• Aim: How does the atmosphere change
with altitude?
Topic: Meteorology
Main Idea: Layers of the Atmosphere
1) What is the order of the layers of the
atmosphere from the ground up?
• Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere
and Thermosphere.
2) What are the “pauses”?
• These are the interfaces between layers.
Troposphere
•The layer we are
breathing in
•Temperature
decreases with altitude
•Contains almost all
moisture and jet
streams
•Where all weather
occurs
Stratosphere
• Contains the
ozone layer which
filters out UV
radiation
• Temperature
increases with
altitude
Mesosphere
• Temperature
decreases as altitude
increases
• Contains the coldest
part of the
atmosphere
• Layer where meteors
burn up
Thermosphere
•Temperature increases
up to more than 3,600o
F at the upper portion
•Absorbs X-ray and UV
rays
•Charged particles
collide producing
Northern and Southern
lights
4) What happens to atmospheric pressure
as you increase in altitude? Why?
• At sea level it is 29.97”
Hg or 14.7 psi but
pressure decreases
with altitude because
gravity pulls most of
the molecules to the
surface.
Summary