Atmosphere

and Climate
A Science A–Z Earth Series
Word Count: 1,656

Atmosphere
and Climate

Written by Karen de Seve

Visit www.sciencea-z.com www.sciencea-z.com

 Atmosphere KEY ELEMENTS USED IN THIS BOOK
The Big Idea: Our atmosphere contains the air we breathe, keeps

and Climate
the planet at a comfortable temperature, and shields us from harmful
radiation. Understanding our atmosphere helps students realize the
importance of protecting it. To reduce the release of excess greenhouse
gases, many people conserve energy, use alternative energy resources,
reuse and recycle products, and make other changes. They do so in
hopes that this planet will always be a good home.
Key words: air pressure, atmosphere, carbon dioxide, climate, condense,
dense, deserts, evaporate, exosphere, force, gases, global warming, gravity,
greenhouse effect, mesosphere, methane, molecules, nitrogen, oxygen, ozone
layer, polar zones, precipitation, temperate zones, temperature, thermosphere,
tropical zone, troposphere, water cycle, water vapor, weather

Key comprehension skills: Cause and effect

Other suitable comprehension skills: Compare and contrast; classify information;
elements of a genre; identify facts; interpret graphs, charts, and diagrams; using
a glossary and boldfaced terms; using a table of contents and headings

Key reading strategy: Summarize

Other suitable reading strategies: Ask and answer questions; connect to prior
knowledge; visualize; retell

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Peninsula Daily News/AP Images; page 9 (top): © iStockphoto.com/MightyIsland; page 9 (bottom):
© iStockphoto.com/Antema Photography; page 10 (top left): NASA/GSFC-STScI; page 10 (top center):
© Paul Paladin/123RF; page 10 (top right): NASA/JPL; page 10 (bottom): NASA/GSFC-SVS;
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right): © iStockphoto.com/Richard Walters; page 16 (top left), page 20 (bottom right): © iStockphoto.
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Written by Karen de Seve Illustration Credits:

Page 16 (top right), page 20 (bottom left): Cende Hill/© Learning A–Z; page 12 (top), page 19 (top):
© Learning A–Z
Reading Levels

Atmosphere and Climate Learning A–Z T

© Learning A–Z Lexile 720L
www.sciencea-z.com Written by Karen de Seve
Correlations
All rights reserved. Fountas and Pinnell* P
www.sciencea-z.com *Correlated independent reading level
 Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................... 4
Earth’s Invisible Shield....................................... 5
Layers of Atmosphere........................................ 8
Earth: Just Right for Life.................................... 9
The Atmosphere and Weather......................... 11
Wind’s Driving Force....................................... 11
Water and Weather........................................... 12
A Balancing Act............................................... 14
The Atmosphere and Climate......................... 15
Climate Zones................................................... 16
Climate Change................................................. 20
Consequences of Climate Change..................... 22
Conclusion......................................................... 24
Glossary.............................................................. 25
Index................................................................... 26
3 4
Introduction
Look up at the sky. There’s a very thin shield
around Earth that you can’t see. It’s called the
atmosphere. It contains the air we breathe and
our weather. The shield protects us from the
harmful rays of the Sun. It helps keep our
planet warm. It makes life on Earth possible.
In this book, you will learn about Earth’s
atmosphere. You will learn about weather
over short and long periods of time. You’ll
also learn what makes up the atmosphere
and how it is changing.
 Earth’s Invisible Shield 20
stratosphere
50 mmHg
18
The atmosphere is like a blanket. It protects
and warms Earth’s surface. It rises more 16
than 700 kilometers (430 mi.) above Earth’s
14
surface. All the gases needed for life are in the
atmosphere. The two main ones are nitrogen 12
and oxygen. There are also smaller amounts of Mount Everest

Altitude (km)
10 230 mmHg
argon, carbon dioxide (CO2), and water vapor.
We need oxygen the most. Without oxygen, 8

life as we know it could not exist. 6

COMPOSITION OF EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

4

2 sea level
760 mmHg

Scientists measure air pressure in several ways.

nitrogen At sea level, air pressure is about 760 millimeters
78% of mercury (mmHg), or 14.7 pounds per square inch.

