ATMOSPHERE

Introduction and
Structure

Atmosphere defined
Anatmosphere(New Latinatmosphaera,
created
in
the
17th
century
fromGreek [atmos] "vapor"and
[sphaira] "sphere") is a layer
ofgasessurrounding
a
planet
or
othermaterial bodyof sufficientmassthat
is held in place by thegravityof the body.
An atmosphere is more likely to be
retained if the gravity is high and the
atmosphere's temperature is low.

 Earth's atmosphere, which is mostly

nitrogen, also containsoxygenused by
mostorganismsforrespirationandcarb
on
dioxideused
by
plants,algaeandcyanobacteriaforphoto
synthesis, also protects living organisms
from
genetic
damage
bysolarultravioletradiation. Its current
composition is the product of billions of
years of biochemical modification of
thepaleoatmosphereby
living
organisms.

CIRCULATION
The circulation of the atmosphere occurs
due
to
thermal
differences
whenconvectionbecomes a more efficient
transporter of heat thanthermal radiation.
On planets where the primary heat source is
solar radiation, excess heat in the tropics is
transported to higher latitudes. When a planet
generates a significant amount of heat
internally, such as is the case forJupiter,
convection in the atmosphere can transport
thermal energy from the higher temperature
interior up to the surface.

Warming the atmosphere

The temperature of an object is actually a
measure of the kinetic energy of the
molecules that make up the object.
Any object that contains any kinetic energy at
all (i.e. has a temperature above absolute 0K
gives off radiant energy.
Solar constant
When the sunlight is perpendicular to the
outer edge and the Earth is at an average
distance from the Sun it produces about
1,370 watts per m2.
This quantity is believed to remain constant.

On the average, the earth's surface absorbs only 51

percent of the incoming solar radiation after it is
filtered, absorbed, and reflected. This does not
include the radiation emitted back to the surface
from the greenhouse effect, which is equivalent to 93
units if the percentages in this figure are considered
as units of energy.

IMPORTANCE
From
the
perspective
of
the
planetarygeologist, the atmosphere is an
evolutionary
agent
essential
to
themorphologyof
aplanet.
Thewindtransportsdustand other particles
which
erodes
thereliefand
leavesdeposits(eolianprocesses).Frostandp
recipitations,
which
depend
on
the
composition, also influence the relief. Climate
changes can influence a planet's geological
history. Conversely, studying surface of earth
leads to an understanding of the atmosphere
and climate of a planet both its present
state and its past.

 For
ameteorologist,
the
composition of the atmosphere
determines
theclimateand
its
variations.
For abiologist, the composition is
closely
dependent
on
the
appearance of the life and
itsevolution.

Earths
atmosphere

Blue light is scattered morethan other

wavelengths by the gases in the atmosphere,
givingEartha bluehalo when seen from
space on boardISS at a height of402424
km.

 Theatmosphere of Earthis a layer

ofgasessurrounding
the
planetEarththat
is
retained
by
Earth'sgravity.
Theatmosphereprotects
life
on
Earthby
absorbingultravioletsolar
radiation, warming the surface through
heat retention (greenhouse effect),
and reducing temperatureextremes
betweendayandnight(thediurnal
temperature variation).

 The common name given to the

atmospheric
gases
used
inbreathingandphotosynthesisisair. By
volume,
dry
air
contains
78.09%
nitrogen,
20.95%oxygen,
0.93%argon, 0.039%carbon dioxide,
and small amounts of other gases. Air also
contains a variable amount ofwater
vapor, on average around 1%. Although
air content andatmospheric pressurevary
at different layers, air suitable for the
survival ofterrestrial plantsandterrestrial
animalscurrently is only known to be
found in Earth'stroposphereandartificial
atmospheres.

 The atmosphere has a mass of about

5.151018kg, three quarters of which is
within about 11km (6.8mi; 36,000ft) of
the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner
and thinner with increasingaltitude, with no
definite boundary between the atmosphere
andouter space. TheKrmn line, at
100km (62mi), or 1.57% of Earth's radius,
is often used as the border between the
atmosphere and outer space. Atmospheric
effects become noticeable duringatmospheric
reentryof spacecraft at an altitude of around
120km (75mi). Several layerscan be
distinguished in the atmosphere, based on
characteristics such as temperature and
composition.

