The Atmosphere

THE ONE WITH LOTS OF AIR.

Ancient
Beliefs
Earth, fire, water and air made up the known elements in the

ancient world that philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato

observed.
Different combinations of these
elements filled all of space and that air,
being a light substance, moved
outwards and away from the universe's
center.
Today, scientists know that Earth's
gravity attracts particles and gases in
the air towards the planet, making the
air denser as it approaches the surface.

Knowledge
Increases
Isaac Beeckman was one of the first people to realize that air

had real substance. He speculated that air had weight and

pressed down on objects on Earth.
By 1660 the barometer had been
invented and Robert Boyle used it to
predict the weather.
Boyle believed that a substance named
"nitrous" existed in the atmosphere.
Nitrous, he reasoned, was responsible
for respiration and combustion.

Major
Discoveries
In 1674 when John Mayow found that the atmosphere

contained a gas that was combustible and supported life. He

also found another gas that didn't have these properties.
Joseph Priestley, for instance, performed an experiment in 1774
that identified oxygen's properties.
In 1773, Karl Scheele was the first to
isolate oxygen.
Antoine Lavoisier, after repeating one of
Scheele's experiments, named the gas
"oxygen."

Structure

Composition

Know the following:

Nitrogen= 78%
Oxygen= 21%
Trace Gases= 1%

Air
Pressure
The pressure exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere of

Earth (or that of another planet)

Measured with a barometer.
Higher pressure is located near the
surface of the Earth.
Pressure gets lower as you rise in
altitude/ elevation from the surface.

Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle Video:

https://goo.gl/4gfGjK

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle Video:

https://goo.gl/IAlatZ

Practice Questions
1. What are the four (4) layers of the atmosphere?
2. What is the composition (gases, give %) of the
atmosphere?
3. How does air pressure change as you rise in altitude?
4. How does temperature change as you rise in altitude
through each layer?
5. What is the Carbon Cycle?
6. What is the Nitrogen Cycle?

Practice Answer Key

1.
2.
3.
4.

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere

Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Trace Gases (1%)
Air Pressure Decreases with altitude.
Troposphere= decrease; stratosphere= increase;
mesosphere= decrease; thermosphere= increase
5. The Carbon Cycle is the movement of carbon atoms
between the air, ground, organisms and water on Earth.
6. The Nitrogen Cylce is the movement of nitrogen atoms
between the air, ground, organisms and water on Earth.