Gases are made up of small particles called

molecules. Gravity pulls the molecules toward
oxygen
21%
Earth and packs them together. This blanket
Other gases,
including: of gas molecules creates air pressure. The air
argon—0.9%
carbon dioxide—0.037% pressure at the bottom of the atmosphere is
fairly high. The air pressure farther up in the
The atmosphere is mostly made up of nitrogen and oxygen.
It also has small amounts of other gases. atmosphere is much, much lower.
5 6

You do not usually feel air pressure. The
pressure is the same inside and outside your
body. But when you take off in an airplane
or drive up a mountain, you go higher in the
atmosphere. The air pressure is less there. As
the air pressure outside drops, the air pressure
inside your ears stays the same. The air pushes
out from your ears and makes a popping sound.
Air pressure drops
as you climb higher.
If you climb high
enough, the air is
very spread out.
You will need
extra oxygen in
order to breathe.
7 8
FIVE LAYERS OF EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
Exosphere — 10,000 km
Thermosphere — 600 km
Mesosphere — 90 km
Stratosphere — 50 km
Troposphere — 20 km
Atmosphere not to scale
Layers of Atmosphere
The atmosphere around Earth is divided
into five layers. We live in the lowest layer—
the troposphere. Earth’s weather forms
and changes in this layer.
The stratosphere is the next layer. In this
layer is the ozone layer. It protects us from
the Sun’s harmful rays. When people release
certain gases at Earth’s surface, the gases can
float up and break down ozone. Then the
ozone cannot absorb harmful rays as well.
The mesosphere is the middle layer, in which
most meteors burn up. Spacecraft orbit in the
thermosphere. The exosphere is the outermost layer.
 Earth: Just Right for Life COMPARING ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES

Why is Earth just right for life? One

important reason is that it has water. If
Earth were too far from or too close to the Mars Earth Venus

Sun, it would not have liquid water.

Another
–60ºC (–80ºF) 10˚C (50˚F) 482ºC (900ºF)
reason is that Atmospheres not to scale
Why might
the atmosphere people call Earth
works like a a “Goldilocks planet”?
The amount of heat energy trapped by
greenhouse.
Earth’s atmosphere is just right for life. The
A real greenhouse is a glass building that lets
average temperature on Earth is 10ºC (50ºF).
in light and then traps heat. The Sun’s energy
Compare this to other planets. Venus is closer
passes through the atmosphere. Earth’s land
to the Sun than Earth is. Its atmosphere traps
and oceans absorb the solar energy. This
even more CO2 than Earth, so it is hot. Mars
energy warms up the land and oceans, which
is farther from the Sun than Earth is. Its thin
warms up the air. The atmosphere traps some
atmosphere traps very little CO2 , so it is very
of the heat, keeping it from escaping into
cold. As far as we know, Venus is too hot for
space. This process is the greenhouse effect.
life, and Mars is too cold.
It allows Earth to
stay warm enough
for things to live
The Moon has almost no atmosphere. The
here. (See diagram lunar surface temperature soars to 123ºC
on page 20.) (253ºF) when the Sun shines on it. At night,
the Moon cools to a cold –233ºC (–387ºF) because
there is nothing to trap the Sun’s heat energy.
a greenhouse

9 10
 The Atmosphere and Weather THE WATER
CYCLE condensation

Weather happens in the layer closest precipitation

to Earth’s surface. Air in the troposphere snow evaporation

is always moving. It can move in every runoff

water
vapor
transpiration
direction. Warm and cool air mix. Areas of river

high and low air pressure meet. As air moves surface water respiration
lake
and mixes, it causes the weather to change. ocean

aquifer percolation
Wind’s Driving Force
groundwater
Air heats up as it passes over Earth’s warm
surface. The air molecules move farther apart, Water and Weather
meaning they are less dense. The air expands The water cycle begins when heat energy
and becomes lighter, so it rises. from the Sun warms up lakes, rivers, and
oceans. Water molecules, like air molecules,
As this warm air moves away from the
move apart when they are warmed. When this
warmth of Earth, it gets cooler. The molecules
happens, liquid water molecules evaporate,
move closer together. The air becomes heavier
or turn into water vapor. When water vapor
and denser. Then the air sinks to the surface,
enters the air, it cools.
where it warms up again. Air rises and sinks
The water molecules
over and over. At MOVING AIR CREATES WIND
begin to collect on dust When salt water
the same time, cooler
warm air cool air particles and condense, evaporates from
Earth is turning cools sinks the oceans, the salt
or form small water
and pushing the warm
is left behind. Only
cool air droplets. Millions the freshwater
air along. All this air rises warms
warmer of droplets gather vapor rises.
moving air is wind.
together to form clouds.

