METEOROLOGY

The Atmosphere

Atmosphere: Envelope of gas that surrounds a planet

Origin of the Atmosphere: most likely from out-gassing, which is gases released by a volcano

The early atmosphere was changed by organisms who performed photosynthesis

The Atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen (ESRT pg 1)

Layers of the Atmosphere

ESRT page 14

Troposphere (0-7 miles)

Closest to Earth’s surface Where weather occurs Lower portion warmed by heat coming from Earth’s surface

Upper boundary is tropopause

Stratosphere (7-30 mi)

Air temp. is relatively constant

Location of Jet Stream Ozone is located here Upper boundary is stratopause

Mesosphere (30-50 mi)

Temperature steadily decreases with increasing altitude

Upper is coldest region of atm.

Asteroids usually burn up here

IonosphereDO NOT WRITE Not one of the main layers Located in the mesosphere

and thermosphere Aurora borealis: occur when

ionized gases emit visible light Ionization: Occurs when gases

lose electrons due to radiation from the sun

Thermosphere and ExosphereWRITE: Thermosphere (50-180 mi) Temperature increases with altitude

due to solar energy

DO NOT WRITE: Exosphere: Not a main layer Last layer Extends into outer space

Layers of the Atmosphere

A trip through the atmosphere

***Based on what we covered in class today and the video about the layers of the atmosphere, complete this worksheet, which is due tomorrow. I will be collecting it

***You may use colored pencils, markers, and drawings, as long as I can read/see your work.

***Read the steps below carefully!!!!

On the pie chart, label each section with the proper gas and the percentage amount. You can use arrows to point to the proper section if you do not have room to write.

Draw three circles around the Earth on the next page. The first one has been drawn for you

Label the four major layers of the atmosphere by writing the proper name on the diagram below

Draw a line and label it with the thickness of the layers with the proper distance. The first one has been done for you

The video showed clouds, a plane, a weather balloon, an asteroid, northern lights, rockets and a space shuttle. Place these objects (either through a drawing, illustration or by writing the name if the object) in the proper layer. If you’re stuck between two layers, pick the layer that you think it fits into the best