EnviSci

• Stratosphere

  Contains high level of Ozone (O3) molecules which forms a protection layer and adsorbs harmful UV (UV-B), Temperature increases with elevation, This region is very dry and clouds are rare
• Non-Gas Constituents act as condensation and freezing nuclei, absorb or scatter radiation, impact human health
• Particles in the air are important because they are present in different layers of the atmosphere: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
• Atmosphere


  Envelope of air surrounding the earth and bound to the earth by the earth’s gravitational attraction. Extends from the surface into space with decreasing density with height
• Atmospheric pressure


  The force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth
• Atmospheric Constituents

  • Hydrometeors: rain clouds, hail
  • Particulates and aerosols: collection of suspended particles and the surrounding gases, Particulates: the suspended solid or liquid matter, Inorganic: soil, smoke, dirt, sea salt, volcanic dust, surface acid aerosol, Organic: seed, spores, pollen, bacteria
• Exosphere


  Represents the outermost layer of the earth’s atmosphere, The air is very thin in this layer, Temperature varies greatly and can range from 0 to 1700, It is colder at night but extremely hot during the day
• Troposphere


  Closest to the Earth’s surface, Contains about 75 percent of the total mass of the atmosphere
• Mesosphere

  Gases are less dense, absorb very little UV radiation, Coldest temperature, Most of the meteor burnout happens in this layer
• Thermosphere


  Contains highly ionized gases, heated flow of high-energy solar and cosmic radiation, Aurora borealis and aurora australis
• Trend of temperature in stratosphere

  higher altitude, higher temperature
• The troposphere is where most weather occurs.
• In the mesosphere, temperatures decrease with increasing height.
• Exo means outside, Thermos means heat, Meso means middle, Strat means layer, Tropein means change or turn
• Tropopause (tropo from strato), Stratopause (strato from meso), Mesopause (meso from thermo)