The Earth’s atmosphere is 78.

08 percent
nitrogen, 20.95 percent oxygen,
0.93 percent argon, and 0.03
percent carbon dioxide.

AtmosphericZones
Type: Type:
Exophere:
Tropophere
togehter with
Height (above thermosphere,
earth’s surface): makes up “outer
5 miles at poles; 7 atmosphere”
miles at mid-latitudes; 10 Height (above earth’s
surface):
miles at Equator
Up to 40,000 miles
Temperature: Temperature:
Drops 3.6 °F every 1,000 ft up; Fall to near zero
minimum reaches -70°F What do we know?:
What do we know?: The atmospheric density at 6,000 miles
is the same as outer space. Above this
Contains 75% of the total mass of the height, it is only the “atmosphere” in the sense
atmosphere. This is where life and almost that the Earth’s gravitational and magnetic field
all of our weather is found. The top of the exert some influence. The exosphere contains the
troposphere is called the tropopause magnetosphere, where the aurorae appear

Type: Type:
Stratosphere Thermosphere
Height (above earth’s surface): Height (above earth’s surface):
30 miles Type: 400 miles
Mesosphere
Temperature: Temperature:
Height (above
Stable at around -58°F earth’s surface): Variable; can reach 441°F
What do we know?: 50 miles What do we know?:
Contains 24% of the Temperature: Gets so hot because the
total mass of the Decreases from 20°F at thin atmosphere
base to -166°F,
atmosphere. reabsorbs a lot
before rising again at top
At the bottom of the What do we know?: of radiation
stratrosphere Meteors burn up in this zone to give that bounces
is the ozone “shooting stars;” together with the back from
layer thermosphere, this layer contains many the lower
ionized particles, and they are
layers
collectively termed the ionosphere--this is the
layer off which radio signals bounce to allow radio
telecommunications