Earth’s atmosphere

 Earth is the only planet known to mankind that has an

atmosphere that can sustain life.
 Earth’s atmosphere consists of:

Nitrogen – 78%

Oxygen – 21%

Argon – 0.93 %

Carbon dioxide – 0.04%

Trace amount of helium, neon, hydrogen, methane, krypton and
water vapour.
Earth’s atmosphere

 The atmosphere is divided into five main layers:

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and
exosphere.
Earth’s atmosphere

 The atmosphere is divided into five main layers:

 Troposphere – first layer above ground. It is about 12km
thick. It contains half of earth’s atmosphere.
 Almost all water and dust are found in this layer, hence
the formation of clouds.
 Almost all of our weather is created in this layer.
 Stratosphere – extends to about 12–50 km above sea
level. The air in this layer is drier and less dense.
 Aircrafts fly in the lowest stratosphere to escape the
turbulence in the troposphere.
Earth’s atmosphere

 Mesosphere – extends to about 40km above the

stratosphere. It contains chemicals that absorb energy
from the sun. the mesosphere and the stratosphere are
called ‘middle atmosphere’.
 Thermosphere – spans an altitude between 85 – 500km.
 This layer is often called the ‘upper atmosphere’.
 A person travelling in this layer is considered an
astronaut.
 Space shuttles and some satellites orbit the Earth within
this layer.
 Auroras take place at this layer
Earth’s atmosphere

 Both mesosphere and thermosphere make up the

ionosphere where free ionic particles reflect radio waves,
enabling long distance communication.
 Exosphere – it is the outermost atmospheric layer. It has
no definite outer limit as it merges with space. Many
satellites orbit the Earth within the exosphere at altitude
of 500km above sea level.