1. Layers of the Atmosphere

2. Today’s Objectives Students will be able to:
Identify the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Describe the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Diagram and label the layers of the atmosphere with temperature and composition.

4. Troposphere – 0-10 miles The layer we walk around in
Most airplanes fly here
Where most weather occurs
Height varies due to solar energy
Low at poles, higher over equator

5. Troposphere – 0-10 miles Air gets colder with altitude
18ºC (56ºF) at surface
-58ºC (-50ºF) at upper limit
ambient atmospheric lapse rate (ESL)
-3.5ºF per 1000 feet (-6.4ºC per 1000 m)

6. Above 90% of total atmosphere
Tropopause – ~10 miles
Divides troposphere and stratosphere
The height at which the temperature stops decreasing.
Temperature can reach -70ºF
Above 90% of total atmosphere

8. Stratosphere – miles
Lower limit mixes with troposphere to form the jet stream (115+ mph)
Air gets warmer with altitude
This is called a temperature inversion
The Ozone layer
Why the inversion?

9. Stratosphere – 10-30 miles The Ozone layer
High concentration found around 15 miles high
Absorbs most of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Absorption raises the temperature
The Ozone layer

10. Above 99.9% of total atmosphere
Stratopause – 30 miles
Divides stratosphere and mesosphere
The height temperature STOPS increasing.
Temperature can reach 40ºF
1 mb (millibar) of pressure
Above 99.9% of total atmosphere

12. Mesosphere – miles
Again, temperature decreases as elevation increases.
This is due to no ozone and molecules being far apart
Can reach temperatures as low as -130ºF
Why?

13. Mesopause – 50 miles Divides mesosphere and thermosphere
The 2nd height at which the temperature stops decreasing.
Temperature can reach ºF

14. Protects us from meteors and obsolete satellites
Thermosphere – miles
the “Hot Layer”
Oxygen atoms absorb energetic solar rays, warming the air
Reaches around 2,700ºF
Protects us from meteors and obsolete satellites

15. Thermosphere – miles
Auroras occur in this layer

16. Satellites and Space Shuttle fly
Exosphere – 120+ miles
Upper reaches of atmosphere
So little gravity that atoms are able to shoot off into space
Range 570ºF to over 3,000ºF
Satellites and Space Shuttle fly

18. Not really a layer…but a region
Ionosphere
Not really a layer…but a region

19. Ionosphere

20. Radiosonde Instrument used to measure: vertical profile of air
temperature up to ~20 mil

21. Radiosonde