Earth's Atmosphere and Interior
Matthew T Rodgers
Astronomy 101
18 August 2011
Research Paper
Earth’s Atmosphere and Interior
Planet Earth, It’s our home in the universe. It’s also the birthplace of intelligent life and astronomy. In order to better understand our universe we must first understand our planet and planetary system of which we reside. By understanding Earth’s properties we can get a better grasp of the rest of our solar system. Earth is the best studied of all the terrestrial planets and also where our study of astronomy begins. In the following research paper I will cover topics such as Earth’s atmosphere, Earth’s Interior, Surface activity of the Earth, Earth’s magnetosphere, and Earth’s origin. From a human’s perspective, the most important part of the Earth’s atmosphere is the part in which we can live and breathe called the Troposphere. The air in which we breathe is a mixture of gases made up mostly of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, and Carbon Dioxide. The presence of a very large amount of Oxygen makes us unique from any other planet in the solar system. Water, and Carbon Dioxide play a vital part in the workings of our planet and sustaining life on Earth. The portion of our atmosphere below 12km is called the Troposphere, and the portion 40 to 50 km above it is called the stratosphere. Between 50 and 80 km is the mesosphere, and above 80 km is the ionosphere. Atmospheric density decreases steadily as altitude increases. As altitude increase so does the pressure relative to ground level.
Figure [ 1 ]Earth 's Atmosphere
The troposphere is the area of Earth’s atmosphere in which convection takes place. It is the constant upwelling of warm air and the concurrent downward flow of cool air to physically take its place. When the Earth is heated by the sun, the air becomes warmer and expands therefore it becomes buoyant, less dense, and begins to rise. At higher altitudes the opposite effect occurs. The air cools down and becomes denser causing it to sink
Astronomy 101
18 August 2011
Research Paper
Earth’s Atmosphere and Interior
Planet Earth, It’s our home in the universe. It’s also the birthplace of intelligent life and astronomy. In order to better understand our universe we must first understand our planet and planetary system of which we reside. By understanding Earth’s properties we can get a better grasp of the rest of our solar system. Earth is the best studied of all the terrestrial planets and also where our study of astronomy begins. In the following research paper I will cover topics such as Earth’s atmosphere, Earth’s Interior, Surface activity of the Earth, Earth’s magnetosphere, and Earth’s origin. From a human’s perspective, the most important part of the Earth’s atmosphere is the part in which we can live and breathe called the Troposphere. The air in which we breathe is a mixture of gases made up mostly of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, and Carbon Dioxide. The presence of a very large amount of Oxygen makes us unique from any other planet in the solar system. Water, and Carbon Dioxide play a vital part in the workings of our planet and sustaining life on Earth. The portion of our atmosphere below 12km is called the Troposphere, and the portion 40 to 50 km above it is called the stratosphere. Between 50 and 80 km is the mesosphere, and above 80 km is the ionosphere. Atmospheric density decreases steadily as altitude increases. As altitude increase so does the pressure relative to ground level.
Figure [ 1 ]Earth 's Atmosphere
The troposphere is the area of Earth’s atmosphere in which convection takes place. It is the constant upwelling of warm air and the concurrent downward flow of cool air to physically take its place. When the Earth is heated by the sun, the air becomes warmer and expands therefore it becomes buoyant, less dense, and begins to rise. At higher altitudes the opposite effect occurs. The air cools down and becomes denser causing it to sink
Cited: Chaisson,Eric. Astronomy Today/ Eric Chaisson, Steve McMillan.-7th ed. 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Book Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science Lerner. Vol. 2. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. p1416-1420. R. Abler, M. Marcus, and J. Olson, Geography 's Inner Worlds: Pervasive Themes in Contemporary American Geography, 1992