Notes: 1.1
Atmosphere
Name: ___________________________
Date: __________ Hour: _____
Importance of the Atmosphere
 The Earth’s ________________ is a thin layer that forms a protective covering around the planet.
 If there was no atmosphere, days would be extremely _______ and nights would be extremely ________.
 It also protects from the Sun’s ______________ rays.
Makeup of the Atmosphere
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
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
The atmosphere is a mixture of ___________________________ that surrounds the planet.
The atmosphere extends from the _________________ all the way to _______________.
Earth’s early atmosphere contained mostly nitrogen and carbon dioxide
Eventually, a layer that was rich in ozone was formed in the upper atmosphere, and protected Earth from the
Sun’s harmful rays and allowed plants to flourish all over the Earth.
 These plants released tons of oxygen into the atmosphere and made the atmosphere like what it is today.
Gasses in the Atmosphere
 Today’s atmosphere is a mixture of gases:
 _____________ – 78%
 _____________ – 21%
 _____________ – 0.93%
 _____________ – 0.03%
 Several trace elements
 The makeup of the atmosphere is always _____________.
 Car exhaust emits gasses into the atmosphere and _____________ like this can mix with other ___________and
____________. When they mix they form a brown haze called _________.
 Humans ________ fuel for energy and as the fuel is burned _______________ enters the _______________.
 If we increase the amount of energy used we will _____________ the amount of __________________
in the atmosphere.
Solids and Liquids in the Earth’s Atmosphere
 The atmosphere contains small, solid particles such as ______________________.
 _________ gets picked up from the Earth’s surface from the wind.
 _________ gets picked up from ocean spray.
 _________ is released into the atmosphere by plants.
 The atmosphere also contains small, ______________________ other than water droplets in the clouds.
 The atmosphere constantly ___________ these solid and liquid particles from ___________________________.
Layers of the Atmosphere
 There are ____________ of the Earth’s atmosphere.
 The lower atmospheric layers:
 _______________
 _______________
 The upper atmospheric layers:
 _______________
 _______________
 _______________
Lower Layers of the Atmosphere
 The _________________ is the lowest layer of the atmosphere
 Extends from the Earth’s surface to about ____ km into the atmosphere.
 Contains ____% of the water vapor in the atmosphere
 Contains ____% of all the gasses in the atmosphere
 The layer we ______ in
 The ______________ is the layer directly above the troposphere that
 Extends from ____ km to ____ km above the Earth’s surface.
 Contains the ___________ concentration of ozone gas
Upper Layers of the Atmosphere
 The _____________ is the middle layer of the atmosphere.
 Extends from the stratosphere to about ____ km
 Contains part of the ______________
 The _____________ is named for its high temperatures.
 Extends from the mesosphere to about _____ km
 Contains part of the ______________
 The _____________ is the furthest layer of the atmosphere.
 Its where ______________ can be found
 Contains very ______ particles
Atmospheric Pressure
 Atmospheric gasses extend ___________ of km above the Earth’s surface.
 As the Earth’s gravity pulls the gasses down on the Earth’s surface, the _________ of these gasses presses
________ on the air below.
 This causes the ___________ closest to the Earth’s surface to be ________ to each other. Which makes the air
closest to the Earth’s surface to be more ________ than air further away.
 The ________ air closer to the Earth’s surface exerts more _______ than the less dense air near the top of the
atmosphere.
 Force exerted on an area is known as __________.
 Air pressure is _________ near the Earth’s surface and __________ higher in the atmosphere.
 People find it harder to __________ in high mountains because ________ molecules of air exist there.
 Jets that fly above the troposphere must maintain ______________ cabins so that people can breathe.
Temperature in Atmospheric Layers
 The Sun is the source of most of the _________ on Earth.
 Because some layers contain gasses that easily _________ the Sun’s energy while other layers do not, different
layers have different _______________.
 Molecules of ozone in the ______________ absorb some of the Sun’s energy.
 Energy absorbed by ozone molecules __________ the temperature.
 There are more ozone molecule in the _________ portion of the stratosphere, the temperature __________
with _____________ altitude.
 Temperature in the _______________ and ______________ are high because there are few molecules, however
each molecule has a great deal of energy.
Ozone Layer
 The _______________ is a atmospheric layer that is about ____ km to ____ km above the Earth’s surface.
 The ozone layer consists of ozone molecules.
 Ozone = 3 ___________ molecules
 The ozone layer contains a _______ concentration of ozone and __________ you from the Sun’s harmful energy.
 Ozone absorbs most of the __________________ radiation that enters the atmosphere.
 _______________________ is one of the many types of energy that come to Earth from the sun.
 Too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation can damage your skin and cause ____________.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
 Air pollutants, like chlorofluorocarbons, are ______________ the atmosphere.
 ____________________________ (CFCs) are chemical compounds used in some refrigerators, air conditioners,
and aerosol sprays, and in the production of some foam packaging.
 CFCs can enter the atmosphere if these appliances _________ or of they and other products containing CFCs are
_________________ discarded.
The Ozone Hole
 The _________________ of ozone molecules by CFCs seems to cause seasonal reduction in ozone over
Antarctica called the ozone hole.
 Beginning in late August or early September the amount of ozone in the atmosphere over ________________
begins to ______________.
 By October, the ozone concentration reaches its ____________ values and then begins to increase again.
 By December, the ozone hole ______________.
 In the mid-1990s, many governments ____________ the production and use of CFCs.
 Since then, the concentration on CFCs in the atmosphere has started to _______________.