The layers of the atmosphere are impressive and different. The atmosphere reaches a total height of around 10,000 meters.
The layers of the atmosphere
Our Earth’s atmosphere has an important task. It protects the planet and therefore all its living beings from the influences of the sun and space. Without them, life on earth would not be possible. As a rule, the atmosphere is simply called “air”. It is composed of around 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 1% noble gases and another 1% from various aerosols. The atmosphere is divided into different layers in which different conditions prevail. These are the layers of the atmosphere:
- Troposphere: Sounds impressive, but it isn’t, because this is the layer in which we live. It reaches a height of around 15 kilometers. Above the equator it is up to 17 kilometers high, while over the poles it is only about 8 kilometers high. This layer contains up to 90% of the entire air mass and almost all of the water vapor in the atmosphere. Passenger aircraft usually fly in the troposphere, namely around 10 to 12 kilometers high. At the upper limit of this atmospheric layer, temperatures can reach as low as -80 °C.
- Stratosphere: This starts at an altitude of around 15 kilometers and goes up to a height of around 50 kilometers. It is no longer getting colder here, but rather the temperatures are increasing because UV radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer.
- Mesosphere: This reaches a height of up to 85 kilometers. In this area, for example, small dust particles or pieces of rock burn up. You can watch this spectacle as Shooting stars admire. The temperatures here go down again and can be as low as -100 °C. The air density here is only about 1/1000 of the density at sea level.
- Thermosphere: It reaches an altitude of up to 500 kilometers. The temperature here is 1,700 °C. The ISS space station, for example, flies at this altitude.
- Exosphere: This is the outermost layer of our atmosphere and reaches an altitude of up to 10,000 kilometers. This is where the smooth transition to space can be found. The earth’s gravity is decreasing more and more.