Aerology
The study of Earth's atmosphere
and its processes.

Structure (Principal
Layers)
In general, air pressure and density decrease
with altitude in the atmosphere. However,
temperature has a more complicated profile with
altitude, and may remain relatively constant or
even increase with altitude in some regions.
Because
the
general
pattern
of
the
temperature/altitude profile is constant and
recognizable through means such asballoon
soundings, the temperature behavior provides
a useful metric to distinguish between
atmospheric layers. In this way, Earth's
atmosphere can be divided (called atmospheric
stratification) into five main layers. From highest
to lowest, these layers are:

Exosphere: >700km
(>440 miles)
Thermosphere: 80
to 700km (50 to 440
miles)
Mesosphere: 50 to
80km (31 to 50
miles)
Stratosphere: 12 to
50km (7 to 31 miles)
Troposphere: 0 to
12km (0 to 7 miles)

Aurorae

Aurora
(phenomenon),
luminous
atmospheric
phenomenon occurring most frequently above 60
North or South latitude, but also in other parts of the
world. It is named specifically, according to its
location, aurora borealis (northern lights) or aurora
australis (southern lights). The term aurora polaris,
polar lights, is a general name for both.
Aurora Borealis
These multiple auroral bands were photographed in
Fairbanks, Alaska. Auroral displays occur when
charged particles from the sun interact with gases in
the earths atmosphere. Auroras are seen only in the
high latitudes of both hemispheres because the
earths magnetic field draws solar particles into the
polar regions.

EXOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
TROPOSPHERE

The Earths

TROPOSPHER
E

The troposphere is the layer closest to the

surface of Earth. Nearly all life and all weather
occur in this layer. The air thins in this layer
and is denser than in other layers. In this layer,
the higher up from Earths surface you go, the
colder it gets. The peak of Mt. Everest is near

STRATOSPHER
E

The temperature in this layer

becomes warmer. The air is thinner
and drier than in the previous layer.

The mesosphere is the coldest layer of the

MESOSPHERE atmosphere. When meteoroids from space enter
our atmosphere, this is the layer in which they
usually burn up. That might be surprising
because its a pretty thin layer.

THERMOSPHER
E

Temperatures in the thermosphere are

very high, more that 2000 degrees
Fahrenheit. This is where space begins.
The International Space Station orbits
Earth in this layer.

EXOSPHER
E

The exosphere is the outermost layer of

Earths atmosphere but there is no exact
dividing line between this layer and space.

Observed Lapsed Rate

The
temperature
decreases
approximately 6.5 OC for each km
of altitude (3.5 OF/1,000 ft).
INVERSION (in meteorology) is
defined
as
the
temperature
increase with altitude.

Troposphere
The surface layer up to about 30,000 ft
Heated from below, by ground having
absorbed solar energy
Temperature highest near the ground,
and falls all the way up to about 30,000
ft
This means the possibility of convection,
and therefore weather, as clouds form
from rising air which cools by pressure
drop, and clouds dissipate as air falls
and heats.

Tropopause
The upper boundary of the
Troposphere
The temperature remains
constant with increasing
altitude

Stratosphere
Heated mostly by absorbing UV light
from the sun by O3 (ozone), breaking it
apart into O2 + atomic oxygen. When
they recombine to make ozone, you get
energy release and heating.
Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs
ultraviolet radiation, warming it up in
the mid-upper parts of the layer. The
reason for the increase in temperatures
in the stratosphere with height relates
to the wavelength of the incoming solar
energy.

At
higher
altitudes
in
the
stratosphere, ozone very efficiently
absorbs
UV
at
wavelengths
between
200
and
350
nanometers. At lower altitudes in
the stratosphere, ozone absorbs
UV at wavelengths between 44
and 80 nanometers but much
less efficiently. This results in a
rate of warming in the lower
stratosphere that is less than the
rate higher in the stratosphere,
causing
the
temperature
to
increase with height.

