The atmosphere is
an important part of what makes Earth livable
. It blocks some of the Sun’s dangerous rays from reaching Earth. It traps heat, making Earth a comfortable temperature. And the oxygen within our atmosphere is essential for life.
What are 3 facts about the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is made up of
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and smaller amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, helium, and neon
. Contaminants in the atmosphere can include smoke, toxic gasses, dust, ash from volcanoes, and salt.
Why is the atmosphere special?
The abundance of oxygen in our atmosphere
and the presence of liquid water on the surface of our planet makes our “Pale Blue Dot” stand out in contrast to the other planets in the solar system — a unique and fragile home for life.
What are 2 things about the atmosphere?
Earth’s atmosphere is composed of about
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and one percent other gases
. These gases are found in layers (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere) defined by unique features such as temperature and pressure.
What is the 5 importance of atmosphere?
Not only does it
contain the oxygen we need to live
, but it also protects us from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation. It creates the pressure without which liquid water couldn’t exist on our planet’s surface. And it warms our planet and keeps temperatures habitable for our living Earth.
What would happen if there was no atmosphere?
The temperature of the Earth would rapidly start to rise
once our atmosphere had disappeared. Without our atmosphere we have little protection from the Sun’s heat. It would penetrate to the Earth’s surface and cause the water to start boiling off into steam that would float off into space.
Which is the coldest layer of our atmosphere?
Located between about 50 and 80 kilometers (31 and 50 miles) above Earth’s surface,
the mesosphere
gets progressively colder with altitude. In fact, the top of this layer is the coldest place found within the Earth system, with an average temperature of about minus 85 degrees Celsius (minus 120 degrees Fahrenheit).
What are the 7 layers of atmosphere?
- The Troposphere. This is the lowest part of the atmosphere – the part we live in. …
- The Stratosphere. This extends upwards from the tropopause to about 50 km. …
- The Mesosphere. The region above the stratosphere is called the mesosphere. …
- The Thermosphere and Ionosphere. …
- The Exosphere. …
- The Magnetosphere.
What is the hottest layer of the atmosphere?
The thermosphere
is often considered the “hot layer” because it contains the warmest temperatures in the atmosphere. Temperature increases with height until the estimated top of the thermosphere at 500 km. Temperatures can reach as high as 2000 K or 1727 oC in this layer (Wallace and Hobbs 24).
What is 80% of the atmosphere?
Troposphere
. The troposphere is the atmospheric layer closest to the planet and contains the largest percentage (around 80%) of the mass of the total atmosphere. Temperature and water vapor content in the troposphere decrease rapidly with altitude.
Why is the atmosphere important to living things?
The atmosphere protects us from UV and other short wavelength light that would otherwise do a lot of damage to the DNA of living organisms. … The atmosphere is also important
because it contains oxygen
, which we and other living organisms breathe.
Which layer of the atmosphere is the one we live in?
Beginning at the surface of Earth,
the troposphere
extends to around seven miles up. This is the layer we live in and contains most of what we consider to be “the atmosphere,” including the air we breathe and nearly all of the weather and clouds we see.
What is the main function of the atmosphere?
Atmosphere is essential for life on Earth as it
supplies oxygen, water, CO
2
and some nutrients (N) to living organisms
, and protects living organisms from temperature extremes and excessive UV radiation.
What are the disadvantages of atmosphere?
- The atmosphere holds in some “greenhouse” gases that retain the heat of the Sun. …
- Clouds regularly obscure good astronomical viewing.
- The atmosphere refracts light which means the position and clarity of star viewing is less accurate.
- Pollution from light and chemicals obscure observations.
How does global warming affect the atmosphere?
Higher temperatures are worsening many types of disasters, including storms, heat waves, floods, and droughts. A warmer climate creates an
atmosphere that can collect, retain, and drop more water
, changing weather patterns in such a way that wet areas become wetter and dry areas drier.
Why is it important to study the atmosphere?
This research, combined with observations, data assimilation and modeling,
improves society’s ability to predict how future changes in atmospheric composition will affect climate
, weather and air quality.
