LOOKING AT THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE EARTH’S PROTECTIVE BUBBLE NASA accessed via Wikipedia.
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Transcript of LOOKING AT THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE EARTH’S PROTECTIVE BUBBLE NASA accessed via Wikipedia.
LOOKING AT THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
EARTH’S PROTECTIVE
BUBBLE
NASA accessed via Wikipedia
Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere
Extends near or over 600 kilometers from Earth’s surface
Held by Earth’s gravitational pull
Composed of many diff erent gases
Separated into several diff erent layers
Protects us from outer space
Blocks out dangerous rays (UV) from the sun
Quite transparent to visible light
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL?
A PROFILE OF THE ATMOSPHERE REVEALS IT CAN BE DIVIDED INTO DISTINCT LAYERS
EACH LAYER CAN BE DEFINED BY THE GASES THAT COMPRISES IT ORTEMPERATURE VARIATION OR ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
SEPARATING THE LAYERS IS A BOUNDARY OR “PAUSE” WHERE THE GREATEST CHANGES PROPERTIES OCCUR
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Heterosphere
Homosphere
Ionosphere
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows2universe.org http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) <http://www.ucar.edu>. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved
H o m o s p h er el o w e r a t m o s p h e r e
The air we breathe is very well mixed The air is comprised of
78%: Nitrogen (N2)
21%: Oxygen (O2) other 1%: “trace” gases
Argon (Ar) Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Ozone (O3)
Water (H2O) … and more
Heterosphereupper atmosphere
The air in the upper atmosphere is very diff erent from the air we breathe
The air is not well mixed
Atoms get sorted by atomic weight
Hydrogen and Helium can sometimes escape gravity
MIXING IT UP
Wikipedia | Public Domain
Troposphere Surface ~ 15km
THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE
THE WEATHER ZONEALMOST ALL WEATHER OCCURS IN THIS LAYER
HEIGHT OF THE TROPOSPHERE VARIES FROM THE EQUATOR (15KM) TO THE POLES (9KM)
TRANSPORT OF ENERGY HEATS THIS LAYER
AS YOU GO UP … (INCREASE IN ALTITUDE)
PRESSURE DECREASESDENSITY OF GASES DECREASESTEMPERATURE DECREASES
UNIFORMLY
A TRANSITION ZONE KNOWN AS THE TROPOPAUSE IS THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE TROPOSPHERE AND STRATOSPHERE … ALL DRY (ALMOST)!
Kathryn Haughn
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows2universe.org http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) <http://www.ucar.edu>. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved
Stratosphere 15km ~ 50km
STABLE LAYER (IDEAL FOR JET PLANES
OZONE LAYER IS IN THIS LAYER
LET IT LINGER (CFC’S, VOLCANIC ASH, AEROSOLS)
WEATHER BALLOONS
AS YOU GO UP … PRESSURE DECREASESAIR IS DRY AND LESS DENSETEMPERATURE INCREASES (-52°C
~ -3°C)
99% OF THE ATMOSPHERE IS LOCATED IN THE TROPOSPHERE AND STRATOSPHERE!
A TRANSITION ZONE KNOWN AS THE STRATOPAUSE IS THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE STRATOSPHERE AND MESOSPHERE … WHAT PRESSURE?
NASA
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows2universe.org http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) <http://www.ucar.edu>. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved
THE COLD LAYER
NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS
METEORS BURN UP IN THIS LAYER
NOT EASY TO STUDY
AS YOU GO UP …PRESSURE DECREASESDENSITY OF GASES CONTINUES TO
DECREASE TEMPERATURE DECREASES (-3°C ~ -90°C)
A TRANSITION ZONE KNOWN AS THE MESOPAUSE IS THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE MESOSPHERE AND THERMOSPHERE … COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH!
Mesosphere
50KM ~ 85 KM
NASA
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows2universe.org http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) <http://www.ucar.edu>. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved
Thermosphere
85km ~ 600km
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE
HOT! HOT! HOT!
NOT MUCH AROUND (MOLECULES THAT IS)
X-RAY AND UV RADIATION ABSORBED
SPACE SHUTTLES AND INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ORBIT IN THIS LAYER
SENSITIVE TO SOLAR ACTIVITY
AURORA
OVERLAPS AND SHARES SPACE WITH IONOSPHERE
AS YOU GO UP …PRESSURE DECREASESDENSITY OF MOLECULES IS EXTREMELY LOWTEMPERATURE INCREASES (-90°C ~ 2000°C)
NASA
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows2universe.org http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) <http://www.ucar.edu>. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved
Exosphere
600+ kmTHE ESCAPE ZONE
EXTENDS UNTIL IT MERGES WITH SPACE
UPPER LIMIT OF OUR ATMOSPHERE
COMPRISED OF MAINLY HYDROGEN AND HELIUM
SATELLITES ORBIT EARTH IN THIS LAYER
NASA
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows2universe.org http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) <http://www.ucar.edu>. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved
THE ELECTRIFIED REGION SHOWS YET ANOTHER WAY LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE CAN BE DEFINED
Windows to the Universe® (http://windows2universe.org) © 2010, National Earth Science Teachers Association.
IONOSPHERE (60KM – TOP OF ATMOSPHERE)
AN ELECTRIFIED REGION (NOT REALLY A LAYER ITSELF) WITHIN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE
EXISTENCE IS DUE TO THE SUN’S RADITATION THE DENSITY CHANGES FROM DAYTIME TO NIGHTTIME
AM RADIO COMMUNICATION RELIES ON THE IONOSPHERE
CONSISTS OF IONS AND FREE ELECTRONS
IONS ARE ATOMS AND MOLECULES THAT HAVE LOST OR GA INED ELECTRON(S)
STARTS AT ABOUT 60KM AND EXTENDS TO THE TOP OF THE ATMOSPHERE
DIVIDED INTO 3 LAYERS; THE D, E, AND F LAYERS
MIT Haystack
NOAA
LOWEST LAYERABSORBS GAMMA AND X-RAYSREFLECTS AM RADIO
WAVES BACK TO EARTHAT NIGHT THE LAYER
DISAPPEARS (GRADUALLY) AT NIGHT
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE AM RADIO WAVES THEN?
THE D LAYER
NOAA
THE E LAYER
PEAKS AT 105KMABSORBS X-RAYS
THE F LAYER
HIGHEST LAYERUP TO 600KM or
MOREABSORBS EXTREME
UV
MORE ON THE IONOSPHERE
MIT Haystack
Kathryn Haughn
Credit: John Emmert/NRL