Layers of the Atmosphere

Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere, and this protects the planet and enables life to
exist. Our atmosphere contains different types of gases. Consequently, air is made up mostly nitrogen (78 %) and
oxygen (21 %) gases. Nitrogen is the most abundant gas and is essential for all living things to grow. Oxygen on the
other hand is necessary for humans and animals for survival, and this gas is given off by the plants as one of the by-
products during photosynthesis. The remaining one percent is made up of other gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide,
ozone, argon, neon, helium, hydrogen, dust particles, and chlorofluorocarbons. The said gases exist only in very small
amounts and are called
trace gases.

The temperature profile of the atmosphere is the basis for dividing the atmosphere into several layers: (1)
troposphere, (2) stratosphere, (3) mesosphere, (4) thermosphere, and (5) exosphere. Each layer has its distinct
characteristics.
1. Troposphere- The troposphere starts at the Earth’s surface and extends 8 km to 14.5 km high. Because of
gravity’s pull, about 75 % of the gases in the atmosphere can be found in this layer. “Tropos” means change.
This layer gets its name from the weather that is constantly changing.
2. Stratosphere- The second layer of the atmosphere is the stratosphere. “Strat” means layer. The stratosphere is the
layer of air that starts just above the troposphere and extends to about 50 km. In this layer, temperature increases
as the altitude increases. This is due to the ozone layer that is
found in the stratosphere. The ozone layer absorbs much of the sun’s harmful radiation that would otherwise
be dangerous to plant and animal life. Ozone is a form of oxygen that absorbs the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the
sun, which eventually releases heat. This is also the location where aircraft fly because it is very stable in
comparison to the troposphere.
3. Mesosphere- The layer between 50 km and 80 km above the Earth’s surface is called the mesosphere which is the
third layer of the atmosphere. “Meso” means middle. In this layer, temperature decreases as altitude increases. It
has no gases which can absorb UV rays from the sun. The mesosphere is characterized as a very cold layer with
an average
temperature of -90 ℃. It also has a thin layer of air which is still enough to decelerate meteors
rushing towards Earth. This thin layer of air adds friction to meteoroids which become meteors producing a
burning tail and are seen as shooting stars.
4. Thermosphere- The fourth layer is the thermosphere. “Thermo” means heat. The temperature of this gas layer
can go beyond 1000 ℃. This increase in temperature is due to the absorption of intense solar radiation by the
limited number of remaining molecular oxygen. The thermosphere is between 80 km and 110 km above the Earth.
A layer in the thermosphere, called ionosphere, is made of gas particles charged by solar energy. The
ionosphere bounces off radio waves from different parts of the world. Also, a remarkable feature that is
happening in the ionosphere is the occurrence of auroras. An Aurora is a display of glow in the night sky within
the polar areas. The auroras (Aurora borealis in the North and Aurora australis in the South) can be seen as
white, green, red, blue, or purple. Space shuttles also fly in this area.
5. Exosphere- The exosphere is the outermost layer of the atmosphere. “Exo” means outside. It is more than 700
km, maybe up to 10,000 km from the surface of Earth with no clear boundary. This layer continues into outer
space where gas can easily move due to weak gravitational pulls. Due to its nature, the air here is very thin.
Satellites are stationed in this area, 500 km to 1000 km from Earth.
Role of Atmosphere in Sustaining Life
Surrounding earth is a layer of gas which is a critical factor in sustaining life on the planet. This layer of gas
called the atmosphere, is held together by earth’s gravity. It makes Earth “livable” by regulating solar energy, or
the energy coming from the sun which drives all life processes on Earth. Because of the atmosphere, the Earth is
not “too hot” nor “too cold” to sustain life. This characteristic sets Earth apart from other planets.
How the Tilt of the Earth’s Axis Affects the Length of Daytime
You know that there are 24 hours in a day. You probably
think that daytime and nighttime are always equal, however, that is
not the case. When the North Pole is tilted 23.5o towards the Sun,
the length of daytime will be longer than nighttime in the Northern
Hemisphere. When that happens, the ground gets to absorb more
energy from the sun. The Northern Hemisphere steadily warms up
and the result is summer. At the same time, the opposite is happening
in the Southern Hemisphere. The length of daytime is shorter than
nighttime thus the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter. But
when the Earth has moved farther along its orbit, the North Pole will
then be tilted away from the Sun. Nighttime will then be longer than
daytime in the Northern Hemisphere. There would be a shorter time
for the ground to heat up and a longer time for it to cool down. The result is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Because the Sun is so big compared to the Earth, only the rays
that come straight at Earth will hit it. The light rays that are
hitting the earth at 90 degrees are known as direct rays. Because
the Earth is curved, not all rays hit it directly. Light rays that hit
the earth at an angle are known as indirect rays. Areas of the
Earth that are hit by direct rays are warmer than areas that are
hit by indirect rays. The equator is always hit by direct rays of
the sun. This is why it is always warm.

The Table shows the time of sunrise and sunset on a selected day of each month of the year 2011.
Common Atmospheric Phenomena
1. Sea Breeze- The warm air rises and the cold air from the sea rushes in and replaces the warm air. The
movement of air from sea to land is called sea breeze.
2. Land breeze- The warm air rises and the cold air from the land blows in and replaces the warm air above the
ocean.

3. Monsoons (Amihan and Habagat)

Monsoons are wind systems.
In the Philippines, we call monsoons as “Amihan” or “Habagat” depending upon the direction where the winds
originate. Amihan or Northeast Monsoon draws cold, dry air from high-pressure areas of Siberia, China, and
Japan to low-pressure areas of the Philippines. The cold air that we experience from November to February is
part of it.

Habagat or Southwest Monsoon is characterized by hot and humid air blown from high-pressure areas of
Australia and the Indian Ocean to low-pressure areas of the Philippines. Because of Habagat, we experience
warmer air in the months of June to October. Habagat also brings heavier rainfall compared to Amihan as
this wind collects more moisture from bodies of water it passes through. This causes floods in some low surface-
level areas. This is why many mistakenly describe monsoons as rains.
 4. Intertropical Convergent Zone (ITZC)

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a region characterized by belt of clouds encircling the Earth
near the equator.

Because of this event, ITCZ is often associated with a heavy downpour of rain. Since ITCZ is prominent in
tropical regions such as in the Philippines, we experience more rain than the other parts of the region throughout the year.