1. The Earth’s Warm Fuzzy Blanket
The Atmosphere
The Earth’s Warm Fuzzy Blanket

2. What is the Atmosphere?
- A blanket of air that surrounds a heavenly body like the Earth.
- Composition: What is the atmosphere made of?
•78% Nitrogen
• 21% Oxygen
• 1% other (includes carbon dioxide, water vapor and ozone)
This 1% produces important weather features like clouds and rain but also has influence on the climate of Earth.

5. Troposphere - Rises to about 20km or about 7.5 miles
- About 75-80% of the
atmosphere’s mass
- This is the layer we live in and
experience weather.
- Air is warmest at the bottom and gets colder
as you move up through it.

6. Stratosphere Most commercial jets fly here to avoid turbulence.
- Starts between 8 and 16 km above Earth’s surface. Top of the stratosphere is at about 50 km above Earth’s surface
- Temperature increases as you go
up through the stratosphere
- Contains the Ozone layer
- Very dry. Very little water vapor. This
means very few clouds.

8. Mesosphere - Destroys asteroids! Temperatures again
decrease with height
50-80 km. above the
Earth’s surface
Temperatures approach ]
-90 C. or 130 F
- Destroys asteroids!

9. Thermosphere - Where the international space station orbits.
- Begins at 80 km above the Earth
- Temperatures increase with altitude due to the absorption of solar radiation.
- Where the international space station orbits.
- Where auroras occur

10. Exosphere Region of the atmosphere where particles and molecules
are lost to space.

11. Air Pressure and Altitude
Air pressure is the pressure exerted by the weight of air above.
As altitude increases air pressure decreases.
•Air thins out!