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Thermosphere

its name from the Greek word thermos, meaning heat. Starting from the surface, it is the fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

• It roughly begins at a distance of 53 to 56 miles from the surface of the planet
• The thermopause separates thermosphere from the exosphere
• Its size makes the thermosphere one of the most dynamic layers of the Earth's atmosphere
• the only object that can make it to this layer is a space shuttle
• Interestingly, the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) is located in this layer
• The temperature here, is highly dependent on solar activity, and can reach 3,630°F or higher when solar activity is at its peak.
• Auroras occur in this layer. These lights occur when charged particles from space excite the atoms and molecules in this layer into high energy state after colliding with them.
• It is the biggest layer of the Earth's atmosphere

Ionosphere

Mesosphere

this layer is situated just right above the stratosphere

is an atmospheric layer with charged particles, which facilitates long-distance radio communication. The ionization process in the thermosphere is also attributed to ultraviolet radiation of the Sun.

Layers of the Ionosphere

D Layer - It is the lowest of the ionosphere layers, which absorbs the highest amount of harsh x-ray radiation. This layer plays a very crucial role in the appearance and disappearance of AM radio waves with the transition of day and night cycles.

• It goes up to 85 km from the surfacof the Earth
• The most important function of mesosphere is the destruction of the meteors that fall on Earth
• Stratopause is the transition region of stratosphere to mesosphere
• Mesopause is the point that marks the top of the mesosphere and the beginning of the thermosphere
• Temperature in the mesosphere is around -90°C
• Reactions take place between the ozone layer and water vapor which leads to the formation of microscopic ice clouds (noctilucent clouds)
• The noctilucent clouds are better seen from the poles during sunset
• A strange lighting is also formed in this layer called "Elves" or "Sprites"
• The nightglow or airglow is the light emitted from the mesosphere

E Layer - This layer lies immediately above the D layer. This layer can reflect frequencies ranging from 10-50 MHz.

F Layer - This is the topmost layer covering a vertical stretch of around 186.5 miles. This layer mostly absorbs ultraviolet rays. This layer splits into two layers during the day. These are referred to as F1 and F2. This layer facilitates high frequency wave transmission.

Stratosphere

Exosphere

the second layer of the atmosphere where the ozone layer is located

is the uppermost region of Earth's atmosphere as it gradually fades into the vacuum of space.

• Tropopause separates the stratosphere from the troposphere
• Contains about 19% of the atmospheric gases
• It extends to about 50 km above the ground level
• Ozone layer forms the upper crust of the stratosphere
• Ozone molecules absorb the harmful UV radiations from the sun
• Temperature rises as we go up of the stratosphere. It is around -3°C at the top of this layer
• Bacterial survives in the stratosphere
• Airliners prefer to fly here due to lack of weather
• There are no clouds in this layer

• The part of the exosphere which can be seen from the Earth is referred to as the 'geocorona'
• In terms of temperature, the exosphere is very hot as the molecules move at a high velocity
• Air in the exosphere is extremely thin - in many ways it is almost the same as the airless void of outer space.

Troposphere

the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere.

• Ranges from 5-7 miles above the poles
• Contains 75% of the atmosphere's total mass
• Weather occurs in the troposphere
• It is 10 miles from the equator
• Does not contain the ozone layer
• The temperature on the troposphere can reach -80°C
• It is 5-7 miles above the poles

Layers of the Earth's Atmosphere