280
CO2
55.5° 260
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Methane, a greenhouse gas, Year (AD)

is burped out of cows, sheep, The recent sharp rise in greenhouse gases in Earth’s
goats, and other ruminants. atmosphere is happening at the same time as the recent
increase in average global temperatures.

21 22

Polar bears depend on sea ice to hunt and to raise their young.
If sea ice continues to melt away, this species might not survive.
According to scientists, we cannot rebalance
the mixture of gases in the atmosphere. However,
we may be able to slow down the changes to help
stabilize the climate. Alternative energy sources
such as wind and solar power can be used to
produce electricity, instead of burning coal. Having
more hybrid and electric cars on the road could
reduce the need for oil. Constructing more energy-
efficient buildings could lower energy needs.
Neighborhoods can be designed to encourage
carpooling, walking, and the use of mass transit.
All these actions can help reduce the amount
of harmful gases added to the atmosphere.
23
Conclusion
Now that you know how the atmosphere
protects our planet, you might think differently
when you look into the sky. Scientists are
investigating how this invisible shield forms
and how it is changing. Many of the changes
taking place in the atmosphere today are not
happening naturally. We now realize that even
small changes can have a big impact on the
health of our planet. Earth’s future, and the
future of its inhabitants, is closely tied to the
future of its atmosphere.
Taking Action!
Here are a few things people are doing to reduce
their contribution to climate change.
•W
 asting less electricity: Every kilowatt hour (kWh)
of electricity generated sends about 0.8
kilograms (1.7 lbs.) of CO2 into the
atmosphere.
•U
 sing reusable shopping bags: Making
10,000 plastic bags emits about
19 metric tons (20 US tons) of CO2.
•D
 riving less: Each gallon of gasoline
burned emits 9 kilograms (20 lbs.) of CO2.
•R
 educing waste and reusing and recycling
products: Making, packaging, and transporting
new products emits CO2. Plus, garbage dumps
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
24
 Glossary
air pressure the force that air puts on an object (p. 6)
atmosphere the mass of air around Earth (p. 4)
climate the weather conditions in an area over
a long period of time (p. 4)
emissions substances that are discharged into the
air, such as from engines and factories
(p. 21)
gases matter that can freely change shape and
size; often can’t be seen (p. 5)
global an increase in the average temperature
warming of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans,
especially one great enough to change
the climate (p. 21)
greenhouse the process by which heat is trapped
effect inside Earth’s atmosphere by gases
(p. 9)
molecules the smallest parts of substances that
can exist by themselves, made of two
or more atoms (p. 6)
ozone layer a layer of the atmosphere that protects
life on Earth by filtering out ultraviolet
radiation from the Sun (p. 8)
polar zones Earth’s coolest climate zones, located
near the poles, where sunlight strikes
the planet’s surface at a low, slanting
angle (p. 18)
precipitation water that falls from clouds in the form
of rain, snow, sleet, or hail (p. 13)
25
stratosphere the layer of Earth’s atmosphere located
beyond the troposphere; the layer that
protects Earth from solar radiation (p. 8)
temperate Earth’s climate zones located between
zones the tropical and polar zones, where the
sunlight angle causes warmer summers
and cooler winters (p. 17)
temperature the measurement of how hot or cold
something is (p. 10)
tropical zone Earth’s warmest climate zone, located
near the equator, where sunlight strikes
the planet’s surface most directly (p. 16)
troposphere the layer of Earth’s atmosphere closest
to the planet’s surface; the layer in
which weather takes place (p. 8)
ultraviolet invisible light that makes up part
rays of solar radiation; too much of it can
harm living things (p. 8)
water cycle the path water takes, and the changes
it goes through, as it moves on, above,
and below Earth’s surface (p. 12)
weather a description of the temperature, clouds,
rain, wind, and other conditions in the
air at a certain time (p. 4)
Index
carbon dioxide (CO2), 5, 20, 21 oxygen, 5, 7
desert, 17, 19 rainforest, 16
gravity, 6, 13 Sun, 4, 8–10, 12, 16–19
methane, 20, 21 water vapor, 5, 12, 13, 20
nitrogen, 5 wind, 11, 13, 23
26