The atmosphere is divided into several layers, including the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

  12 September 2024 17:45

Brilio.net - Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gas that surrounds our planet, providing protection from external threats such as solar radiation and meteors. This layer also plays an important role in maintaining a stable temperature and climate, which is essential to support life on Earth. Without an atmosphere, Earth would be an inhospitable planet for living things.

The atmosphere is divided into several layers, including the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Each layer has different characteristics and functions, but supports each other in protecting the Earth. For example, the troposphere is the layer where weather forms and life takes place, while the stratosphere protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation with the presence of the ozone layer.

Each of these layers has a very important role. The mesosphere protects the Earth from meteoroids, the thermosphere is where the aurora occurs and is important for satellite communications, while the exosphere is the outermost boundary that connects the Earth to space. The overall structure of the atmosphere ensures that the balance of nature is maintained, so that life can continue well. If you want to know more about the layers of the atmosphere, you can read the discussion that brilio.net has collected from various sources, Thursday (12/9). Come on, see the review.

Various layers that make up the Earth's atmosphere 1. Troposphere

The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface, with a height of about 0 to 12 km. This layer is where life takes place and weather is formed. Here are its characteristics and functions:

- Characteristics: The temperature in the troposphere decreases with increasing altitude. At the lowest point, the average temperature can reach 15 Celsius, while at the top, the temperature can drop to -60 Celsius. In addition, 75% of the total mass of the atmosphere is in this layer. The content of water vapor, gases such as nitrogen and oxygen, and dust particles are very dominant in the troposphere, which plays an important role in the formation of clouds and precipitation.

- Function: The troposphere is where various weather phenomena such as rain, snow, wind, and storms occur. In addition, this layer also functions to support life by providing the oxygen we breathe and regulating temperature through air circulation. Natural phenomena such as the water cycle also occur in this layer, making it crucial to the sustainability of the ecosystem on Earth.

2. Stratosphere

The stratosphere is located above the troposphere, at an altitude of about 12 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. This layer is famous for the presence of the important ozone layer.

- Characteristics: One of the characteristics of the stratosphere is the presence of an ozone layer (ozonosphere) that absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. Unlike the troposphere, the temperature in the stratosphere actually increases with altitude. This is because ozone absorbs UV rays that produce heat. In this layer, air flow is more stable, so there is no turbulence like in the troposphere.

- Function: The stratosphere serves as a shield for the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Without the ozone layer in the stratosphere, strong UV radiation can cause skin damage, cancer, and other health problems for living things. In addition, the stratosphere also plays an important role in climate stability, as it keeps weather phenomena from reaching the upper atmosphere.

3. Mesosphere

The mesosphere is the layer of the atmosphere located above the stratosphere, at an altitude of 50 to 85 km from the Earth's surface. Although this layer is not often talked about, it has a very important role.

- Characteristics: The temperature in the mesosphere is very low, even the coldest layer of the atmosphere, with temperatures that can reach -90 Celsius. The mesosphere is also the layer where most meteoroids that enter the atmosphere will burn out, creating the phenomenon of meteors or "shooting stars". This happens because even though this layer is thin, friction with particles in the mesosphere is large enough to burn meteoroids.

- Function: One of the main functions of the mesosphere is to protect the Earth from meteoroids. Without the mesosphere, many meteoroids could hit the Earth's surface and cause damage. This layer also plays an important role in maintaining temperature balance in the upper atmosphere.

4. Thermosphere

The thermosphere is the layer of the atmosphere above the mesosphere, at an altitude of about 85 to 600 km. The thermosphere is a very important layer for modern technology and natural phenomena.

- Characteristics: The temperature in the thermosphere is very high, it can reach more than 1,500 Celsius or more. However, even though the temperature is high, the molecules in this layer are very rare, so the heat is not felt like on the Earth's surface. It is in this thermosphere layer that the aurora borealis and aurora australis phenomena occur, namely natural light that is visible in the sky in the polar regions.

- Function: The thermosphere plays an important role in supporting communication and technology. Radio waves bounce off this layer, making long-distance communication possible. Communication and GPS satellites are also located in this layer. In addition, the thermosphere serves to protect the Earth from harmful solar radiation by absorbing highly charged particles from the solar wind.

5. Exosphere

The exosphere is the outermost layer of the atmosphere, located at an altitude of about 600 to 10,000 km above the Earth's surface. This layer is the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and space.

- Characteristics: The exosphere is very thin and the gas particles here are very rare. Hydrogen and helium molecules are the most dominant in this layer. Because of its very low particle density, the exosphere does not have a clear boundary with space, and the particles here are slowly released into space.

- Function: The main function of the exosphere is to protect the Earth from cosmic radiation and charged particles originating from the Sun, such as the solar wind. The exosphere also serves as a layer where many satellites orbit around the Earth, including communication satellites and weather satellites. In addition, the exosphere helps maintain thermal stability and prevents excessive atmospheric leakage into space.

(brl/red)

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