Earth's Atmosphere

The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%) that surrounds Earth. High above the planet, the atmosphere becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is divided into five layers. Most of the weather and clouds are found in the first layer.

The atmosphere is an important part of what makes Earth livable. It blocks some of the Sun's dangerous rays from reaching Earth. It traps heat, making Earth a comfortable temperature. And the oxygen within our atmosphere is essential for life.

Over the past century, greenhouse gases and other air pollutants released into the atmosphere have been causing big changes like global warming, ozone holes, and acid rain.

<a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/tstorm_lightning.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Lightning</a> is the most spectacular element of a <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">thunderstorm</a>. A single stroke of lightning can <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/temperature.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">heat</a> the air around it to 30,000 degrees Celsius (54,000 degrees Fahrenheit)! This extreme heating causes the air to expand explosively. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/lightning_thunder.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">sound wave</a>, better known as thunder.<p><small><em> Image Courtesy of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research/Carlye Calvin</em></small></p><a href="/earth/Atmosphere/NLC.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Noctilucent</a> clouds are the highest clouds in the sky, but they are not associated with weather like the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/clouds/cloud_types.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">other clouds</a> we regularly see in the sky. Noctilucent clouds form very high in the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/overview.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">atmosphere</a>, in the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/mesosphere.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">mesosphere</a>. They are best seen from Earth at sunset. This image was taken on June 15, 2007, in Budapest, Hungary. Normally seen from locations near the <a href="/earth/polar/polar.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">poles</a> of the Earth, in recent years they have also been seen at much lower-latitude locations.<p><small><em> Image Courtesy of NASA/Veres Viktor</em></small></p>An image of Hurricane Sandy taken by the GOES-13 satellite on October 28. This category 1 <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/hurricane.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">hurricane</a> was huge, spanning a horizontal distance of about one-third the US continental landmass. The storm came onshore in New Jersey, and gradually moved northeast. The storm disrupted the lives of tens of millions in the eastern US, doing billions of dollars in damage, resulting in over 30 deaths. Visit the National Hurricane Center's webpage on <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/">Hurricane Sandy</a> for details.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA</em></small></p>Greenland's <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html">ice sheet</a> saw a record <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/headline_universe/olpa/greenland_10dec07.html">melt</a> in July 2012. Scientists studying this event have found that this melting event was triggered by an influx of unusually warm air and amplified by the presence of a blanket of thin low-level <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html">clouds</a> which pushed temperatures up above freezing. For more information see the <a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/21638">press release</a> from the University of Wisconsin Madison.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison</em></small></p>Anti-crepuscular rays are beams of sunlight that appear to converge on a point opposite the sun. They are similar to crepuscular rays, but are seen opposite the sun in the sky. Anti-crepuscular rays are most frequently visible near sunrise or sunset. This photo of anti-crepuscular rays was taken at sunset in Boulder, Colorado. Crepuscular rays are usually much brighter than anti-crepuscular rays.<p><small><em> Image Courtesy of Carlye Calvin</em></small></p>On November 7, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines) made landfall, with imated wind speeds of ~315 km/hr - the strongest <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/intensity.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">tropical cyclone</a> to make landfall in recorded history. As Haiyan moved across the Philippines before reaching Vietnam and China, its <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/wind.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">winds</a> and <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/surge.html&edu=elem&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">storm surge</a> left devastation in its wake, leading to massive loss of life, destruction of homes, and hundreds of thousands of displaced inhabitants. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/09/world/iyw-how-to-help-typhoon-haiyan/index.html">How to Help</a><p><small><em>Image courtesy of COMS-1, SSEC, University of Wisconsin-Madison</em></small></p>

Explore Earth's Atmosphere

Layers of the Atmosphere

The atmosphere is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with ...Read more

Weather

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place. Most weather takes place ...Read more

Climate

Warm near the equator and cold at the poles, our planet is able to support a variety of living ...Read more

The Polar Atmosphere

Phenomena in the Polar Atmosphere There are some unique phenomena that happen in the atmosphere ...Read more

Atmospheric Optics

Have you ever seen clouds in the sky that looked different than "normal" clouds? Or have you ...Read more

Air Pollution

What do smog, acid rain, carbon monoxide, fossil fuel exhausts, and tropospheric ozone have ...Read more

Ozone Holes

The Ozone Hole is a major "thinning" of the ozone layer in Earth's atmosphere. It ...Read more

Modeling the Atmosphere

Clouds are an important part of Earth's weather and climate. Scientists use computer models ...Read more

Arts and Culture About Clouds, Weather, and Climate

Whether it is how an artist paints the shapes of clouds or how a poet describes a gloomy weather ...Read more

Atmosphere News

Read about current science, happenings and discoveries related to Earth's atmosphere! ...Read more

More about Earth's Atmosphere

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that the atmosphere gets thinner as you go up in altitude?

Do you know what famous horror novel was written during the "Year Without a Summer"?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Mantle
xMantle : Part of the earth's interior between the metallic outer core and the crust.

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Research Highlights

Even in the Desert, Plants Feel the Heat of Global Warming

Global warming is a hot topic, and it's causing concern for scientists studying winter annuals in the Sonoran Desert. While desert winters have become warmer and drier over the years, climate changes have...Read more


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