11 12
 Humidity is the amount
of water vapor in the
air at a certain location.

Tiny water droplets in the clouds join

together to become bigger droplets. Gravity
pulls these larger droplets to Earth. They can
fall as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. These are all
forms of precipitation.

As moist air warms and rises over land, it cools and forms
clouds. The clouds may produce precipitation.
13
A Balancing Act
Moving air and water help keep Earth
just right for living things. Air gets warmer
and cooler, but not too hot or cold for plants
and animals. Air provides a good balance of
gases, which living things need. Plants and
animals need enough water to live and grow.
Weather, the water cycle, and the greenhouse
effect are all important. They make our planet
a great home.
14
 The Atmosphere and Climate North Pole
Sun’s rays
Weather is what happens in the atmosphere
each day. But climate is the weather over many Sun
years. Think about the climate where you live.
How does the temperature change over months Equator
and seasons? How much precipitation usually
Not to scale
Sunlight reaches the equator directly.
falls in a year? Sunlight reaches the poles less directly.

WEATHER
Climate Zones
Earth has three main climate zones. Each
climate zone is made up of several climate
types. The strength of sunlight reaching the
surface determines each climate.

The equator is a made-up line around the

middle of Earth. Near the equator, sunlight
hits Earth’s surface directly. More sunlight
gets soaked up and
CLIMATE changed into heat. As
a result, the climate is
warmer. The tropical zone
is warm all the time. It
often gets a lot of rain.
Rainforest climates are
found in the tropical zone.
They get rain all year long.
15 16
 Near the North and South Poles, sunlight
reaches the surface at a less direct angle. As
the energy passes through a lot of atmosphere,
it gets weaker.
As a result, the
climate in the
polar zones is
much colder
than in other
zones. Some
polar climates
are very cold
and dry. They
only get a little snow, and it does not melt.
All this snow has formed ice sheets over
many, many years. Another polar climate
is called tundra. It is not as cold, and its
ice sometimes melts.
North and south of the tropical zone are
the temperate zones. During summer, sunlight
hits the surface more directly, so the weather
The coldest temperature
is warmer. During winter, the Sun’s rays strike
ever recorded on Earth
less directly, so it is cooler. The temperate zones was in Antarctica,
are warm during the summer and cold in the near the South Pole.
That temperature was
winter. But not all temperate climates are the
–89.2ºC (–128.6ºF).
same. They can be dry or humid, warm or cold.
17 18
 CLIMATE ZONE MAP Climate Change

60˚N
Changes in the atmosphere can cause
changes in the climate. Until recently, the
30˚N
atmosphere had just the right amount of gases
Equator 0˚
and dust to trap the heat energy reflected from
30˚S Earth. But in recent years, more heat is being
60˚S trapped. During this time, people have been
burning lots of coal, gas, and oil. We use these
Key
fuels to heat buildings, run vehicles, and make
Tropical Zone Temperate Zone Polar Zone products. Burning these fuels adds certain gases,
called greenhouse gases, to the atmosphere.
Some kinds of climates are found in more
Are these gases making the planet warmer?
than one climate zone. For example, deserts
can be found in all three climate zones. Deserts
are very dry. Most people think all deserts are energy emitted
hot, but some deserts are cold. Even in hot into space
trapped energy
deserts, the temperature at night can be very
cold, especially in winter. The deserts with the
least rain are called arid. Other deserts, which
Sun
get more rain, are called semi-arid. solar energy Earth

If the whole Earth were covered

atmosphere
with desert sand, it would actually
be cold, not hot. A sandy surface
reflects most of the Sun’s energy Not to scale

instead of absorbing it. More solar energy is trapped by Earth’s atmosphere now
than in the past.

