Chapter 15, Section 4Chapter 15, Section 4

By Stephanie LundBy Stephanie LundSeptember 27, 2005September 27, 2005

T4T4

Quick NotesQuick Notes Inner or lowest layer of Earth’s Inner or lowest layer of Earth’s

atmosphereatmosphere Weather occurs hereWeather occurs here Contains almost all of the mass in Contains almost all of the mass in

the atmospherethe atmosphere Starts at the Earth’s surface and Starts at the Earth’s surface and

extends anywhere between 8 and extends anywhere between 8 and 16 kilometers above Earth16 kilometers above Earth

The air at the top is about -60 The air at the top is about -60 degrees, Celsiusdegrees, Celsius

QuestionQuestionWhy do you think the clouds at the top Why do you think the clouds at the top

of the Troposphere are made of ice of the Troposphere are made of ice crystals and not drops of water?crystals and not drops of water?

TheThe

Quick NotesQuick Notes Extends from the top of the Extends from the top of the

Troposphere to about 50K Troposphere to about 50K above Earth’s surfaceabove Earth’s surface

The lower stratosphere is The lower stratosphere is warmer than the upper warmer than the upper tropospheretroposphere

A large amount of ozone is A large amount of ozone is found here, it absorbs found here, it absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the ultraviolet radiation from the sunsun

QuestionDo you know what ultraviolet

radiation is?

TheThe

Quick NotesQuick Noteso “Meso” means middle and the

mesosphere is the middle layer of the Atmosphere

o Starts at 50k above earth and Starts at 50k above earth and ends at 80Kends at 80K

o Protects earth from being hit Protects earth from being hit by meteorites (chunks of stone by meteorites (chunks of stone and Metal)and Metal)

QuestionQuestionWhat is the depth of the

Mesosphere?

The The

Quick NotesQuick Notes Starts at 80k above Earth and

extends all the way to space Air is .001% as dense as the air at

sea level Outermost layer of the atmosphere The Thermosphere is broken up

into two parts: The Ionosphere and The Exosphere

Ionosphere-The Aurora Borealis occurs here. It is caused by particles from the sun entering the Ionosphere near the North Pole

Exosphere- when you make a phone call or listen to the radio the signal travels up to satellites that are orbiting the Exosphere

Review QuestionsReview Questions

After reading this Power Point you should be able After reading this Power Point you should be able to answer these 6 questions:to answer these 6 questions:

1.1. What are the characteristics of the main layers of the What are the characteristics of the main layers of the atmosphere (not including the Ionosphere and the atmosphere (not including the Ionosphere and the Exosphere) ?Exosphere) ?

2.2. In which layer of the atmosphere do rain, snow, storms, and In which layer of the atmosphere do rain, snow, storms, and most clouds occur?most clouds occur?

3.3. Ozone absorbs energy from the sun in which layer of the Ozone absorbs energy from the sun in which layer of the atmosphere?atmosphere?

4.4. In what layer of the atmosphere do most meteoroids burn up In what layer of the atmosphere do most meteoroids burn up in?in?

5.5. Where does the Aurora Borealis occur?Where does the Aurora Borealis occur?

6.6. In which layer of the atmosphere do communication In which layer of the atmosphere do communication satellites orbit Earth?satellites orbit Earth?

BibliographyBibliography

http://www.dask.org.tr/english/want_to_know/meteorology/atmosphere/atmosphere.htm

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/layers.html http://curriculum.calstatela.edu/courses/builders/lessons/less/les3/layers.html http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html http://vortex.plymouth.edu/atmosphere/layers.html Science Explorer Earth Science. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

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