
What are the 7 layers of the atmosphere?
Earth’s atmosphere has six layers: the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the ionosphere, and the exosphere. A jacket for the planet. Earth is a great planet to live on because it has a wonderful atmosphere around it. This jacket of gases does a lot for us. It keeps us warm, it gives us oxygen to breathe, and it ...
What are the names of the layers of the atmosphere?
What Are The 5 Layers Of The Earth's Atmosphere?
- Troposphere. This is the first and the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. ...
- Stratosphere. If we start from the top of the troposphere and go further into the sky, we reach the layer known as the stratosphere.
- Mesosphere. As the name suggests, we are halfway up our atmosphere layers when we reach this part. ...
- Thermosphere. ...
- Exosphere. ...
What are the different spheres of the atmosphere?
What are the 5 spheres in the atmosphere?
- The atmosphere is made up of invisible gases.
- The majority of the atmosphere is MADE up of oxygen and nitrogen.
- There are 5 layers in the atmosphere: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere and Exosphere.
What are the characteristics of each layer of the atmosphere?
The Earth’s atmosphere is divided into four layers or ‘spheres’. Each layer is characterized by a different gradient of the temperature as a function of altitude. Troposphere. The troposphere (between 0 and about 15 kilometers) is the first layer above the Earth’s surface and contains approximately 85 to 90 % of the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is characterized by decreasing temperature with increasing altitude.

What are the 7 atmosphere layers?
A further region, beginning about 500 km above the Earth's surface, is called the exosphere.The Troposphere. This is the lowest part of the atmosphere - the part we live in. ... The Stratosphere. ... The Mesosphere. ... The Thermosphere and Ionosphere. ... The Exosphere. ... The Magnetosphere.
What are the 6 Earth spheres?
From inside to outside Earth, here are the spheres of Earth.Mesosphere. If you started drilling a hole inside Earth, you'd first hit the crust. ... Asthenosphere. The crust of the Earth floats on the asthenosphere. ... Geosphere. ... Lithosphere. ... Pedosphere. ... Biosphere (Ecosphere) ... Hydrosphere. ... Cryosphere.More items...•
How many spheres make up the atmosphere?
four spheresThese four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere" (living things), and "atmosphere" (air). Each of these four spheres can be further divided into sub-spheres.
What are the 5 types of sphere?
Earth's Five Spheres Five parts are called the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, biosphere.
What sphere is water?
The hydrosphereThe hydrosphere includes water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air. A planet's hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice. On Earth, liquid water exists on the surface in the form of oceans, lakes and rivers.
What sphere is humans in?
***Note: Some scientists place humans in their own sphere called the "anthrosphere." For the purpose of this module, however, humans will be included as part of the biosphere. The word "biosphere" will be used in reference to all living things in Earth's system.
Why are the 4 spheres important?
The spheres are the biosphere, the geosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. Together they are responsible for creating and maintaining the climate, geological processes, and life on Earth.
What are the 4 spheres of the Earth system?
The earth system is itself an integrated system, but it can be subdivided into four main components, sub-systems or spheres: the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. These components are also systems in their own right and they are tightly interconnected.
How are the 4 spheres connected?
The four spheres of Earth are closely connected to each other. Birds(biosphere) fly through the air (atmosphere), and water (hydrosphere) flows through the soil (lithosphere or geosphere). The spheres of the earth are closely connected to each other. A change in one sphere results in a change in two or more spheres.
What sphere is rain?
hydrosphereAll the spheres interact with other spheres. For example, rain (hydrosphere) falls from clouds in the atmosphere to the lithosphere and forms streams and rivers that provide drinking water for wildlife and humans as well as water for plant growth (biosphere).
What is the highest sphere?
Exosphere. Located between about 700 and 10,000 kilometers (440 and 6,200 miles) above Earth's surface, the exosphere is the highest layer of Earth's atmosphere and, at its top, merges with the solar wind.
Is rain a hydrosphere or atmosphere?
The Hydrosphere includes the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water. Water in the form of rain, snow, clouds, and atmospheric moisture is also part of the hydrosphere. Along the margins of continents, a Continental shelf, very gentle in slope, extends outward to a depth of a few hundred feet.
What are the 4 spheres of the Earth system?
The earth system is itself an integrated system, but it can be subdivided into four main components, sub-systems or spheres: the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. These components are also systems in their own right and they are tightly interconnected.
What is the highest sphere?
There is no clear-cut upper boundary where the exosphere finally fades away into space. Different definitions place the top of the exosphere somewhere between 100,000 km (62,000 miles) and 190,000 km (120,000 miles) above the surface of Earth.
What are the major spheres of environment class 7?
The subsystems are known as “spheres.” Specifically, they are known as the geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things) and atmosphere (air).
Why are the earth's spheres important?
The spheres are the biosphere, the geosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. Together they are responsible for creating and maintaining the climate, geological processes, and life on Earth.
