Name ______________________________________________
Date ________________________
Block _______
Uncovering the Layers of the Atmosphere
LEARNING TARGET: To discover how and why the atmosphere can be divided into layers.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Table 1 contains the average temperature readings at various altitudes in the Earth’s atmosphere. Plot this
data on the graph paper, and connect adjacent points with a smooth curve. (Be careful to plot the negative
temperature numbers correctly.) This profile provides a general picture of temperature at any given time
and place; however, the actual temperature may differ from the average values, particularly in the lower
atmosphere.
TABLE 1
Average Temperature Readings at Various Altitudes
Altitude
(km)
0
5
10
12
20
25
30
35
40
45
48
Temp (oC)
Altitude (km)
Temp (oC)
15
-18
-49
-56
-56
-51
-46
-37
-22
-8
-2
52
55
60
65
70
75
80
84
92
95
100
-2
-7
-17
-33
-54
-65
-79
-86
-86
-81
-72
Complete after class discussion and presentation:
2. Label the different layers of the atmosphere: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
3. Label the separating boundaries between each layer: Tropopause, Stratopause, Mesopause,
4. Mark the general location of the ozone layer and ionosphere.
5. Using the diagram displayed on the board, your notes or your book on pg. 371 as a reference – draw and
label pictures of the following items in the appropriate layer of the atmosphere:
o Auroras
o Meteors
o Jet Planes
o Clouds
o Mt. Everest
o Hubble
o Space Shuttle
[Grab your reader’s attention with a great
quote from the document or use this space
to emphasize a key point. To place this text
box anywhere on the page, just drag it.]
Telescope
Describe what is significant about each layer
(refer to board or notes)
Layer of Atmosphere
Troposphere
*All weather occurs here
*Densest layer (most air & water)
Stratosphere
*Contains the ozone layer
*Airplanes fly here
Mesosphere
*Coldest layer of the atmosphere
*Meteors
*hottest layer
*auroras in ionosphere
Thermosphere
QUESTIONS:
1. What layer does all of Earth’s weather occur? ______________Troposphere_______________________
Why? ___________All water vapor is in the troposphere________________________________________
2. What is ozone? ______A gas found in the stratosphere that absorbs UV radiation from sun____________
3. What compound is associated with creating a hole in the ozone layer? _(CFC) Chlorofluorocarbons______
4. What is the basis for dividing the atmosphere into four layers?
________________Change in Temperature___________________________________________________
5. Does the temperature increase
troposphere ___
___
or decrease
stratosphere __
with altitude in the:
____
mesosphere __
_____
thermosphere
___
6. What causes the temperature to decrease with height in the troposphere? __Because the atmosphere is
heated from the surface up, temperatures decrease as you move away from the surface ________________
7. What causes the temperature to increase with height through the stratosphere? ______________________
___________________The ozone layer absorbs energy.______________________________________
8. What causes the temperature to increase with height through the thermosphere? _____________________
______________Because of the absorption of high levels of radiation________________________
9. What happens in general to the air pressure as altitude increases?________Air pressure decreases______
Why? ____________There is less of the atmosphere pushing on you from above__________________
Ionosphere
Auroras
Satellites
Meteors
Ozone
Jets/Planes
Clouds
Mt. Everest