GG101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Stellar Atmosphere, Thermosphere, Atmospheric Circulation
Document Summary
Earth"s atmosphere is a reservoir of gases. Protects us from hostile radiation & particles from the sun. The principal substance of the atmosphere is air (the medium of life & a major industrial and chemical raw material) Air is a simple mixture of gases that is naturally odorless, colorless, tasteless & formless. Exosphere is the outer sphere where the rarefied, less dense atmosphere is nearly a vacuum. More than 480 km above the earth"s surface. Earth"s atmosphere is composed of imperfectly shaped concentric shells that are bound together by gravity. Earth"s atmosphere exerts its weight downward under the pull of gravity. Air molecules create pressure through their motion, size & number. Pressure is exerted on all surfaces in contact with the air. The weight (force/unit area) of the atmosphere, or air pressure pushes against all of us. The same pressure exists inside of us (pushing outward) or else we"d be crushed by the mass of air around us.
