Atmosphere

Azaadi NDA 2 batch

By Sunny Verma
What is Atmosphere?

The envelope of gases

surrounding the earth is called
the atmosphere. It forms a
protective boundary between
the outer space and the
biosphere. It is a mixture of gases
that is odorless, colorless,
tasteless and formless mixed and
blended so thoroughly that it
acts as a single gas.
The atmosphere is a significant component of
the biospheric ecosystem because life on the
earth’s surface is because of this atmosphere
otherwise the earth would have become barren
like the moon.

The atmosphere contains living gases like

oxygen for man and animal and carbon dioxide
for plants(important for survival).
It protects the earth
from the harmful
radiation from the sun.
It acts as a greenhouse
by allowing short-wave
radiation (from Sun)
and trapping
long-wave terrestrial
radiation (from Earth’s
surface).
Composition of the atmosphere
The atmosphere is composed of –
● Gases
● Vapour
● Particulates

The atmosphere is a mixture of many gases. In

addition, it contains huge numbers of solid and
liquid particles, collectively called aerosols.
● Nitrogen and oxygen make up nearly
99% of the clean, dry air. The
remaining gases are mostly inert and
constitute about 1% of the atmosphere.
● Oxygen, although constituting only 21%
of the total volume of the atmosphere,
is the most important component
among gases. All living organisms
inhale oxygen. Besides, oxygen can
combine with other elements to form
important compounds, such as oxides.
Also, combustion is not possible
without oxygen.
Nitrogen accounts for 78% of
total atmospheric volume. It
is a relatively inert gas and is
an important constituent of
all organic compounds. The
main function of nitrogen is
to control combustion by
diluting oxygen. It also
indirectly helps in the
oxidation of different kinds.
● Carbon Dioxide which constitutes only about 0.038%
of the dry air and is a product of combustion. Green
plants, through photosynthesis, absorb carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to
manufacture food and keep other biophysical
processes going.
○ Being an efficient absorber of heat, carbon
dioxide is considered to be of great climatic
significance. Carbon dioxide is considered to be a
very important factor in the heat energy budget.
○ With the increased burning of fossil fuels – oil,
coal, and natural gas – the carbon dioxide
percentage in the atmosphere has been
increasing at an alarming rate.
○ More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means
more heat absorption. This could significantly
raise the temperature at lower levels of the
atmosphere thus inducing drastic climatic
changes.
○ Carbon dioxide and water vapour are found
only up to 90 km from the surface of the
earth.
● Ozone (03) is another important gas in the atmosphere, which
is actually a type of oxygen molecule consisting of three,
instead of two, atoms. It forms less than 0.00006% by volume of
the atmosphere and is unevenly distributed. It is between 20
km and 25 km altitude that the greatest concentrations of
ozone are found. It is formed at higher altitudes and
transported downwards.
○ Ozone plays a crucial role in blocking the harmful
ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
○ Other gases found in almost negligible quantities in the
atmosphere are neon, helium, hydrogen, xenon, krypton,
methane, etc.
Structure of the Atmosphere
The atmosphere can be divided into different layers
according to composition, density, pressure, and
temperature variations.
Based on Composition:

According to its composition, broadly it is divided into

two layers-
1. homosphere
2. heterosphere
In the Homosphere, there are three regions: The
Troposphere, the Stratosphere, and the Mesosphere.
Although the composition of air is the same throughout
these three regions, the concentration of air decreases
significantly with increasing altitude.
● The Troposphere is the earth’s weather layer. It
contains nearly all weather conditions. As you go up in
altitude the temperature goes down. It is the
bottom-most layer of the
● The Stratosphere is the middle region of the
Homosphere.
● The Mesosphere is the top layer of the Homosphere.
In the Heterosphere, there are two
regions: The Thermosphere and the
Exosphere. These two regions are
considered outer space. The gases in
this layer are not evenly mixed. The
Ionosphere overlaps the Mesosphere
and the Thermosphere.
● The thermosphere is the
bottom region of the
Heterosphere.
● The exosphere is the top
region of the Heterosphere.
Troposphere:
● It is the lowermost layer of the atmosphere. It extends up to 18km at the equator, 13 km
at mid-latitude and about 8km at poles.
● It contains approximately 90% of the total mass of the atmosphere.
● The entire weather phenomenon takes place in this layer. It contains all the water
vapour, dust particles, clouds, etc.
● In the troposphere, the temperature decreases with an increase in height.
● The average rate of decrease of temperature with height is called a normal lapse rate
and it is equal to 6.4 degrees C/km. the rate of decrease of temperature is not constant
everywhere.
● The local rate of decrease is called the local lapse rate. The minimum temperature
attained in this layer is -57 degree C.
● Tropopause: It is the topmost layer of the troposphere. It acts as a boundary between the
troposphere and stratosphere. This layer is marked by constant temperatures.
Q. What is/are the difference(s) between troposphere and
stratosphere?
1. Jet aircraft fly in the stratosphere, not in the
troposphere.
2. The stratosphere is the layer with auroras, not the
troposphere.
3. Most of the Weather patterns occur in the
troposphere, not in the stratosphere.
Select the correct answer code:
a) 1, 2
b) 2, 3
c) 1, 3
d) 1, 2, 3
Solution: c)
Many jet aircraft fly in the stratosphere because it is
very stable.
Auroras are the result of disturbances in the
magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. These
particles, mainly electrons, and protons precipitate
into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere).
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth’s
atmosphere and is also where nearly all weather
conditions take place.
Q. Which of the following statements concerning the
atmosphere of the Earth is/are correct?
1. In the stratosphere, temperature increases with altitude.
2. In the mesosphere, temperature decreases with altitude.
3. The lowest temperature of the atmosphere is recorded in
the upper part of the mesosphere.
4. The tropopause is an isothermal zone.

Select the correct answer code:

a) 1, 2
b) 1, 2, 3
c) 3, 4
d) 1, 2, 3, 4
Solution: d)
The top of the mesosphere, called the mesopause, is
the coldest part of Earth’s atmosphere.
Temperatures
in the upper mesosphere fall as low as −101 °C (172 K;
−150 °F), varying according to latitude and season.
An isothermal layer is defined as a vertical column
of air having a constant temperature with height.