Scale Model of the Atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere has a series of layers, each with its own specific traits. Moving upward from
ground level, these layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and
exosphere. The exosphere gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space.
In this lab, you will create a scale model of the atmosphere that illustrates relative thickness and
important characteristics of each layer.
Materials
6 pieces of printer paper
Colored Pencils
Scissors
Ruler
Tape
Calculator
Atmospheric Structure Notes
Directions
1. Fold the six sheets of paper in half along the vertical axis (longways) and cut along the fold.
You should now have 12 long, narrow sheets of paper.
2. Tape the short ends of the papers together to make one long strip. You can fold the papers
accordion style to keep them out of the way while you work.
3. Mark a line 3 inches from the bottom of your strip of paper. Label this bottom area Surface of
the Earth. Shade this area green.
4. Mark lines to show each of the layers of the atmosphere. Use a scale of ¼ inch = 1 mile.
Remember you should be measuring from the surface of the Earth each time.
5. Label the atmospheric layers and shade each a different color.
6. Add the following to each of the atmospheric layers:
a. Distance from the surface of the Earth in miles and kilometers.
b. Temperature range
c. Illustrations or bulleted list of important features (the stratosphere must include the
Ozone layer)