Earth

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Earths Atmospheric Layers
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Troposphere

• Distance above sea level 0-16 km
• Average Temperature -50º to 70º F
• All weather happens here.
• Warm air rises to form clouds, rain falls.
• As altitude increases, temperature decreases.
  (The higher you go the colder it gets)
• Warmed by the ground below

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Troposphere

• 80 of the total atmospheric mass
• 99 of Earths water vapor
• Air pressure the highest
• Layer nearest Earths surface
• All life exists here. This is where we live!

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Stratosphere

• Distance above sea level 16-50 km
• Average temperature -50º to 0º
• Ozone layer located at the top of this layer.
• Gets warmer as you go up in the layer ozone
  absorbs radiation from the sun, which makes it
  hotter.
• As altitude increases, temperature increases

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Stratosphere

• Jets cruise near the bottom of this layer
• Less than 20 of the total atmospheric mass
• Warmer than the troposphere
• Clear, dry layer
• Weather balloons are flown to this layer.

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Mesosphere

• Distance above sea level50-90 km
• Coldest layer
• Average temperature 0º to -90º F
• Gets colder as you go up decrease in ozone gas
• Heated from below (ozone layer)
• As altitude increases, temperature decreases
• Meteors or shooting stars burn up

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Mesosphere

• Less than 1 of the atmospheric mass
• Hardest to study since planes cant fly high
  enough and satellites cant fly low enough
• Extremely thin air

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Thermosphere

• Distance above sea level 90-300 km
• Average temperature -90º to 120º F
• Hottest layer of the atmosphere
• Gets warmer as you go up closer to the sun
• As altitude increases, temperature increases
• Shimmering curtains of light called auroras
  happen there

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Thermosphere

• Space shuttles orbit at this layer
• Less than 1 of the atmospheric mass
• Near a vacuum so not enough contact with atoms of
  gas to transfer much heat

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Exosphere

• Distance above sea level 300-600 km
• Average temperature Extreme highs and extreme
  lows
• Temperature begins to level off
• Many satellites orbit at this layer
• Less than 1 of the atmospheric mass
• Sometimes considered as part of outer space
• Air pressure the lowest

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Layers of the Atmosphere
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Layers of the atmosphere
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