1. Weather & Climate
The Atmosphere

2. The Atmosphere
How was it created?
What is it?

3. How was it created?
Volcanic gases from erupting volcanoes formed atmosphere
Old Atmospheric gases included:
Water vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen (not enough water for life…yet…)
As Earth cooled, the water vapor condensed into liquid form and it precipitated and evaporated-starting the water cycle (and ocean formation)
Carbon Dioxide was dissolved by the rain and is in rocks on the ocean floor
1st organisms underwent photosynthesis which helped change atmosphere by removing Carbon Dioxide and releasing more oxygen

4. layers of gas and aerosols surrounding the Earth
What is it?
layers of gas and aerosols surrounding the Earth
Aerosols include:
Salt from oceans
Dust from ground
Pollen from plants
Ash from volcanoes
Particles from pollution

5. 1% of other gases include: Water Vapor Ozone (colorless gas)
What is it?
1% of other gases include:
Water Vapor
Clouds and weather
Ozone (colorless gas)
Absorbs UV radiation from the sun
Carbon Dioxide
Plants use for processes
Greenhouse gas (traps heat and warms Earth)

6. Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere Exosphere
Layers of Atmosphere
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
Test Scores Make Teachers Excited

7. Troposphere 0-16 km from ground Layer closest to Earth
Contains most weather
Contains most air molecules
Heated by warmth of Earth’s surface
Higher away from ground= colder

8. Stratosphere 16-50 km from ground Layer above troposphere
Large planes fly here
Ozone is at top of this layer (traps heat)
Gets warmer the higher up in stratosphere

9. Mesosphere 50-80 km from ground
Temperatures here drops quickly because of little ozone
Meteors burn up here “shooting stars”
“Meso” = middle

10. Thermosphere 90-500 km from ground Hottest layer
Filters out gamma rays and x-rays from the sun

11. Exosphere 500-10,000 km from ground Outermost layer of atmosphere
Fades into space
Satellites orbit Earth in this layer

12. Ionosphere Contains mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
Layer of charged particles
Absorbs sun’s AM radio waves, while at night, in the sun’s absence, it reflects radio waves from city to city

13. Pressure and temperature changes
What do you think the graph would look like showing pressure changes in the atmosphere? Why?
What do you think the graph would look like showing temperature changes in the atmosphere? Why?
(higher)
(lower)
(higher)
(lower)
Elevation (km)
Elevation (km)
(lower) (higher)
Pressure
(lower) (higher)
Temperature (C)

14. Pressure Changes
Gravity pulls molecules to the earth's surface so the pressure is greatest in the troposphere
Climbing up mountains makes breathing get harder because air pressure decreases with altitude (less oxygen)

15. Graphing Temperature Activity
Atmosphere Layer
Altitude (km)
Temperature (C)
Troposphere 21 16
-60
Stratosphere 32
-45 48 -1 52 1
Mesosphere 64
-34 80
-90 88
-101
Thermosphere 96
-73
144
187
201
371
DIRECTIONS
Plot points
Connect points with straight line, start at lowest altitude points
Draw lines at atmosphere layers and label them
Fill out chart on notes sheet
*graph will not be exactly accurate

16. Pressure and temperature changes
What do you think the graph would look like showing pressure changes in the atmosphere? Why?
What do you think the graph would look like showing temperature changes in the atmosphere? Why?
(higher)
(lower)
(higher)
(lower)
Elevation (km)
Elevation (km)
(lower) (higher)
Pressure
(lower) (higher)
Temperature (C)

17. Temperature Changes
Troposphere is warmed by surface of Earth, temperature decreases further away from surface
Stratosphere is heated by ozone layer at the top of the layer, so temperature increases
Mesosphere closest to ozone is warm but temperature decreases
Thermo/Exo temperatures increase