8a+Layers+Of+the+Atmosphere

STD: 8. Life has changed Earths atmosphere affect conditions forlife. As a basis for understanding this concept: A. Students know the thermal structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere.

Questions: 1. How many basic layers does the atmosphere have? 2. Where does the weather occur? 3. Where does the suns energy hit first?

media type="custom" key="7871917"  The Atmosphere has four basic layers, the Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, and Troposphere. The Thermosphere is above the earths surface and extends all the way outward into space, it has no definite outer limit. The air in the Thermosphere is very thin and hot, up to 1,800 C. "Thermo" means "heat''. Energy that comes in from the sun strikes the Thermosphere first. Next, comes the Mesosphere, the Mesosphere protects the earths surface from being hit from most meteors, which are chunks of stones and metal from space.It begins at 50 kilometers above earths surface and ends at 80 kilometer. (Temperatures approach -90 C. ) After the Mesosphere comes the stratosphere. The stratosphere has the ozone layer which absorbs ultraviolet radiation. The word "Strato" is similar to stratum, which means layer or spreading out. It extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 kilometers above earths surface. The lower part of the stratosphere is cold, about -60 C, the upper part of the stratosphere is warmer than the lower part. The ozone layer, which I mentioned earlier, absorbs energy from the sun. The energy is converted into heat, warming the air. Lastly would be the Troposphere, the troposphere is the inner or lowest layer of the earth. "Tropo" means "turning"or "changing". This is where the weather occurs (rain, snow, storms, etc.)The depth of the troposphere varies from more than 16 kilometers above the equator to less than 9 kilometers above the North and South poles. The troposphere contains almost all of the mass in the atmosphere. For every 1- kilometer increase in altitude the air gets about 6.5 Celsius degrees cooler. Water in this layer forms thin feathery clouds of ice. These four layers in our atmosphere are classified according to changes in the earths temperature.