Layers of the atmsophere

The Earth's Atmosphere

The earth’s atmosphere is made up of 5 different layers. They are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Each of these layers play an important role!

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The troposphere

The troposphere is the layer of atmosphere closest to the surface of the Earth. Most life on Earth is found in the troposphere because it contains oxygen. We need oxygen to breathe! The troposphere starts from the ground and travels upwards about 6 miles. In warmer areas, the troposphere can extend as high as 12 miles. In colder areas, the troposphere might only be 4 miles high.

Open Ended

Based on what we have learned about density, why do you think the troposphere extends more in warm places and less in cold places? Answer using a complete sentence.

(Example: "I think the troposphere is higher up in warm areas because _________________ and lower in cooler areas because ______________.)

Where does the word troposphere come from? It comes from a Greek word “tropos” which means change. The troposphere is the layer of atmosphere where we experience all kinds of weather changes such as sunshine, thunderstorms, snow, and wind.

Did you know the troposphere does not get heated directly by the sun? First, the sunrays heat the ground and the ocean. Once the ground and ocean are heated, the heat bounces back into the troposphere.

🛑Stop!🛑

​Answer your Troposphere comprehension questions. be sure to answer numbers 5 and 6 using a complete sentence!

The Stratosphere

The stratosphere is the layer of atmsophere between the tropsphere and the mesosphere. This layers starts around 7 miles up and can extend as high as 31 miles from the Earth's surface.
Where does the word stratosphere come from? The word "strato" means layer and the word "sphere" means round. The Earth is a sphere; therefore the word means layer around the Earth.

​Hot air balloons sometimes go as high as the stratosphere.

​An interesting fact about the stratosphere is the temperature gets warmer the higher you travel. This happens because of the ozone layer. The ozone layer absorbs the untraviolet radiation from the sun and turns it into heat. The ozone layer is important because it makes sure the right amount of UV radiation hits the Earth. Too much radiation from the sun can be harmful to life on Earth.
Did you know that hot air balloons sometimes go as high as the stratosphere? They can't go too high because there is not as much oxygen to breathe.

🛑Stop!🛑

​Answer your Stratosphere comprehension questions. be sure to answer numbers 1, 3, 5 and 6 using a complete sentence!

The Mesosphere

The mesosphere is the layer of atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. It is the third layer and also the coldest layer! It starts at 31 miles up and can extend as high as 50 miles.
Where does the word mesosphere come from? It comes from the Greek words "mesos sphaira" which means middle sphere.

​The mesosphere burns up meteors, asteroids and other space rcoks before they can reach Earth's surface.

​The fact that the mesosphere is the "middle sphere" makes a lot of sense, because the mesosphere is in the middle of all the layers! It is difficult to fully study the mesosphere because it is too high for planes to reach and too low for satellites to orbit.
The mesosphere is important because it burns up meteors, asteroids, and other space rocks before they can reach the Earth's surface. It acts like a force field to keep the Earth safe! Did you know that shooting stars are meteors burning up in the mesosphere?

🛑Stop!🛑

​Answer your mesosphere comprehension questions. be sure to answer numbers 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 using a complete sentence!

The Thermosphere

The thermosphere is the layer of atmosphere between the mesosphere and exosphere. The thermosphere is the largest of the 5 different layers. This layer starts between 50-56 miles from the surface of the Earth and can extend as high as 621 miles.
Where does the word thermosphere come from? It comes from the Greek word "thermo" that means heat.

​The auroras or northern/southern lights are found in the thermosphere.

​The thermosphere is the hottest layer and can reach temperatures as high as 3,632°. Wow! That is hot!
The thermosphere is important because it protects Earth from cold temperatures in outer space. It also protects the earth against radiation coming from the sun.
Have you ever heard about the the natural light show in the sky? These lights are called auroras or the northern and southern lights. They light up the sky with dancing colors of light and are found in the thermosphere-it's like a light show!

🛑Stop!🛑

​Answer your Thermosphere comprehension questions. be sure to answer numbers 1, 3, 5 and 6 using a complete sentence!

The exosphere

The exosphere is the last and outermost layer in Earth's atmosphere. Outer space begins right beyond the exosphere. The exosphere starts between 311 miles to 621 miles up from the surface of Earth. Where does the word exosphere come from? It comes from the Greek word "exo" that means outside.

​The exosphere is the layer where satellites orbit around the Earth.

​The exosphere is important because it is the first layer of defense against sun rays, meteors, asteroids, and other dangers from space. There is not much air to breathe in the exosphere because it is mainly made up of helium and hydrogen. The temperature in this layer ranges from very hot to very cold.
Did you know satellites orbit around the Earth in the exosphere? This is because there is not much friction or resistance that would disturb or bother the satellite.

🛑Stop!🛑

​Answer your exosphere comprehension questions. be sure to answer numbers 2,4,5 and 6 using a complete sentence!

​Last, but certainly not least....Color by number!

​Answer the questions on the Color by Number and then color the picture-yes! you have to color it!
When finished-make sure your name is on your packet and turn in!