{"id":13062,"date":"2014-02-07T16:02:49","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T16:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=13062"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:24:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:24:40","slug":"earths-atmosphere","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/earths-atmosphere\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth&#8217;s Atmosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_N7cXD5sEJKg\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_N7cXD5sEJKg\" data-source-videoID=\"N7cXD5sEJKg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Earth&#8217;s Atmosphere Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Earth&#8217;s Atmosphere\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_N7cXD5sEJKg:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_N7cXD5sEJKg {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/445-earth-s-atmosphere-1-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_N7cXD5sEJKg\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_N7cXD5sEJKg\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Earth&#8217;s Atmosphere\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_N7cXD5sEJKg\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_N7cXD5sEJKg\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_N7cXD5sEJKg\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction T8Y_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"T8Y\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"T8Y_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"T8Y\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Earth%E2%80%99s_Atmosphere_Layers\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Earth\u2019s Atmosphere Layers<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Troposphere\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Troposphere<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Stratosphere\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Stratosphere<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Mesosphere\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Mesosphere<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Thermosphere\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Thermosphere<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Exosphere\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Exosphere<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>When someone tells you to \u201cget your head out of the clouds\u201d, you should tell them you can\u2019t help it because you live in the troposphere! All science jokes aside, we really do live in the troposphere, and there are four additional layers of the Earth\u2019s atmosphere!<\/p>\n<p>Before we get into the layers of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, I wanted to share with you what it\u2019s made of. The atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, about 1% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and then various small amounts of neon, helium, methane, krypton, hydrogen, and water vapor. <\/p>\n<h2>Earth&#8217;s Atmosphere Layers<\/h2>\n<p>\nAs I vaguely mentioned, there are five layers to the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. In order from closest to the surface to furthest from it is the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and the exosphere.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1878\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-1024x751.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-768x564.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-1536x1127.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Earths-Atmosphere-with-logo-2048x1503.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Troposphere\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Troposphere<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe <strong>troposphere<\/strong> is the atmospheric layer closest to the surface of the earth. It is four to 12 miles thick and contains about half of the entire atmosphere! As you\u2019ve figured out by now, this is the layer of the atmosphere that sustains life.<\/p>\n<p>The parts of the troposphere closest to the ground are warmer, and the farther up in this layer, the colder it gets. Additionally, lots of <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/properties-of-water\/\">water<\/a> vapor and dust get trapped in this layer which helps with the formation of clouds. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Stratosphere\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Stratosphere<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe second layer, the <strong>stratosphere<\/strong> starts above the troposphere and extends to about 31 miles above the Earth\u2019s surface. The stratosphere holds the ozone layer and absorbs the harmful radiations from the sun. <strong>Ozone<\/strong> is the layer of three oxygen atoms that shields the earth\u2019s surface from the sun\u2019s harsh rays.<\/p>\n<p>The stratosphere also contains very dry air that is roughly 1,000 times thinner than the air at sea level. This thin air is what makes it possible for jets to travel through the stratospheric layer of the atmosphere. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Mesosphere\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Mesosphere<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe third layer is the <strong>mesosphere<\/strong>. This layer starts at 31 miles above Earth\u2019s surface and ends at about 53 miles. It contains the coldest part of the atmosphere reaching temperatures of nearly minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit. These below freezing temperatures occur in the top parts of the mesosphere called the <strong>mesopause<\/strong>. Not a whole lot of studies have been conducted on this layer of the atmosphere because it is hard to get to. Jets can\u2019t travel that high, and satellites or space shuttles aren\u2019t able to stay that low. Really all that\u2019s known is that meteors tend to burn up in the mesosphere.<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>meteor<\/strong> is piece of rock or matter that has been broken off in space and travels through the atmosphere. When they cross the mesosphere, <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/friction\/\">friction<\/a> and momentum cause the meteor to burn up and appear as a light crossing the sky. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Thermosphere\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Thermosphere<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe fourth atmospheric layer is the <strong>thermosphere<\/strong>. The thermosphere begins at around 56 miles above the Earth\u2019s surface and ends anywhere between 310 and 620 miles. This layer can house temperatures up to 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit. That\u2019s significantly hotter than the mesopause!<\/p>\n<p>This layer is technically part of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, but due to its low air density, the thermosphere is usually associated with outer space. This layer is home to the International Space Station and is the layer that multiple space shuttles have flown to. Have you ever heard of the auroras borealis or australis? Well, these atmospheric beauties take place in the thermosphere!<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 20px;\">\n<strong>FUN FACT #1:<\/strong> The aurora borealis and australis occur from the collision of particles and atoms in space not being able to withstand the amounts of energy they create at the point of collision. When the energy is shed from the atoms, the beautiful photons of light are dispersed, created the auroras.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>FUN FACT #2:<\/strong> There is a layer called the <strong>ionosphere<\/strong> that overlaps the mesosphere, thermosphere, and the exosphere. The ionosphere gets its name from the electrically charged ions that fill its layer. The ions are created from interactions between the ionosphere\u2019s gases with the sun\u2019s solar radiation. This layer of the atmosphere is heavily affected by the magnetic fields from the sun and the earth.\n<\/div>\n<h3><span id=\"Exosphere\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Exosphere<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe fifth and highest layer of the Earth\u2019s atmosphere is the <strong>exosphere<\/strong>. This layer is the thinnest of all of the layers of the atmosphere. It merges into the interplanetary space and is composed of mostly hydrogen and helium. Its particles are spread far out from one another and aren\u2019t necessarily considered gaseous due to the incredibly low density of the air.<\/p>\n<p>In this layer, there\u2019s no way for a human to breathe on their own, and even if you could, the exosphere\u2019s freezing temperatures would be enough to keep you from visiting!<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for learning about the Earth\u2019s atmosphere with me! See you next time.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"citelist\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/17683-earth-atmosphere.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cEarth\u2019s Atmosphere: Composition, Climate &#038; Weather.\u201d Space.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/exosphere-definition-and-facts-4129101\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cThe Exosphere Is a Strange and Wondrous Place.\u201d ThoughtCo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceplace.nasa.gov\/ionosphere\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cIonosphere | NASA Space Place \u2013 NASA Science for Kids.\u201d n.d. Spaceplace.nasa.gov<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/geology\/\">Return to Geology Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Geology Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95338,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-13062","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-geology-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-science"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13062"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279145,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13062\/revisions\/279145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}