Skip to main content
Like
Create new Glog
previous
next
Email share
106 views | 0 likes | 0 reposts
The Earth's Atmosphere
About the Atmosphere
The earth's atmosphere is all the air on top of us in the sky. The atmosphere absorbs energy, and protects us from the harmful rays of the sun. The atmosphere is composed of three gases, nitrogen taking up the most with 78%, oxygen being in the middle with 21%, and in last place other gases with 1% of the gases that take up the atmosphere. Although other gases do not have a very big percentage they are help- ful to the planet as much as nitrogen and oxygen. Water vap- or helps the water cycle, and there are even gases that help reflect ultraviolet rays drom the sun! All and all, almost all the gases in the atmosphere are helpful to this planet.
The Layers of the Atmosphere
The atmosphere has many layers. Starting out at the bottom are the stratosphere, and troposphere.The troposphere is the first layer, and it extends 14.5 kilometers high. The stratosphere starts right above the troposphere, and is 50 kilometers high. Almost all the weather on earth is in the troposphere, and the stratosphere has most of the o-zone in it. In the middle are the mesosphere, and thermosphere.The mesosphere is the layer right above the stratosphere. It goes up 85 kilometers high and absorbs lots of the sun's energy. The thermosphere is the highest layer of the atmosphere. it goes up 600kilometers high! Chemical changes happen much faster here than on the earth, and last but not least is the exosphere. The exosphere is above the atmosphere, and partially in space. This layer reflects the sun's harmful gamma rays, and has a really low density.