How many spheres are there on Earth?
If you get into the nitty-gritty, you can count as many as 17 spheres of Earth. But some spheres are just part of larger ones.
How many spheres are there in outer space?
The 17 Spheres of Earth. Outer Space | Properties of Earth. Updated on January 17, 2021 Outer Space, Properties of Earth. The atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere are some of the commonly known spheres of Earth.
What happens when you take rocks from the lithosphere and erode them over time?
If you take rocks from the lithosphere and erode them over time, you get soil in the pedosphere. Soil is just weathered rock. It’s where plants establish their roots. So il also has living things like bugs, worms, roots and dead leaves. This organic material is among the many so il formation factors.
How old is the lithosphere?
The lithosphere is hard, brittle and old. The oldest rocks in the lithosphere are more than 4 billion years old. If you could speed up time, you’d see rocks in the lithosphere continuously cycling from within the planet. The rock cycle builds all types of rocks, including igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. 5.
What is the geosphere?
The geosphere is the whole outer shell of Earth. We can divide it into the continental and oceanic crust. The oceanic crust consists of the youngest rocks on Earth. This is where lava spews out at mid-oceanic ridges deep within the ocean. But the continental crust is the opposite.
What are the living things in the biosphere?
All living things on land, air, and oceans make up the biosphere. In every ecosystem, organisms rely on each other as part of an intricate food web. On land, herbivores feed on plants. Then, predators consume herbivores. At the top of the food chain, humans and apex predators dominate.
Why is the atmosphere denser than the air?
If you look at the atmosphere’s chemical composition, it’s mostly nitrogen and oxygen. Air is denser closer to Earth because of Earth’s gravitational pull. As you move outwards, the air becomes less dense.
What is the atmosphere of Earth?
The atmosphere of Earth, commonly known as air, is the layer of gases retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for liquid water to exist on the Earth's surface, absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, ...
How much does the atmosphere weigh?
The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15 × 10 18 kg, three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space.
How did plate tectonics influence the long-term evolution of the atmosphere?
The constant re-arrangement of continents by plate tectonics influences the long-term evolution of the atmosphere by transferring carbon dioxide to and from large continental carbonate stores. Free oxygen did not exist in the atmosphere until about 2.4 billion years ago during the Great Oxygenation Event and its appearance is indicated by the end of the banded iron formations .
What is the study of the atmosphere called?
The study of Earth's atmosphere and its processes is called atmospheric science (aerology), and includes multiple subfields, such as climatology and atmospheric physics. Early pioneers in the field include Léon Teisserenc de Bort and Richard Assmann. The study of historic atmosphere is called paleoclimatology .
How high is the equator?
It extends from Earth's surface to an average height of about 12 km (7.5 mi; 39,000 ft), although this altitude varies from about 9 km (5.6 mi; 30,000 ft) at the geographic poles to 17 km (11 mi; 56,000 ft) at the Equator, with some variation due to weather.
How much water vapor is in the atmosphere?
The concentration of water vapor (a greenhouse gas) varies significantly from around 10 ppm by volume in the coldest portions of the atmosphere to as much as 5% by volume in hot, humid air masses, and concentrations of other atmospheric gases are typically quoted in terms of dry air (without water vapor).
What is the composition of the atmosphere?
Composition of Earth's atmosphere by volume, excluding water vapor. Lower pie represents trace gases that together compose about 0.043391% of the atmosphere (0.04402961% at April 2019 concentration ). Numbers are mainly from 2000, with CO. 2 and methane from 2019, and do not represent any single source.
What are the four spheres of the Earth?
The Four Spheres Of The Earth. The four spheres of the Earth. The four spheres of the Earth are: the lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. The biosphere includes all living life on Earth: animal, plant, fungi, protist and monera. All four spheres must work in harmony to allow for the balance of life to succeed of Earth.
What is the atmosphere made of?
The atmosphere of Earth, which we casually refer to as simply ‘air’, is actually made up of a mixture of gases and vapours. The Earth’s atmosphere forms a barrier, or bubble around the Earth, and is held there by the force of gravity. This keeps the vapours of the atmosphere from escaping into outer space. It is also this atmosphere which makes the ...
What are the different types of life in the biosphere?
This life is then divided into a series of classifications: kingdoms, phylum, classes, orders, families, genus, and species. There are 5 different kingdoms, known as: animal, plant, fungi, protist and monera, and all of these encompass the entirety of the biosphere. The large biosphere is then further broken down into biomes and ecosystems, which are more specific working systems of animals and plants in any given area. Together, they form an intricate web of life which, when kept in balance, allows our Earth to run in harmony.
Why do all four spheres have to work together?
All four spheres must work in harmony to allow for the balance of life to succeed of Earth. Any threat to one sphere, will have drastic effects on the others.
What makes the Earth inhabitable?
