78%

21%

1%

0.04%

is a cocktail of gases.

gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space

is the lowest layer of our atmosphere.

Starting at ground level, it extends upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or about 33,000 feet) above sea level.

We humans live in it, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer

Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in it.

Air pressure drops and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in this atmosphere layer

extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground.

The infamous ozone layer is found within this layer of the atmosphere.

- Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, converting the UV energy into heat.

unlike the troposphere, this actually gets warmer the higher you go!

It is where Commercial passenger jets fly, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride.

It is above the stratosphere  It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet.

Most meteors burn up in this layer of the atmosphere

When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called ------.

When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a ------.

When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a ------.

Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through it.

The coldest temperatures in Earth’s atmosphere, about -90˚C (-130˚ F), are found near the top of this layer.

The air in this layer of the atmosphere is far too thin to breathe; air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level, and continues dropping as you go higher.

The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the ------.

High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in this layer, raising its temperature to hundreds or a times thousands of degrees.

The air in this layer is so thin that it would feel freezing cold to us!

is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within it.

The top of this layer can be found anywhere between 5 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground.

Temperatures in the upper part of this layer can range from about 500˚C (932˚F) to 2,000 ˚C (3,632˚F) or higher.

It is where The aurora, Northern Lights and Southern Lights occur.

Although some experts consider the thermosphere to be the uppermost layer of our atmosphere, other consider the ------- to be the actual “final frontier” of Earth’s gaseous envelope.

As you might imagine, the “air” in this layer is very, very, very thin, making this layer even more space-like than the thermosphere.

air in this layer is constantly – though very gradually – “leaking” out of Earth’s atmosphere into outer space.

There is no clear-cut upper boundary where this layer finally fades away into space.

Different definitions place the top of this layer is somewhere between 100,000 km (62,000 miles) and 190,000 km (120,000 miles) above the surface of Earth.

The latter value is about halfway to the Moon!

The composition of the Earth’s atmosphere changes as result of natural processes such as:

forms when certain gases, primarily sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (), are emitted into the atmosphere through human activities like burning fossil fuels (coal and oil) and industrial processes.

These acids then fall to the ground as rain, snow, fog, or dust particles, hence the term “acid rain”

acidic with or without air pollution. This is due to the natural presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with dissolves in rain drops of rain water (even moisture present in the atmosphere does the same function) to form Carbonic acid.

the purest form of rain reaches the earth as an acidic solution of pH --.

causes Environmental problems like: Destruction of vegetation and Marine life, Corrosion, and Etching of buildings that are exposed to atmosphere.

It is formed in the Earth’s atmosphere primarily through photochemical reactions involving oxygen molecules (O2) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

In the stratosphere, high-energy UV radiation can breaks apart o2 molecules into individual oxygen atoms. These atoms can then react with O2 molecules to form ozone (O3):

O2+UV light ( 2O

O+O2 ( O3

In the lower atmosphere (troposphere), ozone is formed through reactions involving pollutants emitted by human activities, such as nitrogen oxides () and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the presence of sunlight, these pollutants undergo reactions that lead to the production of ozone as a secondary pollutant.

primarily results from the release of human-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS) into the atmosphere. When these substances reach the stratosphere, they break down due to solar radiation, releasing chlorine and bromine atoms.

These atoms then react with ozone molecules (O3) in a ----- ------, breaking them apart and reducing the concentration of ozone.

This reduction in ozone concentration creates the ----- ----, particularly over Antarctica, leading to increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth’s surface.

Chemically, the depletion of ----- affects the balance of atmospheric chemistry.

is crucial in the stratosphere for absorbing and filtering out harmful UV-B and UV-C radiation from the sun. Its depletion allows more of these high-energy UV rays to reach the Earth, causing various detrimental effects, such as increased skin cancer rates, harm to marine ecosystems, damage to crops, and impacts on human health.

Efforts like the -------- -------- have significantly reduced the production and use of ODS, leading to a gradual recovery of the ozone layer. However, the consequences of past emissions continue to impact atmospheric chemistry, and ongoing vigilance and international cooperation are crucial to fully restore the ozone layer.

carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), are naturally occurring gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.

They allow sunlight to enter and warm the planet but prevent some of the heat from escaping back into space.

the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, have significantly increased the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere.

This amplifies the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming and climate change.

Increased greenhouse gas concentrations alter the balance of gases in the atmosphere, affecting air quality and potentially leading to smog and health issues.

Elevated CO2 levels to contribute to the acidification of oceans and can also effect terrestrial ecosystems, impacting the pH balance of soil and water.

Global warming influences weather patterns, leading to more frequent and severe weather events like hurricanes, heatwaves, and droughts.

Higher temperatures cause polar ice caps and glaciers to melt, leading to rising sea levels, which can have significant impacts on coastal regions and biodiversity.

Changes in temperature and weather patterns can disrupt ecosystems, affecting plant and animal life, migration patterns, and the availability of resources.