Unit 2: Atmosphere

layer of the atmosphere that contains about 95 per cent of the Earth’s air and extends about six to 17km up from the Earth, depending upon latitude and season

the layer of the atmosphere between about 10 and 40km above the Earth’s surface within which temperatures rise with altitude. It contains 90 per cent of the atmosphere’s ozone (O3)

this atmospheric layer is characterized by temperatures that quickly decrease as height increases. It extends from between 31 and 50 miles (17 to 80 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface

the region of the Earth’s atmosphere that is above the mesosphere and in which the temperature increases with height

this atmospheric layer starts at about 43 - 50 miles (70 - 80km) high and continues for hundreds of miles (about 400 miles = 640km). It contains many ions and free electrons (plasma). The ions are created when sunlight hits atoms and tears off some electrons. Auroras occur in this layer

layer of the atmosphere that contains about 95 per cent of the Earth’s air and extends about six to 17km up from the Earth, depending upon latitude and season

the release of greenhouse gases and/or their precursors into the atmosphere over a specified area and period of time

a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen (03). It partially filters certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light from the Earth. It is a desirable gas in the stratosphere, but in high concentrations at ground level, it is toxic to living organisms

this is the vast gaseous envelope of air that surrounds the Earth. It contains a complex system of gases and suspended particles that behave in many ways like fluids

a general term used to describe the amount of water vapor found in the atmosphere