It is also this atmosphere which makes the earth inhabitable. The combination of chemicals in the air, as well as the way in which the atmosphere creates a barrier between the Earth and the harmful rays of the sun, makes an environment in which animals, plants and human life can thrive. The layers of the Earth's atmosphere .
What is the hydrosphere?
Hydrosphere. Water cycle allows the hydrosphere to function. The hydrosphere is the water sphere of Earth. This includes the total amount of water that can be found on the whole planet, from that on the surface - like in lakes, oceans, rivers etc. as well as water underground, and in the air.
What are the layers of the lithosphere?
It more specifically refers to the rocky outer surface of the Earth’s crust, and upper portion of the mantle. The Earth itself is split into several layers: the crust, upper and main mantle, the outer core and the inner core.
What is the atmosphere on Earth?
Matt Rosenberg. Updated January 26, 2019. Earth is surrounded by its atmosphere, which is the body of air or gases that protects the planet and enables life. Most of our atmosphere is located close to Earth's surface, where it is most dense. It has five distinct layers.
What is the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere?
It's where weather happens and contains the air humans breathe. The air of our planet is 79 percent nitrogen and just under 21 percent oxygen; the small amount remaining is composed of carbon dioxide and other gases. The temperature of the troposphere decreases with height.
What is the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere?
Between each layer of the atmosphere is a boundary. Above the troposphere is the tropopause, above the stratosphere is the stratopause, above the mesosphere is the mesopause, and above the thermosphere is the thermopause. At these "pauses," maximum change between the "spheres" occur.
What is the temperature of the mesosphere?
Temperatures in the mesosphere reach a low of -130 degrees Fahrenheit (-90 C).
What layer of the atmosphere is above the Earth's surface?
Above the troposphere is the stratosphere, which extends to about 31 miles (50 km) above the Earth's surface. This layer is where the ozone layer exists and scientists send weather balloons. Jets fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid turbulence in the troposphere.
How high is the thermosphere?
The thermosphere rises several hundred miles above the Earth's surface, from 56 miles (90 km) up to between 311 and 621 miles (500–1,000 km). Temperature is very much affected by the sun here; it can be 360 degrees Fahrenheit hotter (500 C) during the day than at night. Temperature increases with height and can rise to as high as 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (2000 C). Nonetheless, the air would feel cold because the hot molecules are so far apart. This layer is known as the upper atmosphere, and it is where the auroras occur ( northern and southern lights).
Which layer of the atmosphere is closest to the Earth?
Troposphere. The layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth is the troposphere. It begins at the surface of the Earth and extends out to about 4 to 12 miles (6 to 20 km). This layer is known as the lower atmosphere. It's where weather happens and contains the air humans breathe.

Overview
Stratification
In general, air pressure and density decrease with altitude in the atmosphere. However, the temperature has a more complicated profile with altitude, and may remain relatively constant or even increase with altitude in some regions (see the temperature section, below). Because the general pattern of the temperature/altitude profile, or lapse rate, is constant and measurable by mean…
Composition
The three major constituents of Earth's atmosphere are nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. Water vapor accounts for roughly 0.25% of the atmosphere by mass. The concentration of water vapor (a greenhouse gas) varies significantly from around 10 ppm by mole fraction in the coldest portions of the atmosphere to as much as 5% by mole fraction in hot, humid air masses, and concentrations of …
Physical properties
The average atmospheric pressure at sea level is defined by the International Standard Atmosphere as 101325 pascals (760.00 Torr; 14.6959 psi; 760.00 mmHg). This is sometimes referred to as a unit of standard atmospheres (atm). Total atmospheric mass is 5.1480×10 kg (1.135×10 lb), about 2.5% less than would be inferred from the average sea level pressure and Earth's area of 51007.2 m…
Optical properties
Solar radiation (or sunlight) is the energy Earth receives from the Sun. Earth also emits radiation back into space, but at longer wavelengths that humans cannot see. Part of the incoming and emitted radiation is absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere. In May 2017, glints of light, seen as twinkling from an orbiting satellite a million miles away, were found to be reflected light from ice crystals i…
Circulation
Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air through the troposphere, and the means (with ocean circulation) by which heat is distributed around Earth. The large-scale structure of the atmospheric circulation varies from year to year, but the basic structure remains fairly constant because it is determined by Earth's rotation rate and the difference in solar radiation betwee…
Evolution of Earth's atmosphere
The first atmosphere consisted of gases in the solar nebula, primarily hydrogen. There were probably simple hydrides such as those now found in the gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), notably water vapor, methane and ammonia.
Outgassing from volcanism, supplemented by gases produced during the late heavy bombardment of Earth by huge asteroids, produced the next atmosphere…
Images from space
On October 19, 2015, NASA started a website containing daily images of the full sunlit side of Earth at https://epic.gsfc.nasa.gov/. The images are taken from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) and show Earth as it rotates during a day.