What are the major layers of the atmosphere?
What are the major layers of the atmosphere?
The atmosphere can be divided into layers based on its temperature, as shown in the figure below. These layers are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere and the thermosphere.
The Troposphere
This is the lowest part of the atmosphere – the part we live in. It contains most of our weather – clouds, rain, snow. In this part of the atmosphere the temperature gets colder as the distance above the earth increases, by about 6.5°C per kilometre.
The Stratosphere
This layer is extended upwards from the tropopause to about 50 km. By absorbing dangerous UV radiation, the ozone in the stratosphere protects us from skin cancer and other health damage. Temperatures in the stratosphere are the highest over the summer pole, and lowest over the winter pole.
The Mesosphere
The region above the stratosphere is called the mesosphere. Here the temperature again decreases with height, reaching a minimum of about -90 °C at the ‘mesopause’.The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe
The Thermosphere
The thermosphere lies above the mesopause and is a region in which temperatures again increase with height. High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere The region above about 500 km is called the exosphere. It contains mainly oxygen and hydrogen atoms.
The atmosphere can be divided into layers based on its temperature, as shown in the figure below. These layers are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere and the thermosphere.
The Troposphere
This is the lowest part of the atmosphere – the part we live in. It contains most of our weather – clouds, rain, snow. In this part of the atmosphere the temperature gets colder as the distance above the earth increases, by about 6.5°C per kilometre.
The Stratosphere
This layer is extended upwards from the tropopause to about 50 km. By absorbing dangerous UV radiation, the ozone in the stratosphere protects us from skin cancer and other health damage. Temperatures in the stratosphere are the highest over the summer pole, and lowest over the winter pole.
The Mesosphere
The region above the stratosphere is called the mesosphere. Here the temperature again decreases with height, reaching a minimum of about -90 °C at the ‘mesopause’.The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe
The Thermosphere
The thermosphere lies above the mesopause and is a region in which temperatures again increase with height. High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere The region above about 500 km is called the exosphere. It contains mainly oxygen and hydrogen atoms.
