The atmosphere and hydrosphere are the smooth surface layer system on the planet, whose dynamic movements are closely related. Air currents drastically reduce temperature differences between day and night, distributing heat around the planet's surface. This closed system prevents the nights are chilly and the days are extremely hot.
The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing much of the solar ultraviolet radiation in the ozone layer. It also acts as a shield against meteorites, which are crushed to powder by friction suffering to make contact with the gases.
Layers of Earth's atmosphere
Troposphere
Its main features are:
· Its thickness ranges from the Earth's surface (both land and aquatic or marine) to an altitude varying between 6 km in the polar areas and 18 or 20 km in the tropics, for the reasons given below.
· The bottom layer of the troposphere is called the geographic layer, which is where the greater proportion of geographic features, both in the field of physical geography in the field of human geography.
· The latitude of the place more or less determines the thickness of the troposphere, being much higher in the tropics by the centrifugal force of earth rotation and much lower in the polar regions for the same reason (polar flattening).
Stratosphere
Its name comes from which is arranged in more or less horizontal layers (or strata) 9 / 18 - 50 km, the temperature remains constant and then increase with altitude. The stratosphere is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere. As it rises, the stratospheric temperature increases. This temperature increase is due to ultraviolet rays convert oxygen into ozone, a process involving heat, to ionize the air, it becomes a good conductor of electricity and thus heat. That is why at some point there is a relative abundance of ozone (ozone layer), which also implies that the temperature is raised to 80 ° C or more. However, that temperature has practically no meaning, since it is a rarefied atmosphere, very tenuous.
Ozonosphere
Called ozone, or ozone layer, the area of Earth's stratosphere containing relatively high concentrations of ozone. This layer, which extends approximately 15 km to 40 km altitude, meets 90% of ozone in the atmosphere and absorbs 97% to 99% of high-frequency ultraviolet radiation.
Mesosphere
It is the third layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It extends between 50 and 80 km in height, containing only 0.1% of the total mass of air. It is the coldest zone of the atmosphere, and can reach -80 ° C. It is important for the ionization and chemical reactions that occur in it. The low air density in the mesosphere determines the formation of turbulence and atmospheric waves operating at spatial and temporal scales very large.
Ionosphere
The thermosphere and ionosphere: 69/90 - 600/800 km, temperature increases with altitude. Thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It is located above the mesosphere. At this point, the air is thin and the temperature change with solar activity. If the sun is active, the thermosphere temperatures can reach 1,500 ° C or even higher. Earth's thermosphere also includes the region called the ionosphere. It is 0.1% of the gases.
Exosphere
The last layer of the Earth's atmosphere is the exosphere (600/800 - 2.000/10.000 km). This is the area where the atoms escape into space.
Atmospheric circulation
The atmospheric circulation is a movement of large-scale atmospheric air and ocean circulation together with the means by which heat is distributed over the surface of the Earth. However, it should be noted that although the role of ocean currents is smaller in accordance with its volume compared with the atmospheric circulation, its importance in terms of heat flow between areas geoastronómicas is very large for the remarkable difference in density between the atmosphere and the oceans that causes the specific heat transported by ocean water m³ is much higher than that can move a m³ of air.
No comments:
Post a Comment