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SCIENCE PROJECT BY: JAN OLENNS ALABAN

EARTH ATHMOSPHERE

From highest to lowest, the five main layers are:

 Exosphere: 700 to 10,000 km (440 to 6,200 miles)

 Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km (50 to 440 miles)

 Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km (31 to 50 miles)

 Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles)

 Troposphere: 0 to 12 km (0 to 7 miles)

Troposphere - The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. Global average temperatures
decrease from 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) on the surface to negative 51 degrees
Celsius (negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit) at the top of the troposphere. Nitrogen forms 78 percent of the
troposphere’s chemical composition today; oxygen, 21 percent; argon, 0.9 percent; water vapor, between 0.3
and 4 percent; and carbon dioxide. 0.04 percent. Weather, as it is recognized on Earth, happens in the
troposphere.
Stratosphere - The stratosphere is the second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. It lies above the
troposphere and is separated from it by the tropopause. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet light from solar radiation and
causes a temperature inversion -- where temperatures increase rather than decrease with height -- from about
negative 51 degrees Celsius (negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit) at the bottom to negative 15 degrees
Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) at the top.

Mesosphere - The mesosphere is the third highest layer of Earth's atmosphere, occupying the region above
the stratosphere and below the thermosphere. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as
you rise up through the mesosphere. The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are
found near the top of this layer. The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe; air pressure at the bottom of
the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level, and continues dropping as you go higher.

Thermosphere - The thermosphere is the second-highest layer of Earth's atmosphere. It extends from the
mesopause (which separates it from the mesosphere) at an altitude of about 80 km (50 mi; 260,000 ft) up to
the thermopause at an altitude range of 500–1000 km (310–620 mi; 1,600,000–3,300,000 ft). Temperatures in the
upper thermosphere can range from about 500° C (932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher. The aurora,
the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere.

Composition of air

According to NASA, the gases in Earth's atmosphere include:

 Nitrogen — 78 percent
 Oxygen — 21 percent
 Argon — 0.93 percent
 Carbon dioxide — 0.04 percent
 Trace amounts of neon, helium, methane, krypton and hydrogen, as well as water vapor
SCIENCE PROJECT BY: JAN OLENNS ALABAN

Types of Air-pollutants

Classification of Air-pollutants
1. Primary pollutants: Those emitted directly from the source
2. Secondary pollutants: Those formed in the atmosphere by chemical interactions among primary
pollutants and normal atmospheric constituents

Pollution Caused by Fossil Fuels


SCIENCE PROJECT BY: JAN OLENNS ALABAN

Acid Rain
Acid rain refers to precipitation that carries sulfur and nitrogen compounds from the atmosphere to the ground.
The term entered common usage amid growing concern during the 1980s about the viability of burning any fuels
containing such compounds, the National Atmospheric Deposition Program reports. Researchers have identified
various natural and man-made causes, including emissions from car traffic, chemical plants and public utilities.

Climate Change
The burning of fossil fuels to produce energy also releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the environment. These gases act like a blanket to trap energy that warms the Earth's
surface.

Air Pollution and Health


Fossil fuels are a major contributor to health-harming air pollution. The emission of carbon monoxide gases from
cars and trucks is the most commonly cited example, but not the only one. The combustion process also creates
nitrogen oxides that lead to the creation of smog

Land and Water Pollution


Fossil fuel production activities have implications for land and water resources. One example is surface mining
and processing of coal, which disturbs larger areas of land than underground mining does, the EPA states. Coal-
fired power plants also release pollutants that contaminate nearby soils.

What are the effects of air pollution?


Acidification:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which can cause harm to
vegetation and buildings. Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such as sulfuric acid combines with
the water droplets that make up clouds, the water droplets become acidic, forming acid rain. When
acid rain falls over an area, it can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife.

Eutrophication:
Rain can carry and deposit the Nitrogen in some pollutants on rivers and soils. This will adversely
affect the nutrients in the soil and water bodies. This can result in algae growth in lakes and water
bodies, and make conditions for other living organism harmful.

Ground-level ozone:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants create a poisonous gas ozone (O3). Gas Ozone can
affect people’s health and can damage vegetation types and some animal life too.

Particulate matter:
Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our health. The
level of effect usually depends on the length of time of exposure, as well the kind and
concentration of chemicals and particles exposed to. Short-term effects include irritation to the
eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Others
include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the
medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema.
SCIENCE PROJECT BY: JAN OLENNS ALABAN
AIR POLLUTION MAP MY BLOG AND WORLD
SCIENCE PROJECT BY: JAN OLENNS ALABAN

What causes global warming?


Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse
gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the
earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants, which can
last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter.
That's what's known as the greenhouse effect.

 Water vapor. The most abundant


greenhouse gas, but importantly, it acts as
a feedback to the climate. Water vapor
increases as the Earth's atmosphere
warms, but so does the possibility of
clouds and precipitation, making these
some of the most important feedback
mechanisms to the greenhouse effect.

 Carbon dioxide (CO2). A minor but very


important component of the atmosphere,
carbon dioxide is released through natural
processes such as respiration and
volcano eruptions and through human
activities such as deforestation, land use
changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by more
than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived "forcing" of
climate change.

 Methane. A hydrocarbon gas produced both through natural sources and human activities, including
the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant
digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock. On a molecule-for-molecule
basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is much
less abundant in the atmosphere.

 Nitrous oxide. A powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use
of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass
burning.

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Synthetic compounds entirely of industrial origin used in a number of


applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by international
agreement for their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer. They are also greenhouse
gases.

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