19 20

When coal burns, it gives off carbon dioxide
(CO2). We mainly use coal to make electricity.
Oil is another fuel that people burn. It doesn’t
give off as much CO2 as coal. But it still adds
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Consequences of Climate Change
The world’s average temperature has only
risen a little bit (about 0.6°C or 1°F). But this
change has made a big difference. Global
warming is making the weather change in
some places. More and more huge storms have
happened, causing flooding and erosion. Heat
waves that cause drought are more common.
Places that used to be green are now dry and
bad for farming. In the polar zones, ice is
melting, and some polar animals may not
survive. Many huge glaciers have melted to a
much smaller size. Others are completely gone.
58.0° 360

Scientists have

CO2 Concentration in PPM (parts per million)

57.5° 340
found that the recent
rise in CO2 is causing During digestion,

Temperature in °F
57.0° 320
the atmosphere to trap cows, sheep, and Temperature
goats release
more heat. As a result, methane, a 56.5° 300

temperatures are rising greenhouse gas.

56.0° 280
all around the planet.
CO2
This change is called
55.5° 260
global warming. 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Year (AD)
In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. During the same time, average global
temperatures have risen.

21 22
 Conclusion

Look up at the sky again. Do you think

about our atmosphere in a new way?
Scientists are trying to understand how
Earth’s shield forms. They are also studying
how it is changing. They suggest how people
can help keep climate change from getting
worse. Even small
changes can be very
harmful for our planet.
The future of Earth and
everything that lives on
it depends on a healthy
Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting and raising their
babies. If the sea ice keeps melting, polar bears might not survive. atmosphere.

Scientists say we cannot fix the mixture of

gases in the atmosphere. But we may be able Take Action!
to slow down the change. We can use wind Here are a few things people are doing to cause
less climate change. Think about how
and solar power to make electricity. We can each action might help.
drive hybrid and electric cars instead of using • Waste less electricity.
so much oil and gas. We can build buildings
• Use reusable shopping bags.
that use less energy to heat and cool. We can
•D
 rive less.
carpool, walk, ride bikes, and use buses and
•R
 educe waste
trains to avoid burning so much fuel. All these and reuse and
actions can help limit the amount of harmful recycle products.
gases we put into the atmosphere.
23 24
 Glossary
air pressure the force that air puts on an object
(p. 6)
atmosphere the mass of air around Earth (p. 4)
climate the weather conditions in an area
over a long period of time (p. 15)
gases matter that can freely change shape
and size; often can’t be seen (p. 5)
global warming an increase in the average
temperature of Earth’s atmosphere
and oceans, especially one great
enough to change the climate (p. 21)
greenhouse effect the process by which heat is trapped
inside Earth’s atmosphere by gases
(p. 9)
molecules the smallest parts of substances
that can exist by themselves,
made of two or more atoms (p. 6)
ozone layer a layer of the atmosphere that
protects life on Earth by filtering
out ultraviolet radiation from the
Sun (p. 8)
polar zones Earth’s coolest climate zones,
located near the poles, where
sunlight strikes the planet’s surface
at a low, slanting angle (p. 18)
precipitation water that falls from clouds in the
form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail
(p. 13)
stratosphere the layer of Earth’s atmosphere
located beyond the troposphere;
the layer that protects Earth from
solar radiation (p. 8)
25
temperate zones Earth’s climate zones located
between the tropical and polar
zones, where the sunlight angle
causes warmer summers and
cooler winters (p. 17)
temperature the measurement of how hot
or cold something is (p. 10)
tropical zone Earth’s warmest climate zone,
located near the equator, where
sunlight strikes the planet’s
surface most directly (p. 16)
troposphere the layer of Earth’s atmosphere
closest to the planet’s surface;
the layer in which weather takes
place (p. 8)
water cycle the path water takes, and the
changes it goes through, as it
moves on, above, and below
Earth’s surface (p. 12)
weather a description of the temperature,
clouds, rain, wind, and other
conditions in the air at a certain
time (p. 4)
Index
carbon dioxide (CO2), rainforest, 16
5, 10, 21, 22 Sun, 4, 8–10, 12,
desert, 19 16–19
gravity, 6, 13 water vapor,
5, 12, 13
methane, 21
wind, 11, 23
nitrogen, 5
oxygen, 5, 7
26