Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixture of thin layer of gases like nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%) that surrounds Earth. High above the planet, the atmosphere becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space.
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.
An atmosphere (from Greek ἀτμός - atmos "vapor" and σφαῖρα - sphaira "sphere") is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, by the gravity of the body, and are retained for a longer duration if gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low. Some planets consist mainly of various gases, but only their outer layer is their atmosphere (see gas giants).
The term stellar atmosphere describes the outer region of a star, and typically includes the portion starting from the opaque photosphere outwards. Relatively low-temperature stars may form compound molecules in their outer atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere, which contains oxygen used by most organisms for respiration and carbon dioxide used by plants, algae and cyanobacteria for photosynthesis, also protects living organisms from genetic damage by solar ultraviolet radiation. Its current composition is the product of billions of years of biochemical modification of the paleoatmosphere by living organisms.
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[edit] Composition of the Atmosphere
Initial atmospheric makeup is generally related to the chemistry and temperature of the local solar nebula during planetary formation and the subsequent escape of interior gases. These original atmospheres underwent much evolution over time, with the varying properties of each planet resulting in very different outcomes.
The atmospheres of the planets Venus and Mars are primarily composed of carbon dioxide, with small quantities of nitrogen, argon, oxygen and traces of other gases.
The atmospheric composition on Earth is largely governed by the by-products of the very life that it sustains. Earth's atmosphere contains roughly (by molar content/volume) 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, a variable amount (average around 0.247%, National Center for Atmospheric Research) water vapor, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, and traces of hydrogen, helium, and other "noble" gases (and of volatile pollutants).
The low temperatures and higher gravity of the gas giants — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — allows them to more readily retain gases with low molecular masses. These planets have hydrogen-helium atmospheres, with trace amounts of more complex compounds.
Two satellites of the outer planets possess non-negligible atmospheres: Titan, a moon of Saturn, and Triton, a moon of Neptune, which are mainly nitrogen. Pluto, in the nearer part of its orbit, has an atmosphere of nitrogen and methane similar to Triton's, but these gases are frozen when farther from the Sun.
Other bodies within the Solar System have extremely thin atmospheres not in equilibrium. These include the Moon (sodium gas), Mercury (sodium gas), Europa (oxygen), Io (sulfur), and Enceladus (water vapor).
The atmospheric composition of an extra-solar planet was first determined using the Hubble Space Telescope. Planet HD 209458b is a gas giant with a close orbit around a star in the constellation Pegasus. The atmosphere is heated to temperatures over 1,000 K, and is steadily escaping into space. Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and sulfur have been detected in the planet's inflated atmosphere. [1]
Atmospheric gases are often divided up into the major, constant components and the highly variable components. They are :
[edit] Constant components
- Nitrogen (N2)- 78.084%
- Oxygen (O2) - 20.946%
- Argon (Ar) - 0.934%
- Neon, Helium, Krypton - 0.0001%
[edit] Variable components
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)- 0.038%
- Water vapor (H20) - 0-4%
- Methane (CH4) - 0.0001%
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2) - trace
- Ozone (O3) - trace
- Nitrogen oxides(NO,NO2,N2O)-trace
[edit] Pressure
- Related Article: Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area that is applied perpendicularly to a surface by the surrounding gas. It is determined by a planet's gravitational force in combination with the total mass of a column of air above a location. Units of air pressure are based on the internationally-recognized standard atmosphere (atm), which is defined as 101,325 Pa (or 1,013,250 dynes per cm²).
The pressure of an atmospheric gas decreases with altitude due to the diminishing mass of gas above each location. The height at which the pressure from an atmosphere declines by a factor of e (an irrational number with a value of 2.71828..) is called the scale height and is denoted by H. For an atmosphere with a uniform temperature, the scale height is proportional to the temperature and inversely proportional to the mean molecular mass of dry air times the planet's gravitational acceleration. For such a model atmosphere, the pressure declines exponentially with increasing altitude. However, atmospheres are not uniform in temperature, so the exact determination of the atmospheric pressure at any particular altitude is more complex.
[edit] Layers of the Atmosphere
The Earth is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with height until it eventually merges with space. They are:
[edit] Troposphere
The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere. It is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The air is very well mixed and the temperature decreases with altitude.
Air in the troposphere is heated from the ground up. The surface of the Earth absorbs energy and heats up faster than the air does. The heat is spread through the troposphere because the air is slightly unstable. Weather occurs in this layer.
[edit] Stratosphere
The stratosphere is located above the top of the the troposphere. In the Earth's stratosphere, the temperature increases with altitude. On Earth, ozone causes the increasing temperature in the stratosphere. Ozone is concentrated around an altitude of 25 kilometers.
