The Atmosphere
Know that Earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere, that air has weight and exerts pressure, that the atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation and keeps the planet warm enough for life, and that weather happens in the lowest layer (troposphere)
What a learner can do afterwards
- Define the atmosphere as the layer of air surrounding Earth
- State that air has weight and exerts pressure
- Explain that weather occurs in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere
The lesson
Earth is wrapped in a blanket of air called the atmosphere. You cannot see it, but it stretches for miles above your head, and every breath you take comes from it.
Hold a stack of ten heavy books and you can feel them pressing on your hands. Air does the same thing. Every layer of air above you presses down, all the way up to space. That push is called air pressure.
The atmosphere does more than press on you. It also blocks harmful rays from the sun and traps warmth so Earth stays livable.
The atmosphere is the blanket of air around Earth. It has weight and presses down as air pressure, and all our weather happens in its lowest layer, the troposphere.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.