7: Earth’s Atmosphere, Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles, and Weather and Climate
- Page ID
- 33886
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This chapter addresses several topics that are related in one way or another to each other. The atmosphere is used to store and transfer carbon and nitrogen to other Earth materials. Much of what happens in the atmosphere affects both climate and weather. To understand future topics like air pollution and climate change, the concepts presented here are important.
- 7.1: Atmospheric Composition
- The atmosphere consists mostly of dry air composed mostly of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and argon (0.9%), and highly variable amounts of water vapor (from parts per million in air to a few percent).
- 7.2: Layers of the Atmosphere
- The Earth’s atmosphere is broken down into five layers with unique properties. From the Earth's surface up toward space, they are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
- 7.3: Carbon and Nitrogen
- Due to the importance of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas the carbon cycle is a crucial part of the climate system. Since carbon exchanges with the biosphere, life processes need to be considered in climate science. The nitrogen cycle tracks how nitrogen is converted into various forms as it circulates within Earth's oceans, land, and atmosphere.
- 7.4: Weather vs. Climate
- Climate is the average of the weather for a region over time. Weather is the summation of current atmospheric conditions at any given moment.
- 7.1: Atmospheric Composition
- The atmosphere consists mostly of dry air composed mostly of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and argon (0.9%), and highly variable amounts of water vapor (from parts per million in air to a few percent).
- 7.2: Layers of the Atmosphere
- The Earth’s atmosphere is broken down into five layers with unique properties. From the Earth's surface up toward space, they are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
- 7.3: Carbon and Nitrogen
- Due to the importance of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas the carbon cycle is a crucial part of the climate system. Since carbon exchanges with the biosphere, life processes need to be considered in climate science. The nitrogen cycle tracks how nitrogen is converted into various forms as it circulates within Earth's oceans, land, and atmosphere.
- 7.4: Weather vs. Climate
- Climate is the average of the weather for a region over time. Weather is the summation of current atmospheric conditions at any given moment.
Thumbnail: Image of the largest Antarctic ozone hole ever recorded over the South Pole in September 2006. (Public Domain; NASA via Wikipedia).