The stratosphere contains a thin layer of ozone which absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun. The ozone layer is being depleted, and is getting thinner over Europe, Asia, North American and Antarctica --- "holes" are appearing in the ozone layer.
[edit] Mesosphere
The mesosphere is on top of the stratosphere The upper parts of the atmosphere, such as the mesosphere, can sometimes be seen by looking at the very edge of a planet. In the Earth's mesosphere, the air is relatively mixed together and the temperature decreases with altitude.
The atmosphere reaches its coldest temperature of around -90°C in the mesosphere. This is also the layer in which a lot of meteors] burn up while entering the Earth's atmosphere.
[edit] Thermosphere
The Thermosphere is the layer above the mesopause. The gases of the thermosphere are even thinner than those in the mesosphere, but they absorb ultraviolet light from the sun. Because of this, the temperatures rise to 3,600 ºF (2,000 ºC) at the top.
The ionosphere is part of the thermosphere. It is made of electrically charged gas particles (ionised). The particles get this electric charge by ultraviolet rays of the sun. The ionosphere has the important quality of bouncing radio signals, transmitted from the earth.
[edit] Exosphere
The exosphere is on top of the thermosphere. Very high up, the Earth's atmosphere becomes very thin. The region where atoms and molecules escape into space and satellites orbit the earth. In this region of the atmosphere, hydrogen and helium are the prime components and are only present at extremely low densities.
[edit] Escape
Surface gravity, the force that holds down an atmosphere, differs significantly among the planets. For example, the large gravitational force of the giant planet Jupiter is able to retain light gases such as hydrogen and helium that escape from lower gravity objects. Second, the distance from the sun determines the energy available to heat atmospheric gas to the point where its molecules' thermal motion exceed the planet's escape velocity, the speed at which gas molecules overcome a planet's gravitational grasp. Thus, the distant and cold Titan, Triton, and Pluto are able to retain their atmospheres despite relatively low gravities. Interstellar planets, theoretically, may also retain thick atmospheres.
Since a gas at any particular temperature will have molecules moving at a wide range of velocities, there will almost always be some slow leakage of gas into space. Lighter molecules move faster than heavier ones with the same thermal kinetic energy, and so gases of low molecular weight are lost more rapidly than those of high molecular weight. It is thought that Venus and Mars may have both lost much of their water when, after being photodissociated into hydrogen and oxygen by solar ultraviolet, the hydrogen escaped. Earth's magnetic field helps to prevent this, as, normally, the solar wind would greatly enhance the escape of hydrogen. However, over the past 3 billion years the Earth may have lost gases through the magnetic polar regions due to auroral activity, including a net 2% of its atmospheric oxygen.
Other mechanisms that can cause atmosphere depletion are solar wind-induced sputtering, impact erosion, weathering, and sequestration — sometimes referred to as "freezing out" — into the regolith and polar caps.
[edit] What influence does the Atmosphere have?
The atmosphere is of vital importance for life on earth. Without atmosphere life would be impossible. It gives us air to breathe and protects us from meteorites and ultraviolet rays from the sun. The atmosphere absorbs so much heat that temperatures on earth are such that life is possible. The weather, that exists by constant circulation of water to water vapour, to rain to water. This cycle causes, together with the differences in temperature and circulation of air (wind), erosion of the earth's surface. By erosion the outside of the earth changes through the years.
[edit] Facts about the earth's atmosphere
- It's comprised of many different layers, including stratosphere, troposphere, ionosphere, etc.
- It also has it's own magnetic field
- It coincides with our ocean, and the two have a very similar flow stream, not only that but the two are symbiotic.
- Our atmosphere is what keeps our oxygen circulating around the planet, and filters out the harmful UV radiation
- It's surrounded by a layer of radiation known as the Van Allen Belt
[edit] Circulation
The circulation of the atmosphere occurs due to thermal differences when convection becomes a more efficient transporter of heat than thermal radiation. On planets where the primary heat source is solar radiation, excess heat in the tropics is transported to higher latitudes. When a planet generates a significant amount of heat internally, such as is the case for Jupiter, convection in the atmosphere can transport thermal energy from the higher temperature interior up to the surface.
[edit] Importance
From the perspective of the planetary geologist, the atmosphere is an evolutionary agent essential to the morphology of a planet. The wind transports dust and other particles which erodes the relief and leaves deposits (eolian processes). Frost and precipitations, which depend on the composition, also influence the relief. Climate changes can influence a planet's geological history. Conversely, studying surface of earth leads to an understanding of the atmosphere and climate of a planet - both its present state and its past.
For a meteorologist, the composition of the atmosphere determines the climate and its variations.
For a biologist, the composition is closely dependent on the appearance of the life and its evolution.
[edit] External links
- Properties of atmospheric strata - The flight environment of the atmosphere
- Earth's Atmosphere
- NASA - Earth's Atmosphere
