The Atmosphere (9/30-10/4)


Summary:
The atmosphere is made up of many gases that act as a shield for the Earth, and let life exist. The higher you go in the atmosphere, the less pressure there is. Gravity holds the whole atmosphere together.  The atmosphere is made out of 4 different layers, and different things happen in each one. Read on to find out more…
The layer of the atmosphere that is the closest to the ground is the troposphere. This is the only layer that weather happens in. This is because this layer has most of the water vapor (gas) that evaporates. Life can only live in this layer of the atmosphere. This is where the clouds form. (Part of the water cycle)

The next layer is the stratosphere. (Strato-means layer.) In the stratosphere there is the ozone layer. The ozone layer absorbs a lot of the sun’s harmful radiation, that is why we should try harder to protect it. The radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer. Things that ruin the ozone layer include all kinds of electronic devices (the computer that I am using to write this blog is harmful!) Factories can also be harmful. In the late 1900, some hairsprays used to be harmful for the ozone layer.

Beyond the stratosphere, the air is very thin, and cold. The next layer is the mesosphere. (Mes- means middle) The mesosphere is found between 50km, and 80km above the ground. (The Earth’s surface) The mesosphere is the third layer in the atmosphere. Meteors come in this layer.

Last, but not least there is the thermosphere. (Therm-means heat) Space shuttles fly in this area. Here is where the aurora lights are found. Part of the thermosphere is the Ionosphere. The Ionosphere reflects radio waves to close places on Earth. It makes the radio transmissions possible. Another part of the thermosphere is The Exosphere. (Exo-means outer) The exosphere is where the atmosphere merges into space.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about the atmosphere as much as I did. Did you know that everything that involves the atmosphere has a suffix of sphere? Try to guess why! Hint: the Earth is round. I would love to see the light show after researching more about the aurora lights. I better start saving money!

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