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Explore Earth’s atmospheric wonders from space to oceans, ice, and sky. Journey through creating water, magnetic fields, and auroras in a visually captivating encounter with the planet’s dynamic layers.
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Space Ice • The original stellar nebula included water. • Icy grains in protoplanets • Half of Earth’s water from came from before the Sun. Bill Saxton/NSF/AUI/NRAO
Oceans • Oceans formed from gasses trapped in rocks and collisions from protoplanets. • Surface water covers 75% of Earth. • Hydrosphere
Layers of Air • The ionosphere includes gases broken into ions: 80-150 km. • The mesosphere has falling temperatures with height: 50-80 km. • The stratosphere is a stable layer of gas: 15-50 km. • The troposphere is a dense, turbulent layer: up to 15 km high.
Blue Sky • Air scatters high frequency light more than low frequency light. • Blue light higher frequency than red • Black when no scattered light at night • Dust and water increase the scattering – less blue. • Composition of Earth’s atmosphere: • 78.08% Nitrogen (N2) • 20.95% Oxygen (O2) • 0-4% Water (H2O) • 0.93% Argon (Ar) • 0.04% Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Greenhouse Effect • The atmosphere only permits visible light and radio waves. • Visible light warms the surface. • The surface absorbs visible light and radiates infrared. • The infrared is trapped and warms the air. atmosphere visible light infrared light earth
Weather • Planetary motion drives the weather. • Seasons from orbit • Day-night temperature • Wind circulation • Weather is confined to the troposphere. NOAA – January, 2014
Ozone • High frequency UV light forms ozone from oxygen. • Stratosphere, mesophere • Ozone concentrates in a layer in the stratosphere. • Opaque to UV-B • Dissolved by CFCs NASA
Magnetic Field • The moving iron in the core creates a magnetic field. • The magnetic field extends hundreds of kilometers above the surface. • Particles from the sun are deflected by the field. solar wind earth
Aurora • Charged particles from the sun can be trapped in the magnetic field. • Concentrated at the poles • Air glows as an aurora NASA, S. Vetter; aurora over Iceland