The surrounding air of the Earth

Layers of the
atmosphere
There are 5 layers

in the atmosphere
They are the
troposphere,
stratosphere,
mesosphere,
thermosphere, and
exosphere

This is the layer that is

Tropospher
e

closest to the surface of

the earth
Its elevation ranges from
0 to 14.5 km
This part of the
atmosphere is dense.
As you climb higher in this
layer, the temperature
drops from about 17 to
-52 degrees Celsius.
Almost all weather is in
this region.
The tropopause
separates the troposphere
from the next layer.
Oxygen, the life giving
gas, is abundant in this
layer.

 The stratosphere starts just

above the troposphere and

extends to 50 kms.
This layer contains the
ozone layer, which protects
us from harmful sunlight.
Compared to the
troposphere, this part of the
atmosphere is dry and less
dense.
The temperature rises from
an average -60C at
tropopause to a maximum
of about -15C at the
stratopause due to the
absorption of ultraviolet
radiation.
Where most passenger
planes travel due to less
turbulence

Stratospher
e

Mesospher
e

Noctilucent clouds

The mesosphere starts

just above the

stratosphere and
extends to 85 kms
high
On average,
temperature decreases
from about -15C to as
low as -120C
gases in the
mesosphere are thick
enough to slow down
meteorites hurtling into
the atmosphere, where
they burn up, leaving
fiery trails in the night
sky.
Fighter jets can fly this
high

The Thermosphere

extends from the

mesopause to 500 km
above the earth. This
layer is known as the
upper atmosphere.
This is where most small
meteorites burn up
the location in the
atmosphere that the
northern lights occur
(aurora borealis)
the temperature increases
with height and can reach
as high as 2,000C near
the top of this layer.
The space shuttle orbits in
the thermosphere of the
Earth

Thermosph
ere

Exospher
e

The Exosphere is the

outermost layer of the

atmosphere and
extends from the
thermopause to 6,200
miles (10,000 km)
above the earth.
In this layer, atoms and
molecules escape into
space
The transition
boundary which
separates the
exosphere from the
thermosphere below it
is called the
thermopause.
Where satellites orbit
the earth

Composition of
Air
There are many

different types of
gasses in the
atmosphere
They include
nitrogen, oxygen,
argon, carbon
dioxide and other
noble gasses
The gas that is most
abundant is nitrogen

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