Layers of the Atmosphere Activity

Materials: Blank paper, metric ruler, textbook

Directions: Using your text as a guide, do the following:

  1. The scale of this diagram will be 1 mm = 1 km.
  2. Measure one centimeter from the bottom on both sides of the paper and mark the sides with a dot. Connect the dots with a line. Below the line label this the Earth’s Surface.
  3. Look at your textbook diagram of the atmosphere and find the thickness of the Troposphere. From the line just drawn, measure in mm the average height of the troposphere. Mark this measurement with a dot on both sides of the paper. Using a ruler, draw a line parallel to the previous line. Label this the troposphere in small letters.
  4. Repeat step 3 for the stratosphere and the mesosphere.
  5. From this point, it is impossible to draw the remaining layer, the thermosphere, or its sublayer, the ionosphere and the exosphere to scale.
  6. From the top of both sides of the paper, measure 2 cm from the top of the paper, and put a dot on each side of the paper. Using the ruler, draw a line between the dots parallel to the top of the paper. This line is for you to write the title of this diagram.
  7. Divide the big space above the mesosphere, below the title, in half with a dashed line going parallel to all of the other lines.
  8. Label the top section the exosphere and the bottom section the thermosphere. Put arrows pointing upwards in the exosphere to indicate no real boundary.
  9. Label and draw the following in their proper place:
  10. Label and shade in the ionosphere (read your book to find out where it is located)
  11. Draw a thermometer in the hottest layer
  12. Draw a cloud in the layer that weather occurs.
  13. Draw a meteorite in the layer where meteorites burn up
  14. Draw a satellite in the layer where they orbit the earth.
  15. Shade in the area where the ozone layer is located and label it.
  16. Put > where the jet stream is located and label it.
  17. Draw Mt.Everest (9 km)
  18. Draw a Jet plane (11 km)
  19. Draw a non pressurized plane (4 km)
  20. Draw a flock of geese (6.4 km)
  21. Draw a manned balloon (6 km)
  22. Draw a altostratus cloud (1.4 km)
  23. Draw a cirrus cloud (10 km)

Questions:

  1. Where is most of the “activity” taking place?
  1. Where do you find most of the air?
  1. What are the benefits of having an atmosphere?