Teaching 662 37537 1675068761 1

Agro-meteorology Dr. Aryan S. A.
Dizayee
Second Stage/ L2 Lecture
Stratification and Composition of Atmosphere
Earth is elliptical in shape and has three spheres
The spheres of earth: -
1. The Atmosphere: the gaseous portion (Air)
2. The Lithosphere: the solid portion (Earth)
3. The Hydrosphere: the liquid portion (Water)
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere is the colourless, odourless and tasteless physical mixture of
gasses which surrounds earth on all sides. It is mobile, compressible and
expandable. It contains huge number of solid and liquid particles called aerosol.
Some gases are permanent atmospheric constituents in fixed proportions to the
total gas volume. Others very from place and time to time.
The lower atmosphere where the chemical composition of gas is uniform is

called homosphere. At higher levels the chemical composition of air changes
considerably and known as heterosphere.
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Agro-meteorology Dr. Aryan S. A. Dizayee
Uses of atmosphere
1. Provides oxygen which is useful for respiration in crops.
2. Provides carbon-dioxide to build biomass in photosynthesis.
3. Provides nitrogen which is essential for plant growth.
4. Acts as a medium for transportation of pollen.
5. Protects crops plants on earth from harmful U.V rays.
6. Maintains warmth to plant life.
7. Provides rain to field crops as it is a source of water vapour, cloud, etc.
Composition of atmosphere
The following all the different gases that are present in percentage by
volume approximately.
Nitrogen (N2) = 78.08 Oxygen (O2) = 20.95
Argon (Ar) = 0.93 CO2 = 0.03
Neon (Ne) = 0.0018 Helium (He) = 0.0005
Ozone (O3) = 0.00004 Hydrogen (H2) = 0.00006
Methane (CH4) = 0.00017
Vertical Layers of atmosphere based on temperature

On the basis of vertical temperature variation, the atmosphere is divided into
different spheres or layers.
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A. Troposphere
1. The word “Trop” means mixing or turbulence and “sphere” means region.
2. The average height of this lower most layer of the atmosphere is about 14 km
above the men sea level; at the equator it is 16 km and 7-8 km at the poles.
3. Under normal conditions the height of the troposphere changes from place to
place and season to season.
4. Various types of clouds, thunderstorms, cyclone and anticyclones occur in this

sphere because of the concentration of almost all the water vapour and aerosols in
it. So, this layer is called as “seat of weather phenomena”.
5. The wind velocities increase with height and attain the maximum at the top of
this layer.
6. Another striking feature of the troposphere is that there is a decrease of

temperature with increasing elevation at a mean lapse rate of about 6.5°C per km.
So, Lapse rate, The decrease in air temperature with height is known as the normal
/ environmental lapse rate and it is 6.5°C/km.
7. Most of the radiation received from the sun is absorbed by the earth’s surface.
So, the troposphere is heated from below.
8. In this layer, about 75 per cent of total gases and most of the moisture and dust
particles present.
9. At the top of the troposphere there is a shallow layer separating it from the
stratosphere which is known as the “Tropopasue “.
10. The tropospause layer is thin and its height changes according to the latitudes
and it is a transitional zone and distinctly characterized by no major movement of
air.
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B. Stratosphere
1. This layer exists above the tropopause (around 20 km onwards) and extends to
altitudes of about 50-55 km.
2. This layer is called as “Seat of photochemical reactions”
3. The temperature remains practically constant at around 20 km and is

characterized as isothermal because air is thin, clear, cold and dry near tropopause.
So, isothermal process is a thermodynamic process in which the temperature of a

system remains constant.
4. The temperature of this layer increases with height and also depends upon the
troposphere because the troposphere is higher at the equator than at the poles.
5. In the upper parts of the stratosphere the temperatures are almost as high as
those near the earth’s surface, which is due to the fact that the ultra-violet radiation
from the sun is absorbed by ozone in this region.
6. There is also persistence of circulation patterns and high wind speeds.
7. The upper boundary of the stratosphere is called the stratopause.
C. Mesosphere/Ozonosphere
1. There is a maximum concentration of ozone between 30 and 60 km above the
surface of the earth and this layer is known at the ozonosphere.
2. A property of the ozone is that it absorbs UV rays. Had there been no layer of
the ozone in the atmosphere, the ultraviolet rays might have reached the surface of
the earth and no life can exist.
3. Temperature of the ozonosphere is high (warm) due to selective absorption of

