Fourth+Period

[|Atmosphere- Detailed Info][|NASA- Atmosphere]Atmosph



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Earth’s atmosphere is broken up into five distinct layers. The first layer, and the one in which life, most clouds and weather occur is the Troposhere. The Troposphere contains almost half of Earth’s whole atmosphere. The next farthest layer from the surface of the Earth is the Stratosphere, which contains the o-zone, and relatively stable conditions in comparison to the other atmospheric layers. The o-zone helps to keep the earth shielded from the more harmful rays of the sun, as well as keep it warm due to the greenhouse effect. The Mesosphere sits on top of the Stratosphere, and is where objects entering the Earth’s atmosphere burn up. The Mesosphere actually contains the coldest part of Earth’s atmosphere; at the top of the Mesosphere, temperatures sit around -130 degrees F. The temperature rises sharply upon entry into the Thermosphere, which often reaches well over 3,000 degrees F. Although technically part of Earth’s atmosphere, the Thermosphere is generally considered part of outer space. In fact, the International Space Station orbits within the thermosphere, and the atmosphere is so thin at this point that gasses can’t hold together, and generally exist in elemental forms. Interesting fact : the Aurora (both Southern and Northern) exist only in the Thermosphere. The very farthest reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere are encompassed in the Exosphere. At this point, any gases or particles very easily escape into outer space, and there is almost nothing happening. Seriously, there is so little going on there that I have run out of things to say about it. **