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Composition of Atmosphere
78% Nitrogen, 20% Oxygen, 0.04% Carbon Dioxide, with trace gases including argon, water vapor, and pollutants.
Thermosphere
Layer extending from 80 km to 600 km above Earth; temperatures can exceed 2,500 °C, contains the auroras and the International Space Station.
Mesosphere
Layer from 50 km to 80 km above Earth where most meteors burn up; temperatures can reach as low as -90 °C.
Stratosphere
Layer between 12 km and 50 km above Earth containing the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful UV radiation.
Troposphere
Lowest layer of the atmosphere extending to 12 km, where most weather phenomena occur and contains most atmospheric mass.
Weather
Short-term changes in the atmosphere, occurring from minute to minute, hour to hour, or day to day.
Climate
Long-term average of weather patterns over at least 30 years.
Greenhouse Effect
Natural process that warms the Earth's surface by trapping infrared radiation from the Sun's energy.
Greenhouse Gases
Gases like CO2, CH4, N2O, Water Vapor, and Ozone that trap heat in the atmosphere.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
A major greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels and deforestation, lingering for thousands of years.
Methane (CH4)
A potent greenhouse gas released during fossil fuel production and agriculture, over 25 times more effective than CO2.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
Greenhouse gas emitted from various industrial activities, significantly more effective than CO2 at trapping heat.
Ocean Current
Thermohaline current driven by temperature and salinity differences, crucial for regulating Earth's climate.
Primary Pollutants
Natural pollutants like Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Nitrogen Oxides (NO).
Secondary Pollutants
Pollutants formed from chemical reactions in the atmosphere, such as ozone at ground level.
Clean Air Act 1963
Legislation enacted to monitor, study, and control air pollution in the United States.
CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon)
Man-made chemicals that destroy the ozone layer by breaking apart ozone molecules.