THE EARTH’S

ATMOSPHERE
By: Group 2
1.
The Atmosphere And
Its Composition
 What Is The Atmosphere?
⬗ Greek etymology “atmos” (vapour); “sphaira” (ball or sphere)
⬗ The blanket of gasses that surrounds the Earth
⬗ Held near the surface of the planet by Earth’s gravitational attraction
⬗ Regulates the Earth’s climate
⬗ Composed of:
⬗ Nitrogen (78%)
⬗ Oxygen (21%)
⬗ Argon (0.9%)
⬗ Carbon Dioxide (0.04%)
⬗ And other gases

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2.
The Layers Of The
Atmosphere
 Big
concept
Bring the attention of your
audience over a key concept
using icons or illustrations

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 Troposhere
⬗ Greek word “tropos” (turn, turn toward, change);
“sphere” (Earth)
⬗ Lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere
⬗ Where nearly all weather conditions takes place
⬗ Approximately 75% of the atmosphere’s mass; 99%
of the total mass of water vapor and aerosols
⬗ Planetary Boundary Layer – lowest part of the
troposphere where friction with the Earth’s surface
influences air flow
⬗ Tropopause – boundary between the Troposphere and
the Stratosphere; an inversion layer

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 “ The flow of the atmosphere generally
moves in a west to east direction. This,
however, can often become interrupted,
creating a more north to south or south to
north flow. These scenarios are often
described in meteorology as zonal or
meridional. These terms, however, tend to
be used in reference to localised areas of
atmosphere (at a synoptic scale).

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 Stratosphere
⬗ Latin word “stratus” (a spreading out)
⬗ Second major layer of the atmosphere;
above troposphere
⬗ Stratified (layered) in temperature
⬗ Ozone Layer- Region of the Stratosphere
that absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet
radiation. Contains high concentration of
ozone (O³).
⬗ Stratopause- The top of the Stratosphere
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 “ Commercial airliners typically cruise at
altitudes of 9–12 km (30,000–39,000 ft)
which is in the lower reaches of the
stratosphere in temperate
latitudes.[9] This optimizes fuel efficiency,
mostly due to the low temperatures
encountered near the tropopause and low
air density, reducing parasitic drag on
the airframe.

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 Mesosphere
⬗ Greek word “Mesos” (middle)
⬗ Sometimes referred to as the middle atmosphere along
with the stratosphere
⬗ The coldest temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere, about
-90°C (-130°F) is found near the top of the mesosphere
⬗ Weather balloon and aircraft cannot fly enough to reach
this layer
⬗ Most meteors vaporize here
⬗ Mesopause- top of the mesosphere

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 Thermosphere
⬗ Greek word “thermos” (heat)
⬗ Can reach up to 4500°F
⬗ International Space Station orbits the Earth
here
⬗ Auroras (Northern and Southern lights)
occur here
⬗ Thermopause- boundary between the
Thermosphere and Exosphere
⬗ Karman Line- Attempt to define a boundary
between outer space and the Earth’s
atmosphere
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 Exosphere
⬗ Greek word “Exo” (outside, external, beyond)
⬗ Air is very thin
⬗ Scientists are unsure whether it really is part of the Earth’s
atmosphere
⬗ No clear upper boundary
⬗ Faint glow of ultraviolet radiation scattered by hydrogen atoms
have been detected
⬗ Geocorona- regoon of UV glow
⬗ Exobase- bottom part of the Exosphere

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 Fin.

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