Title: Explain the composition of the atmosphere.
Course: Ecology and Environmental Management (18003-18) > Section: Protecting the Environment – Air and Noise

Explanation should include

- defining atmosphere
- describing each of the layers

  - Troposphere
  - Stratosphere
  - Mesosphere
  - Thermosphere (and within it, the Ionosphere)
  - Exosphere

- major gases present
- variances in the layers depending on location on Earth and/or seasonal temperatures.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the percentages of each gas in the atmosphere, and do those percentages change? If so, why and/or how?
- How much of any one gas do humans take in with each breath?
- What is the thickness of each layer in the atmosphere during the summer in the southern hemisphere, as opposed to the same layer during the same period in the northern hemisphere?
- What factors affect the atmospheric layers?
- What are the effects of carbon sequestration on coral reefs?

Teacher Resources:

- Earth’s Atmosphere, NASA Space Place, NASA Science
- Earth’s Atmosphere, Earth and Space Science, PBS LearningMedia
- Layer’s of the Atmosphere, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration