Earth Science SHS Q1 Lesson 4 - Earth's Atmosphere

Lesson 4
The Earth’s Atmosphere

BY: DENNIS P. CAROLINO
describe the
At the end of 1 characteristics of Earth’s
the lesson, you atmosphere; and
should be able
identify the importance of
to: 2 the hydrologic cycle.
RECALL What is the atmosphere
composed of?
a. These gases are essential to

life on Earth.
b. The most abundant gas is
nitrogen.
What are
RECALL greenhouse gases?
a. Gases like water vapor and

carbon dioxide affect the
temperature of Earth.
b. Greenhouse gases trap heat
within Earth’s atmosphere.
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION
• The bulk of the atmospheric composition of Earth is
nitrogen and oxygen in which together comprises
99%.
• Only 0.9% is argon and the remaining 0.1% is trace

gases.
• Carbon dioxide and ozone, although available in

minute amounts, are very essential to life on Earth.
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION
Atmospheric composition of Earth.

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
• The atmosphere
is made up of 5
major layers
• troposphere,
• stratosphere,
• mesosphere,
• thermosphere,
• exosphere.
Layers of the atmosphere
Troposphere
• Is the layer closest to Earth.
• Comes from the Greek word “ tropos ” which means
change. It is called such because of the persistently
changing weather in this layer of the atmosphere.
• Its thickness varies depending on your location on
Earth, but the range is between 5 and 9 miles (8 and
14 km).
• Temperature gets cooler as you go higher in the
atmosphere.
Stratosphere
• the next layer which is about
35 km thick. As opposed to
the troposphere, the
temperature in this layer gets
warmer as you go higher.
• An important feature of this
layer is the ozone layer
which protects Earth from
the sun’s harmful UV
radiation.
THE STRATOSPHERIC AND TROPOSPHERIC OZONE
• Stratospheric ozone is
good while tropospheric
ozone is bad.
• These harmful ozone's
when inhaled, can irritate
the lungs and breakdown
lung tissues. Plants are also
affected by this
tropospheric ozone. Good and bad ozone.
Mesophere
• comes from the word “meso” which means
middle.
• This 35 km thick layer is termed as the coldest
layer because it has a minimum temperature
of roughly -85 degrees Celsius. The reason
behind this low temperature is the lessened
solar heat and high cooling due to carbon
dioxide.
Thermosphere
• comes from the word “thermo” which means
heat.
• Thermosphere is roughly 600 km thick and can
a reach a temperature of about 1500 degrees
Celsius. Moreover, the thermosphere regulates
temperature and filters X-rays and some
ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun.
Exosphere
• comes from the word “exo” which means
outside.
• This 10,000 km thick outermost layer forms a
boundary between Earth and space. Exosphere
is very thick so going to space is really too far.
• This farthest layer absorbs some radiation and
protects the layers underneath. It contains
hydrogen and helium. The air is almost similar to
the vacuum in space because it is so thin.
The Smart Man Takes the Elevator
ATMOSPHERE’S ROLE IN THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
Water is a renewable resource because it is
continually circulated across Earth through a
process known as the hydrologic cycle.
Its three main important processes are

evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
ATMOSPHERE’S ROLE IN THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
• The atmosphere is a
crucial part of the water
cycle. It serves as the
reservoir of large
amounts of water.
• Therefore, the
atmosphere is an efficient
medium to move water
around the globe. Steps in the hydrologic cycle
The 5 layers of the atmosphere are: troposphere,
1 stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
Nitrogen and oxygen make up bulk of the gases in the

2 atmosphere
The atmosphere is crucial in enabling and maintaining

3 life on Earth.
Identify the layer of the atmosphere being
described in each item.
1. It is the coldest layer of the atmosphere.
2. It is the layer where bad ozone is found
3. It is a layer that protects us from the sun’s harmful UV
radiation.
4. It protects Earth from the impact of space debris.
5. It is the atmospheric layer where humans live.
What will happen if there will be no more hydrological
cycle?
Naotatsu Shikazono. 2012. Introduction to Earth and Planetary System Science: New View of
Earth, Planets and Humans,Germany:Springer Science & Business Media.
Renu Anand. 2016.The Story of Planet Earth,New Delhi: The Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI).
Ronald Martin. 2012. Earth's Evolving Systems: The History of Planet Earth, Massachusetts:
Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Michael Pidwirny. 2016. Chapter 4: Solar Radiation and Earth: Single chapter from the eBook
Understanding Physical Geography, Our Planet Earth Publishing.
Rubin, Kenneth. 2016. Geochemistry Lecture 33 Accessed March 17, 2017.

https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/krubin/GG325/lect33.pdf.

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Lesson 4

The Earth’s Atmosphere

a. These gases are essential to

a. Gases like water vapor and

• Only 0.9% is argon and the remaining 0.1% is trace

• Carbon dioxide and ozone, although available in

Atmospheric composition of Earth.

Its three main important processes are

Nitrogen and oxygen make up bulk of the gases in the

The atmosphere is crucial in enabling and maintaining

Rubin, Kenneth. 2016. Geochemistry Lecture 33 Accessed March 17, 2017.

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