8Th Grade Science-Structure Of The Atmosphere

Front 1

What are the layers of the atmosphere in order from the surface of the earth until we reach outer space?

Back 1

1) Troposphere
2) Stratosphere
3) Mesosphere
4) Thermosphere

Front 2

The Thermosphere is further divided into the...

Back 2

1) The Ionosphere
2) The Exosphere

Front 3

Does the Thermosphere have a definite outer limit?

Back 3

No, the Thermosphere extends from 80 km above the earth's surface outward into space. It has no definite outer limit.
The atmosphere does not end suddenly at the outer edge of the Thermosphere. Gas atoms and molecules there are so far apart that the air blends gradually with outer space.

Front 4

What is the temperature in the Thermosphere?

Back 4

Thermo means "heat". Even though the air in the Thermosphere is thin, it is very hot, up to 1800 degrees C.

Front 5

Why is the Thermosphere so hot?

Back 5

Energy coming from the sun strikes the thermosphere first. Nitrogen and Oxygen molecules convert energy from the sun into heat.

Front 6

Would you feel warm in the Thermosphere?

Back 6

Despite the high temperature of up to 1800 degrees C, you would NOT feel warm in the thermosphere. An ordinary thermometer would actually register well below 0 degrees C. Temperature is the average amount of energy of motion of each molecule of a substance. The gas molecules in the thermosphere move very rapidly, so the temperature is very high. However, the molecules are spaced far apart in the thin air. There is not enough of them to collide with a thermometer and warm it very much. So, an ordinary thermometer would not detect the molecule's energy.

Front 7

Evaporation

Back 7

The process by which most water vapor enters the atmosphere.

Front 8

Ionosphere

Back 8

This is the lower level of the thermosphere.
1) Energy from the sun causes gas molecules in the ionosphere to become electrically charged particles called ions. Radio waves bounce off ions in the ionosphere and then bounce back to Earth's surface.
2) The aurora borealis occurs here.

Front 9

What are the auroras?

Back 9

Called the Northern or Southern Lights, these brilliant light displays occur in the ionosphere. They are caused by the particles from the sun that enter the ionosphere near the North or South Poles. These particles strike oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the ionosphere, causing them to glow.

Front 10

Exosphere

Back 10

The outer layer of the thermosphere. The exosphere is where telephone and television satellites orbit the Earth.

Front 11

Mesosphere

Back 11

This layer of the atmosphere is where most meteoroids burn up, producing meteor trails.

Front 12

Stratosphere

Back 12

1) The upper part contains a layer of ozone, the three-atom form of oxygen.
2) When the ozone in the stratosphere absorbs energy from the sun, the energy is converted into heat, warming the air.
3) The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
4) This is the level at which weather balloons burst, returning instruments to the earth.

Front 13

Troposphere

Back 13

We live in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. This is where Earth's weather occurs.

Front 14

On average, how will the temperature change as you climb in altitude in the troposphere?

Back 14

On average, the temperature will drop about 6.5 Celsius for every kilometer that you climb in altitude.