Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode will be out of this world, … … … well at least most of it, and it will be on the five layers of the atmosphere.

These five layers play a critical role in regulating the earth’s climate along with supporting all life on planet earth.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Top_of_Atmosphere.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth creates pressure, absorbs most meteoroids and ultraviolet solar radiation, warms the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), allowing life and liquid water to exist on the Earth's surface, and reduces temperature extremes between day and night (the diurnal temperature variation).

As of 2023, by mole fraction (i.e., by number of molecules), dry air contains 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases.[8] Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere. Air composition, temperature, and atmospheric pressure vary with altitude. Within the atmosphere, air suitable for use in photosynthesis by terrestrial plants and breathing of terrestrial animals is found only in Earth's troposphere.[citation needed]

Earth's early atmosphere consisted of gases in the solar nebula, primarily hydrogen. The atmosphere changed significantly over time, affected by many factors such as volcanism, life, and weathering. Recently, human activity has also contributed to atmospheric changes, such as global warming, ozone depletion and acid deposition.

The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15×1018 kg,[9] three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi) or 1.57% of Earth's radius, is often used as the border between the atmosphere and outer space. Atmospheric effects become noticeable during atmospheric reentry of spacecraft at an altitude of around 120 km (75 mi). Several layers can be distinguished in the atmosphere, based on characteristics such as temperature and composition.

The study of Earth's atmosphere and its processes is called atmospheric science (aerology), and includes multiple subfields, such as climatology and atmospheric physics. Early pioneers in the field include Léon Teisserenc de Bort and Richard Assmann.[10] The study of historic atmosphere is called paleoclimatology.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atmosphere_composition_diagram-en.svg

Mnemonic

The Five Atmosphere Layers Mnemonic – ET in the MiST

(For this one picture ET who we know was originally from the planet Brodo Asogi coming down to Earth and going through some really thick mist before landing on Earth)

1. Exosphere

2. Thermosphere

3. Mesosphere

4. Stratosphere

5. Troposphere

Five Fun Facts

1. The troposphere is about 7 to 20 kilometres thick and contains most of the air and oxygen in the atmosphere.

2. The troposphere is also where all the weather happens such as wind, rain, snow, evaporation, etc.

3. The atmosphere contains a total of 16 gases. Their percentage is as follows:

• Nitrogen (78.08%)

• Oxygen (20.94%)

• Argon (0.934%)

• Carbon dioxide (0.035%)

• Neon (0.0018%)

• Helium (0.00052%)

• Methane (0.00017%)

• Krypton (0.000114%)

• Hydrogen (0.000053%)

• Nitrous oxide (0.000031%)

• Xenon (0.0000087%)

4. In 2013 a skydiver named Felix Baumgartner jumped from the highest level of the stratosphere approximately 120,000 feet or 36,576 metres above the earth. I’d love to share the audio of his jump, but I’d hate to sound like a broken record!

5. The thermosphere is where the International Space Station is located. And another interesting fact about the space station. As everyone is well aware, the space station has grown considerably over the years. So much so, that they now have an international restaurant. Apparently, the food and service is excellent, but unfortunately, it lacks atmosphere!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atmosphere_-_2.jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Which atmosphere layer is the ozone layer in, which protects us from harmful rays from the Sun?

Q.2. Which atmosphere layer do planes fly in?

Q.3. Which layer burns up meteors?

Bonus Q. What happens to the density or air pressure of the air, as you increase in altitude?

Mnemonic Recap