Understanding the Layers of the Atmosphere

The atmosphere is a protective layer of gases which surrounds the Earth - it has main layers, each with their own individual characteristics.

If the Earth was the size of an onion our atmosphere would be only as thick as the onion’s skin - it is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% other gases.

It allows life to exist on Earth by protecting us from the harmful bits of the Sun’s radiation.

Whilst also keeping the Earth warm, through a process known as the Greenhouse Effect.

It also contains the air we breathe and is a major part of the water cycle.

The atmosphere is split into 4 main layers based on temperature.

The troposphere is the lowest; starting at the Earth’s surface and extending upward to on average 10km.

We live in this part of the atmosphere and nearly all weather happens here. Most clouds appear in the troposphere because 99% of the atmosphere’s water is found there.

As you get higher in the troposphere, the temperature gets colder.

Next comes the stratosphere – which extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50km.

The stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which absorbs high energy UV light converting it into heat.

In the stratosphere, temperatures actually get warmer the higher you go.

Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere, which extends upwards to a height of around 85km.

Most meteors burn up in this layer. This is the coldest layer of the atmosphere and the air at this height is far too thin to breathe

At its coldest this layer can go as low as -100° C.

The highest part of what most consider to be the Earth’s atmosphere, is the thermosphere - which goes on to between 500km and 1000km.

Temperatures can vary from between 500 and 2000°C or higher, although at this altitude the air is so thin that this is not the same as temperature as we experience at the surface

The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere. The International Space Station also orbits in this layer

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