The document discusses the relationship between altitude and temperature in Earth's atmosphere. It describes how the atmosphere is made up of different layers - the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The main points are:
1) Temperature decreases with increasing altitude in the troposphere and mesosphere, but increases with altitude in the stratosphere and thermosphere.
2) Air pressure decreases with increasing altitude, as there is less air above to exert pressure. The troposphere experiences all weather phenomena and contains almost all air.
3) The atmosphere regulates temperature and protects the Earth, providing gases for life and shielding from radiation and meteors.
2. Atmosphere and Elevation
Focus Question:
★ What is the relationship between altitude and temperature?
★ How does temperature change in the atmosphere?
Copy the questions in your notes and write one or two sentences to answer them.
5. Atmosphere and Elevation
The Troposphere
➔ The layer closest to Earth’s surface
➔ 5 - 11 miles thick
➔ Contains most of the air in the atmosphere
➔ All life exists here!
➔ Where all weather (clouds, rain, snow, thunderstorms, etc…) happens
7. Atmosphere and Elevation
The Stratosphere
➔ The second layer of the atmosphere
➔ Temperature increases with altitude
➔ Contains the ozone layer
➔ Where most airplanes travel
9. Atmosphere and Elevation
The Mesosphere
➔ The third layer of the atmosphere
➔ Temperature decreases with altitude
➔ Where most meteors burn up
➔ The coldest layer of the atmosphere
11. Atmosphere and Elevation
The Thermosphere
➔ The fourth layer of the atmosphere
➔ The hottest layer
➔ Temperature increases with altitude
➔ Where radio waves are reflected
13. Atmosphere and Elevation
How important is the atmosphere?
★ Provides the gases necessary for living things to survive
★ Regulates the heat from the Sun to just the right temperature for life on
Earth
★ Necessary for the water cycle
★ The ozone layer protects the Earth from the Sun’s harmful rays
★ Protects the Earth from small meteors
Video - A Journey Through the Atmosphere
14. Atmosphere and Elevation
As you go higher in altitude, air pressure steadily decreases. What is air
pressure? Air pressure is the force that the air puts on a place because of the
weight of the air above it. Remember, air is a mixture of gases. It is made up
mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. Even though the molecules of these gases are
really light, they still have weight.
Normal air pressure is greatest at sea level. Imagine a column of air extending
from the surface of the Earth to the top of the atmosphere. As you go higher in
altitude, the height of this air column gets shorter. Because there isn’t as much
air in the shorter column, the weight of the column - or the air pressure - is less.
15. Atmosphere and Elevation
What else is in the air we breathe? Besides oxygen and nitrogen, there is also
water vapor and dust particles. Nitrogen and oxygen make up about 99% of the
gases in the air. The dust particles in our air are so tiny that 100,000 lined up
would only form a row 1 centimeter long!
16. Atmosphere and Elevation - Vocabulary
● Atmosphere – the blanket of gases that surrounds
Earth
● Troposphere – the layer of the atmosphere closest to
Earth’s surface
● Air pressure – the force put on a given area by the
weight of the air above it
17. Atmosphere and Elevation - Notes
● The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
● As you go higher in altitude, air pressure falls (decreases).
● Normal air pressure is greatest at sea level.
● 99% of the air we breathe is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Air
also contains water vapor and dust particles.
● “Weather” really describes what conditions are like in the
troposphere at any given time and place.
● Draw the Layers of the Atmosphere diagram on p. 488 into your
notes
