Structure and function of the atmosphere

MISSION : ATMOSPHERE

Learning Targets:

• I can define the Earth’s

atmosphere and why it is
important to living organisms.

• I can describe the composition

of Earth’s atmosphere in
words and in a graph.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

thin layer of gases that surrounds the earth

LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE

WHAT IS COMPOSITION OF

ATMOSPHERE?

Nitrogen

78%

Oxygen

21%

Other gases

1%

HOW DOES THE ATMOSPHERE

PROTECT US?

Learning Target:

•

I can describe the function of the

atmosphere.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF OUR

ATMOSPHERE?

WHAT DO EARTH AND ITS ORGANISMS NEED

PROTECTION FROM?

(WHY DO WE NEED OUR ATMOSPHERE?)

The atmosphere protects us in 3 important ways

(1) IT PROTECTS US FROM …

Space debris- this is anything in space and would include meteros and satellites

• These items would burn up in the atmosphere before hurting us!

(2) IT PROTECTS US FROM ...

Sun’s damaging rays with the ozone layer

This layer absorbs most of the sun’s
radiation and is located in the stratosphere

(3) IT PROTECTS US FROM …

•An extreme temperature range
•Main cause of our climate is the
distance of the earth from the
sun
•However there is something
else at play.

WHY IS THE PREDICTED TEMPERATURE OF

VENUS SO MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE

OBSERVED TEMPERATURE?

HOW DOES ATMOSPHERE MAINTAIN

TEMPERATURE?

•Earth remains warm
because of greenhouse
gases.
•Gases act like a blanket
and keep heat in.

WHAT ARE THE GREENHOUSE GASES?

• Water vapor
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous oxides
• Ozone

Write what you learned on the bottom of your pg 94

I learned that the atmosphere is ___________ and is made up of _____. I also learned that the atmosphere protects me. It does this by-----------------------------------------. (example)

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