Name ______________________________
Properties of Earth’s Atmosphere
The atmosphere is the layer of gasses surrounding the earth. It extends from the surface
of the earth out to a distance of about 50 miles above the surface. The Earth’s atmosphere
consists of approximately 78% Nitrogen, 20% Oxygen, 0.9% Argon, and 0.03% Carbon Dioxide.
The atmosphere protects living things on the surface by screening out dangerous components of
solar energy such as X-Rays and Ultra-Violet light. The atmosphere consists of a number of
distinct layers: the troposphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. In this lab activity you are going
to draw a scale model of the atmosphere using the following scale for measuring distances above
the Earth’s surface:
*1 cm = 1 mile of elevation*
Procedure
1. Tape 3 sheets of paper end to end to construct 1 long sheet. Choose an end to represent
the Earth’s surface.
2. Line the paper alongside a ruler and mark off elevations in 5 cm increments.
Remember: 1 cm = 1 mile.
3. Using the appropriate charts on the Earth Science Reference Tables, draw lines across
your paper separating the atmosphere into its different layers. Label all layers.
4. Draw the following objects into your diagram:
! Mount Everest, the world’s highest
Mountain, sea level – 5 ½ miles.
! Thunderstorm cloud, 2-6 miles
! Passenger Jet; usually cruise at 9 miles high
! Cirrus “high altitude” cloud, 6-8 miles
! Jet Stream, strong winds blowing at over 300 mph at 6 ½ miles.
Controls movement of air masses and our day-to-day weather.
! Ozone Layer, 15 ½ – 22 miles
Mt. Everest
Thunderstorm
Cloud
“Anvil Base”
Passenger Jet
Cirrus
“High Altitude”
Cloud
Jet Stream
! “Shooting Stars,” meteors burning up in
Atmosphere, 35-45 miles.
Ozone Layer
Shooting Stars (meteors)
Questions: Use the Earth Science Reference tables to answer the following questions.
In the center of the chart, “Selected Properties of the Earth’s Atmosphere,” locate the scale that is
to be sued to measure altitude. Notice that the scale shows altitude in km (on the left side) and
miles (on the right side). For either measurement, the scale begins at zero on the very bottom.
Look over to the extreme left of the chart. Find the words “Sea Level.” The zeroes on the bottom
of the scale that measures altitude correspond to sea level. (Sea level is the point on the Earth’s
surface where the ocean meets the atmosphere.) Altitude = “0”
The scale that measures all altitude goes with the 2 graphs to the left and single graph to the
right. The title of each graph tells the properties of the atmosphere that are measured. List the
three atmospheric properties that are shown on these graphs.
1.___________________________________________
2.___________________________________________
3.___________________________________________
The dotted lines running across the chart separate the atmosphere into its 4 layers. Name the 4
layers of the atmosphere in order from the lowest to the highest (All names end in the word
“sphere”).
1.___________________________________________
2.___________________________________________
3.___________________________________________
4.___________________________________________
There are three interfaces between each pair of atmospheric layers mentioned above. These
interfaces mark the altitude at which the different layers of the atmosphere begin and end. The
names of those boundary lines end in the word “pause.”
List each of the interfaces:
1. ____________________________________________
2.____________________________________________
3.____________________________________________
At how many kilometers above sea level (Earth’s surface) does the troposphere end?
_____________________________________________________________________________
At how many kilometers above Earth’s surface does the stratosphere begin? ________________
What is the name of the boundary line between the troposphere and the stratosphere? _________
How many kilometers above Earth’s surface does the stratosphere end? ____________________
How many miles above Earth’s surface does the stratosphere end? ________________________
How many miles above Earth’s surface would we find the mesopause?_____________________
What layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer part of?____________________
Mount Everest is 8.8 km above Earth’s surface (about 5.5 miles above Earth’s surface). Which
atmospheric layer are we in if we climb to the top of Mount Everest? _____________________
The Graphs
Look carefully at the graphs shown to the far left of the top of page 15 of the Earth Science
Reference Table. This graph shows the amount of water vapor (gaseous water) found in the
atmosphere. What are the units that re used to measure the concentration of the water vapor?
(Look at the X-Axis) ___________________________________________________________
Look at the curve that is shown on the graph for water vapor (notice that it is a cure and not a
straight line). Does the concentration of water vapor get larger as we go higher into the
atmosphere or closer to the Earth’s surface? __________________________________________
Are the concentration of water vapor and the altitude (height in the atmosphere) directly related
or inversely related? __________________________________________
According to the graph, which layer of the atmosphere has all the water vapor?
__________________________
What force do you think is responsible for keeping the water vapor in the lowest part of the
atmosphere, closest to the Earth’s surface? ________________________________________
The graph to the immediate left of the altitude scale gives us information about atmospheric
pressure (also known as air pressure). Air pressure refers to the amount of pressure exerted on
Earth by the air. (Remember: Air has mass and volume even though we can’t see it.)
Atmospheric pressure is measured in a unit called “atmospheres.” The abbreviation is atm.
In other words, as we read the X-Axis from left to right, our atmospheric pressure is increasing.
(0.0001 atm is LESS THAN 1 atm).
In what layer of the atmosphere is atmospheric pressure the highest? ______________________
In what layer of the atmosphere is atmospheric pressure to the lowest? _____________________
In a complete sentence describe the trend for atmospheric pressure as we increase in altitude.
______________________________________________________________________________
Do atmospheric pressure and altitude have a direct or inverse relationship?
______________________________________________________________________________