Question

Give an account of the different layers of the atmosphere.

Answer 1

Our atmosphere has five different layers. They are:

1. Troposphere: This is the most important layer of the atmosphere with average height of 13 km from the earth. It is in this layer that we find the air that we breathe. Almost all the weather phenomena such as rainfall, fog and hailstorm occur here.
2. Stratosphere: This layer extends up to a height of 50 km. It presents the most ideal conditions for flying aeroplanes. It contains a layer of ozone gas which protects us from the harmful effect of the sunrays.
3. Mesosphere: This layer extends up to the height of 80 km. Meteorites bum up in this layer on entering from the space.
4. Thermosphere: In this layer temperature rises very rapidly with increasing height. Ionosphere is a part of this layer. It extends between 80—400 km. This layer helps in radio transmission. Radio waves transmitted from the earth are reflected back to the earth by this layer.
5. Exosphere: It is the uppermost layer where there is very thin air. Light gases such as helium and hydrogen float into the space from here.