 Therefore is hottest at the highest

layers, cooler down where it
contacts
the
cold
upper
troposphere
At the bottom of the stratosphere,
most UV has already been
absorbed higher up, so further
heating is very reduced, hence the
temperature vs height is the
opposite from the Troposphere
This temperature inversion means
no convection, no weather.

Stratopause
Where the temperature reaches a
maximum of 10 OC (50 OF)

Ozone Shield
A layer of ozone that absorbs much of
the ultraviolet radiation that enter the
atmosphere.
Provides a significant shield to the
Earth below from damaging UV
radiation.

Ozone Layer
Theozone layeris contained within the
stratosphere. In this
layerozoneconcentrations are about 2 to 8
parts per million, which is much higher than
in the lower atmosphere but still very small
compared to the main components of the
atmosphere. It is mainly located in the lower
portion of the stratosphere from about 15
35km (9.321.7mi; 49,000115,000ft),
though the thickness varies seasonally and
geographically. About 90% of the ozone in
our atmosphere is contained in the
stratosphere.

Mesosphere
Above the Stratosphere, the mass of
atmosphere is only 0.1% of the total,
and the density is too low for ozone
chemistry to heat the atmosphere
Hence, we get the normal trend we saw
in the troposphere re-asserting itself
lower temperature with lower pressure
and lower altitude.
This layer is 30-50 miles above the
ground.

 The mesosphere is the third highest layer

of Earth's atmosphere, occupying the
region above the stratosphere and below
the thermosphere. It extends from the
stratopause at an altitude of about 50km
(31mi; 160,000ft) to the mesopause at
8085km
(5053mi;
260,000
280,000ft) above sea level.
Temperatures drop with increasing altitude
to themesopausethat marks the top of
this middle layer of the atmosphere. It is
the coldest place on Earth and has an
average
temperature
around
85C(120F; 190K).

 Just below the mesopause, the air is so cold that even

the very scarce water vapor at this altitude can be
sublimated
into
polar-mesosphericnoctilucent
clouds. These are highest clouds in the atmosphere
and may be visible to the naked eye if sunlight reflects
off them about an hour or two after sunset or a similar
length of time before sunrise. They are most readily
visible when the Sun is around 4 to 16 degrees below
the horizon. A type of lightning referred to as
eitherspritesorELVES, occasionally form far above
tropospheric thunderclouds. The mesosphere is also
the layer where mostmeteorsburn up upon
atmospheric entrance. It is too high above Earth to be
accessible to jet-powered aircraft, and too low to
support satellites and orbital or sub-orbital spacecraft.
The mesosphere is mainly accessed by rocket-powered
aircraft and unmanned sounding rockets.

Homosphere
The homosphere and heterosphere are
defined by whether the atmospheric gases are
well mixed. The surfaced-based homosphere
includes the troposphere, stratosphere,
mesosphere, and the lowest part of the
thermosphere,
where
the
chemical
composition of the atmosphere does not
depend on molecular weight because the
gases are mixed by turbulence.This relatively
homogeneous
layer
ends
at
theturbopausewhich is found at about
100km (62mi; 330,000ft), which places it
about 20km (12mi; 66,000ft) above the
mesopause.

Heterosphere
Above this altitude lies the heterosphere which
includes the exosphere and most of the
thermosphere. Here the chemical composition
varies with altitude. This is because the
distance that particles can move without
colliding with one anotheris large compared
with the size of motions that cause mixing.
This allows the gases to stratify by molecular
weight, with the heavier ones such as oxygen
and nitrogen present only near the bottom of
the heterosphere. The upper part of the
heterosphere is composed almost completely
of hydrogen, the lightest element.

Ionosphere/ Thermosphere
Above mesosphere; density so low the
Space Shuttle and ISS orbit here, with
little drag
Temperature can be very high; 4,000F.
But no significant heat because density
is so low.
Heated by ionization by UV from the
sun, and the solar wind.