U.V radiation by ozone.
4. Because of the preponderance of chemical process this sphere is called as the

“chemosphere”
5. In this layer the temperature increases with height at the rate of 5°C per km.
4
6. According to some leading scientists the ionosphere is supposed to start at a

height of 80 km above the earth’s surface. In this layer the temperature decreases
with height. The upper boundary of this layer is called the “Mesospause”.
7. Mesosphere is the coldest region in the atmosphere with temperature reaching

the lowest value of nearly -95°C at the mesopause (80km)
D. Thermosphere (Ionosphere)
1. According to some leading scientists the ionosphere is supposed to start at a
height of 80 km above the earth’s surface. In this layer the temperature decreases
with height. The lower boundary of this layer is called the “Mesospause”.
2. The thermosphere layer lies beyond the ozonosphere (mesosphere) at a height of

about 80 km above the earth’s surface and extends up to 400 km.
3. The atmosphere in the ionosphere is partly ionised enriched ion zones exist in
the form of distinct ionised layers. So, this layer is called as the ionosphere.
E. Exosphere
1. The outer most layer of the earth’s atmosphere is named as the exosphere and
this layer lies between 400 and 1000 km.
2. At such a greater height the density of atoms in the atmosphere is extremely low.
3. Hydrogen and Helium gases predominate in this outer most region.
4. At an altitude of about 500 to 600 km the density of the atmosphere becomes so

low that collisions between the natural particles become extremely rare.

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Agro-meteorology Dr. Aryan S. A.

Stratification and Composition of Atmosphere

Earth is elliptical in shape and has three spheres

The spheres of earth: -

1. The Atmosphere: the gaseous portion (Air)

2. The Lithosphere: the solid portion (Earth)

3. The Hydrosphere: the liquid portion (Water)

The lower atmosphere where the chemical composition of gas is uniform is

2. Provides carbon-dioxide to build biomass in photosynthesis.

3. Provides nitrogen which is essential for plant growth.

4. Acts as a medium for transportation of pollen.

5. Protects crops plants on earth from harmful U.V rays.

6. Maintains warmth to plant life.

7. Provides rain to field crops as it is a source of water vapour, cloud, etc.

Nitrogen (N2) = 78.08 Oxygen (O2) = 20.95

Argon (Ar) = 0.93 CO2 = 0.03

Neon (Ne) = 0.0018 Helium (He) = 0.0005

Ozone (O3) = 0.00004 Hydrogen (H2) = 0.00006

Methane (CH4) = 0.00017

Vertical Layers of atmosphere based on temperature

4. Various types of clouds, thunderstorms, cyclone and anticyclones occur in this

6. Another striking feature of the troposphere is that there is a decrease of

2. This layer is called as “Seat of photochemical reactions”

3. The temperature remains practically constant at around 20 km and is

So, isothermal process is a thermodynamic process in which the temperature of a

6. There is also persistence of circulation patterns and high wind speeds.

7. The upper boundary of the stratosphere is called the stratopause.

3. Temperature of the ozonosphere is high (warm) due to selective absorption of

4. Because of the preponderance of chemical process this sphere is called as the

6. According to some leading scientists the ionosphere is supposed to start at a

7. Mesosphere is the coldest region in the atmosphere with temperature reaching

2. The thermosphere layer lies beyond the ozonosphere (mesosphere) at a height of

4. At an altitude of about 500 to 600 km the density of the atmosphere becomes so

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