EVOLUTION OF EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

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 Earth’s Atmosphere
Distinct layers of gas surround the solid portion of the earth.

o Composition is ~uniform regardless of

altitude
o 78% N2
o 21% O2
o All others ~1%
o Ar, CO2, CH4, H2O, Ne, CO, SO2

o Some other Planets have atmospheres too!

o None have N2 & O2 as dominant gasses

o Earth was oxygen-free until ~2.5 Ga

o Pressure decreases with increasing altitude
o Reflects # of molecules/volume
o Lower pressure = less molecules/volume
o Air pressure @ sea level = 14.7 lb/in2 = 1 bar

o Pressure is caused by the weight of overlying

material
o Upper atmosphere has less material above it
o Pressure is lower
o 99% of atmosphere is below 50 km, the rest is
between 50 and 500 km.
o Earth’s Atmosphere is divided into distinct
layers based on altitude
o Exosphere (very thin ~500 km)
o Atmosphere merges with space
o Thermosphere (>90 km)
o Where space shuttles orbit
o Mesosphere (50-90 km)
o Meteors burn up here
o Stratosphere (12-50 km)
o Stable air; good for jets
o Tropopause (11-12 km)
o Troposphere (0-11 km)
o Mixing layer
o All weather is limited to this layer
o “Tropo” = Greek for “turning”
o Troposphere
o A well-mixed layer dominated
by convection of air masses

o Convection
o Method of heat transfer in a fluid
o Think lava lamp!
o Cold is more dense = sinks
o Hot is less dense = rises
o This process results in circular
convection cells
o Also causes pressure gradients which
create wind!
o Also applies to the interior of the Earth
Three possible sources have been considered for the Earth’s atmosphere—

• Residual gases remaining after Earth accretion,

• Extra-terrestrial sources, and

• Degassing of the Earth by volcanism.

• Large amount of 40Ar in the atmosphere (99.6%).

• 40Ar is produced by the radioactive

decay of 40K in the solid Earth and
escapes into the atmosphere chiefly by
volcanism.

• The relatively large amount of

this isotope in the terrestrial
atmosphere indicates that the Earth
is extensively degassed of argon.
 The Primitive Atmosphere

Models suggest that the earliest atmosphere may have been

composed dominantly of CO2 and CH4 (Pavlov et al., 2000;
Catling et al., 2001).
• T-Tauri solar wind of high-energy particles could readily blow volatile
elements out of the inner solar system.

• Another way an early atmosphere could have been lost is by impact

with a Mars-size body during the late stages of planetary accretion.
 Composition of early Atmosphere

If metallic iron was present liberate large amounts of H2, CO, and
CH4 and small amounts of CO2, water,
H2S, and N2 (Holland, 1984; Kasting
et al. 1993a).

If iron was not present liberate mostly CO2, water, and N2

with minor amounts of H2, HCl, and
SO2.
• The Earth’s present atmosphere appears to have formed largely by degassing
of the mantle and crust and is commonly referred to as a secondary atmosphere
(Kershaw, 1990).

• Degassing is the liberation of gases from within a planet, and it may occur
directly during volcanism or indirectly by the weathering of igneous rocks on a
planetary surface.
Earth’s atmosphere consists of—

Magnetosphere the outermost region,

composed of high-energy nuclear particles.

Exosphere lightweight molecules (such as H2) occur in extremely low

concentrations

Ionosphere Temperature decreases rapidly (to about –90° C)

Mesosphere Temperature increases to near 0° C at the base.

Stratosphere Warm air overlies cool air caused by absorption of

ultraviolet radiation in the ozone layer.

Troposphere a turbulent region that contains about 80% of the mass of

the atmosphere and most of its water vapor.
• The Earth’s atmosphere is composed chiefly of nitrogen (78%)
and oxygen (21%) with small amounts of other gases such as argon and CO2.

• In this respect, the atmosphere is unique among planetary atmospheres (Table 6.1).

• Venus and Mars have atmospheres composed largely of CO2.

• The surface pressure on Venus is up

to 100 times that on the Earth.

• The surface pressure of Mars is less

than 10–2 of that of the Earth.
• Solar photons fragment gaseous molecules
(such as oxygen, H2, and CO2) in the upper
atmosphere, producing free radicals
(C, H, and O) in a process called photolysis.

• Produces free oxygen atoms that are

unstable and recombine to form ozone.

• This reaction occurs at heights of 30 to

60 km, with most ozone collecting in a
relatively narrow band from about
25 to 30 km.
 The distributions of N2, O2, and CO2 in the atmosphere are controlled by
volcanic eruptions and by interactions among these gases and the solid Earth,
oceans, and living organisms.