Name_______________________________
Mr. Schwartz
Earth Science
/25
Period: ____________ Date Due ________
Layers of the Atmosphere
BACKGROUND:
The atmosphere can be divided into four layers based on changes in temperature. The layer closest
to the Earth is called the troposphere. Above this layer is the stratosphere, followed by the mesosphere,
then the thermosphere. The upper boundaries between these layers are known as the tropopause, the
stratopause, and the mesopause.
Temperature changes in the four layers are due to the way solar energy is absorbed as it moves through
the atmosphere. The atmosphere is mostly transparent to visible light. Visible light goes right
through it. The Earth’s surface absorbs most of the solar energy. Some of this energy is radiated by the
Earth as heat, which warms the air near the surface. The average temperature in the troposphere rapidly
decreases with altitude until the tropopause, the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere.
The temperature begins to increase with altitude in the stratosphere. This is caused by a form of oxygen
called ozone (O3) absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ozone protects us from most of the sun’s
ultraviolet radiation, which can cause cancer, genetic mutations, and sunburn. The exhaust of highflying jets, chemicals in fertilizers and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in spray cans and air
conditioners, are destroying the ozone.
At the stratopause, the temperature stops increasing. The mesosphere does not absorb solar radiation, so
the temperature decreases.
At the mesopause, the temperature begins to increase with altitude, and this continues in the
thermosphere. Here solar radiation first hits the Earth’s atmosphere and heats it. Temperatures can
reach up to 1,500°C or higher!
The thermosphere also includes the region of the Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere. The
ionosphere is a region of the thermosphere that is filled with charged particles.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Table 1 contains the average temperature readings at various altitudes in the Earth’s atmosphere. Plot
this data on the graph on the worksheet, and connect adjacent points with a smooth curve. Be careful
to plot the negative temperature numbers correctly.
T A B L E 1
Average Temperature Readings at Various Altitudes
Altitude (km)
0
5
10
12
20
25
30
35
40
45
48
2.
3.
Temp (°C)
15
-18
-49
-56
-56
-51
-46
-37
-22
-8
-2
Altitude (km)
52
55
60
65
70
75
80
84
92
95
100
Temp (°C )
-2
-7
-17
-33
-54
-65
-79
-86
-86
-81
-72
Label the different layers of the atmosphere and the separating boundaries between each layer. You
should place the following words on your graph in the correct locations:
__troposphere
__tropopause
__stratosphere
__stratopause
__mesosphere
__mesopause
__thermosphere
__ozone layer.
You should use your text to add the following phrases to your graph in the correct locations:
__almost all water vapor here
__almost all weather here
__meteors burn up here
__warmed by surface of Earth
QUESTIONS:
1.
How do we divide the atmosphere into four layers?
2.
Does the temperature increase or decrease with altitude in the:
troposphere?
___________
stratosphere? ___________
mesosphere?
___________
thermosphere? ___________
3.
What causes the temperature to decrease with height in the troposphere?
4.
What causes the temperature to increase with height through the stratosphere?
5.
Why does warm air and clouds not rise above the troposphere?
6.
Is there a thermopause?
Graph of Temperature at Various Altitudes
ALTITUDE (km above sea level - Y-axis)
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-100
-90
-80
-70
-60
-50 -40 -30 -20
Temperature (°C)
-10
0
10
20
30