Ionosphere

Theionosphereis a region of the atmosphere

that is ionized by solar radiation. It is
responsible forauroras. During daytime
hours, it stretches from 50 to 1,000km (31
to 621mi; 160,000 to 3,280,000ft) and
includes the mesosphere, thermosphere, and
parts of the exosphere. However, ionization in
the mesosphere largely ceases during the
night, so auroras are normally seen only in the
thermosphere and lower exosphere. The
ionosphere
forms
the
inner
edge
of
themagnetosphere.
It
has
practical
importance
because
it
influences,
for
example,radiopropagation on Earth.

Thermosphere
The thermosphere is the second-highest layer of
Earth's
atmosphere.
It
extends
from
the
mesopause (which separates it from the
mesosphere) at an altitude of about 80km (50mi;
260,000ft) up to the thermopauseat an altitude
range of 5001000km (310620mi; 1,600,000
3,300,000ft). The height of the thermopause varies
considerably due to changes in solar activity.Since
the thermopause lies at the lower boundary of the
exosphere, it is also referred to as theexobase.
The lower part of the thermosphere, from 80 to 550
kilometres (50 to 342mi) above Earth's surface,
contains theionosphere.

 This atmospheric layer undergoes a gradual

increase in temperature with height. Unlike the
stratosphere, wherein a temperatureinversionis
due to the absorption of radiation by ozone, the
inversion in the thermosphere occurs due to the
extremely low density of its molecules. The
temperature of this layer can rise as high as
1500C (2700F), though the gas molecules are
so far apart that its temperature in the usual
senseis not very meaningful. The air is so rarefied
that an individual molecule (ofoxygen, for
example) travels an average of 1 kilometre
(0.62mi; 3300ft) between collisions with other
molecules. Even though the thermosphere has a
very high proportion of molecules with immense
amounts of energy, the thermosphere would still
feel extremely cold to a human in direct contact

because the total energy of its relatively few

number of molecules is incapable of
transferring an adequate amount of energy to
the skin of a human. In other words, a person
would not feel warm because of the
thermosphere's extremely low pressure.
This layer is completely cloudless and free of
water vapor. However nonhydrometeorological phenomena such as
theaurora borealis andaurora australisare
occasionally seen in the thermosphere.
TheInternational Space Stationorbits in
this layer, between 320 and 380km (200
and 240mi).

Exosphere

Outermost layer of the atmosphere where

molecules merge with the vacuum of space.
It extends from theexobase, which is
located at the top of the thermosphere at
an altitude of about 700km above sea
level, to about 10,000km (6,200mi;
33,000,000ft).
The high kinetic energy of the molecules at
this height are significant enough to cause
them to be able to escape into space.

 This layer is mainly composed of extremely

low densities of hydrogen, helium and
several
heavier
molecules
including
nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide
closer to the exobase. The atoms and
molecules are so far apart that they can
travel hundreds of kilometers without
colliding with one another. Thus, the
exosphere no longer behaves like a gas,
and the particles constantly escape into
space.
These
free-moving
particles
followballistic
trajectoriesand
may
migrate
in
and
out
of
the
magnetosphereor thesolar wind.

Magnetosphere

Magnetosphere,regionsurroundingEarth
and other planets in which charged particles
are affected by the planets magnetic field.
The magnetic field generated by a planet
creates a magnetic bubble that is continually
struck by a stream of charged particles
(electrons and ions) blowing away from the
Sun at about 400 km/second (250 mi/second).
This high-speed stream of plasmacalled the
solar windis largely deflected around the
magnetosphere but also distorts its shape,
creating a shock wave facing the Sun and a
long magnetic tail that stretches away from
the planet. Some of the charged particles from
the Sun may leak into the planets
magnetosphere and become trapped.

Erupting Solar Flare

A giant solar flare ejects hot gas from the outer surface of the Sun, sending a burst
of high-energy particles into space. The particles can interact with Earth's
magnetosphere, creating disturbances in the planet's magnetic field and causing
auroras.

The structure
of
the
atmosphere
based
on
temperature
differences.
Note that the
"pauses" are
actually
not
lines, but are
broad regions
that
merge.

Any questions,
clarifications
or violent
reactions?

THANK YOU FOR

WATCHING!
PREPARED BY:
ABANO, JESSICA N.
BS in CIVIL ENGINEERING IV - A