THE ATMOSPHERE

atmospheric gasses (N2, O2, Ar, CO2, H2O, Ne, He, CH4, Kr, Xe, H2, O3)

Neutral Layers
Division by:
Temperature

TROPOSPHERE
    Lowest layer (we live in it)
    Up to 10 - 12 km
    Temperature drops 10 K for every kilometer in height
    Well mixed due to winds
    Constant composition throughout  78% N2, 21% O2
    Temperature range
            Ground:      coldest    -129°F -89°C  184 K
                              warmest   136°F  58°C  331 K
            Altitude   coldest      -82°F -63°C  210 K @10km

STRATOSPHERE

MESOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
    Composition

TURBOSPHERE (HOMOSPHERE)
    Mixing by winds keep the concentrations of this layer the same throughout.  78% N2, 21% O2
    Turbo pause height 100 km

HETEROSPHERE
    Gasses are divided into layers by their atomic weight.

HELIOSPHERE
    Helium layer

PROTONOSPHERE
    Hydrogen layer
    Gaseous escape
    Barosphere
    Exosphere - region where gasses can escape the pull of gravity


  Particle density
  Electromagnetic wave absorption
   Protection
  Gravity
 
LIDAR      FIELD TRIP: Firepond
 Latitudinal changes

Ionosphere Layers
 Latitudinal changes
 Division by:
  Temperature
  Composition
  Particle density
  Electromagnetic wave absorption
   Protection
  Gravity
Radio Waves and Communication
 
RADAR      FIELD TRIP: Millstone Hill
 Incoherent Scatter
Aeronomy
 

Atmospheric science is a number of related and overlapping disciplined devoted to the description and understanding of phenomena in the atmosphere of the Earth and other planets.  (Wallace and Hobbs 1977, P1)  The discipline of atmospheric science to the average Earth Science teacher would include just meteorology.  Yet meteorology can be considered as synoptic meteorology, dynamic meteorology, of physical meteorology.
Synoptic is involved with describing analyzing and forecasting motions of air masses a s they relate to the weather analysis and forecasting.  Dynamic meteorology uses our understanding of fluid dynamics and changes in atmospheric motion over time.  Physical meteorology searches for understanding in the structure and composition of the atmosphere, transfer of wave energy through the atmosphere, the formation of clouds and precipitation, and the science of Aeronomy.  Aeronomy is the study of the chemistry of the atmosphere and its interaction with magnetic fields and incident radiation.

THE ORIGIN OF OUR ATMOSPHERE
Our sun is composed mostly of noble gasses (Ne, Ar, Xe, K) with over 99.9 % of its mass coming from Hydrogen and Helium.  The Earth’s atmosphere is 99% Nitrogen gas and Oxygen gas.  It is obvious that we did not get our atmosphere from the sun or that they formed at the same time.  The Earth is believed to be about 4.5 billion years old.  One theory argues that our atmosphere formed from ejected volcanic gasses as the Earth was cooling.  Volcanic gasses are over 85% water and another 10% carbon dioxide, nitrogen and sulfur compounds (NH3, CH4, SO2, H2S).
A look at the hydro-cycle and analysis of the estimated locations of all of the Earth’s water shows that,
97 % in oceans
2.4 % in ice
0.6 % in underground fresh water
0.02 % in rivers and lakes
0.001% in the atmosphere
Only one thousandth of the Earth’s available water is in the atmosphere.  Atmospheric water absorbs a lot of solar energy.  This absorption cause some of the water to produce break down and recombine into H2 gas and O2 gas by a process called “photodissociation”.  The process of photosynthesis, by plants, algea, and cyanobacteria, uses water and atmospheric CO2 to produce a carbohydrate food and O2 gas.  Oxygen, as a product of these and many other reactions now composes approximately 20.9 % of our atmosphere.
Nitrogen is the predominant gas in our atmosphere composing 78 % of its make-up.  Yet, none of the volcanic processes has accounted for it.  Nitrogen compounds yielded Nitrogen ions as a product after absorption of ultraviolet radiation. These ions combined to produce nitrogen gas.  Nitrogen gas is inert.  It is also insoluable in water.  The result was that nitrogen gas built up in our atmosphere over a long period of time to become it’s main constituent.
The carbon dioxide rpoduced by volcanoes is easily dissolved in water