The Atmosphere

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.