Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
The Earth’s atmosphere is a narrow band of air divided into several layers according to the temperature. ‘Life on Earth’ would not survive without its protective blanket, which shields us from the Sun’s heat and radiation while also containing the air we breathe. The atmosphere shields life on Earth from incoming ultraviolet radiation, keeps the globe warmer through shielding and prevents high temperatures day and night. However, the Sun heats the layers of the atmosphere, causing them to convict and influence airflow and weather patterns all over the planet. This paper will cover the concept of atmosphere, greenhouse effect, atmosphere layers, and atmosphere composition.
What is the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is a gas composition that covers the planet. The atmosphere on Earth contributes to the possibility of life. Aside from giving us something to inhale, it protects us from most of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet or UV radiation, warms the Earth’s surface by around 33° C or 59° F through the greenhouse effect, and helps to prevent dramatic temperature changes between day and night. Some other ‘planets in our solar system’ have atmospheres, and none of these has the same ratio of gasses or the same layered structure as Earth’s.
The Earth isn’t the only planet with an atmosphere. Our solar system’s planets, as well as a few moons, all have atmospheres. Clouds, rain, wind, and violent storms can all be found in some areas. Scientists have just begun to see glimpses of planets’ atmospheres in other solar systems. As one climbs upward from the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere becomes thinner, less thick and has lower pressure. It eventually gives way to the emptiness of space.
What are the atmosphere layers and composition of the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is a critical component of Earth’s interconnected physical systems. The layer of gases surrounding a planet and other heavenly bodies is called its atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of roughly 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% other gases. Such gases are located in layers, “troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere,” characterised by distinct characteristics like temperature and pressure.
There is no such thing as the “top” of something like the atmosphere. At levels between 100 and 120 km or 62-75 miles, the air becomes so thin that it might be considered the barrier dividing the atmosphere and space for many purposes. However, remnants of atmospheric gases can be found thousands of metres above the Earth’s surface.
Animals live in the troposphere, the lower layer of the atmosphere where most clouds form, and practically all weather happens. Many jet aircraft fly inside the stratosphere, which also includes the jet streams and the ozone layer. Temperatures are at their lowest rate in the mesosphere due to the lack of air molecules to absorb thermal energy. Since there are so few particles for light to reflect off of in the mesosphere, the sky transforms from blue to black. The thermosphere, which is the most significant part of the Earth’s atmosphere and filters much of the dangerous radiation that enters Earth from the Sun, is located the furthest away from the surface. The exosphere is the transition zone between the Earth’s atmosphere and space.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect happens when gases in the Earth’s atmosphere capture the Sun’s heat. This mechanism warms the Earth significantly more than it should be without an atmosphere. The “greenhouse effect” is one factor that contributes to Earth being a pleasant place to live.
A greenhouse gas gets its name because it absorbs thermal solar radiation and converts it to heat, which is then circulated through the atmosphere and ultimately lost to space. Greenhouse gases also accelerate the amount where the atmosphere absorbs ‘short-wave radiation’ from the Sun; however, the influence on global temperatures is much weaker.
The CO2 emitted by the burning of fossil fuels forms an insulating blanket over the Earth, absorbing more of the Sun’s heat in our atmosphere. Human acts are anthropogenic; the “anthropogenic release of CO2” contributes to the current amplified greenhouse effect.
How does the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere protect the planet?
The atmosphere allows approximately half of the Sun’s thermal energy, which is 50%, to enter the Earth’s surface. Approximately one-third of the Sun’s energy which is 30%) is back to space. The remaining 20% of the Sun’s energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, and methane. Greenhouse gases absorb and retain a few of the waste heat emitted by the Earth’s surface.
This has been going on for billions of years, and besides, greenhouse gases are naturally occurring in the environment. However, human activity has recently thrown the equilibrium of greenhouse gases off. For example, we use fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas to generate energy or electricity. This causes co2 and other greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere.
Conclusion
The world’s climate is an aggregate of local climates. As a result, the Earth’s temperature has cooled and warmed throughout history. However, we are currently undergoing unusually rapid warming. According to the “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” or IPCC, the technical agreement is that greenhouse gases, increasing due to human activities, are trapping heat in the environment.
