The Earth's atmosphere is an air shell.

The presence of a special ball above the earth's surface was proved by the ancient Greeks, who called the atmosphere a steam or gas ball.

This is one of the geospheres of the planet, without which the existence of all life would not be possible.

Where is the atmosphere

The atmosphere surrounds the planets with a dense air layer, starting from the earth's surface. It comes into contact with the hydrosphere, covers the lithosphere, going far into outer space.

What is the atmosphere made of?

The air layer of the Earth consists mainly of air, the total mass of which reaches 5.3 * 1018 kilograms. Of these, the diseased part is dry air, and much less water vapor.

Over the sea, the density of the atmosphere is 1.2 kilograms per cubic meter. The temperature in the atmosphere can reach -140.7 degrees, air dissolves in water at zero temperature.

The atmosphere consists of several layers:

• Troposphere;
• tropopause;
• Stratosphere and stratopause;
• Mesosphere and mesopause;
• A special line above sea level, which is called the Karman line;
• Thermosphere and thermopause;
• Dispersion zone or exosphere.

Each layer has its own characteristics, they are interconnected and ensure the functioning of the air shell of the planet.

The boundaries of the atmosphere

The lowest edge of the atmosphere runs through the hydrosphere and the upper layers of the lithosphere. The upper boundary begins in the exosphere, which is located 700 kilometers from the surface of the planet and will reach 1.3 thousand kilometers.

According to some reports, the atmosphere reaches 10 thousand kilometers. Scientists agreed that the upper boundary of the air layer should be the Karman line, since aeronautics is no longer possible here.

Thanks to constant research in this area, scientists have found that the atmosphere is in contact with the ionosphere at an altitude of 118 kilometers.

Chemical composition

This layer of the Earth consists of gases and gas impurities, which include combustion residues, sea salt, ice, water, dust. The composition and mass of gases that can be found in the atmosphere almost never change, only the concentration of water and carbon dioxide changes.

The composition of water can vary from 0.2 percent to 2.5 percent depending on latitude. Additional elements are chlorine, nitrogen, sulfur, ammonia, carbon, ozone, hydrocarbons, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen bromide, hydrogen iodide.

A separate part is occupied by mercury, iodine, bromine, nitric oxide. In addition, liquid and solid particles, which are called aerosol, are found in the troposphere. One of the rarest gases on the planet, radon, is found in the atmosphere.

In terms of chemical composition, nitrogen occupies more than 78% of the atmosphere, oxygen - almost 21%, carbon dioxide - 0.03%, argon - almost 1%, the total amount of matter is less than 0.01%. Such a composition of the air was formed when the planet only arose and began to develop.

With the advent of man, who gradually switched to production, the chemical composition changed. In particular, the amount of carbon dioxide is constantly increasing.

Atmosphere functions

The gases in the air layer perform a variety of functions. First, they absorb rays and radiant energy. Secondly, they influence the formation of temperature in the atmosphere and on the Earth. Thirdly, it provides life and its course on Earth.

In addition, this layer provides thermoregulation, which determines the weather and climate, the mode of distribution of heat and atmospheric pressure. The troposphere helps regulate the flow of air masses, determine the movement of water, and heat exchange processes.

The atmosphere constantly interacts with the lithosphere, hydrosphere, providing geological processes. The most important function is that there is protection from dust of meteorite origin, from the influence of space and the sun.

Data

• Oxygen provides on Earth the decomposition of organic matter of solid rock, which is very important for emissions, decomposition of rocks, and oxidation of organisms.
• Carbon dioxide contributes to the fact that photosynthesis occurs, and also contributes to the transmission of short waves of solar radiation, the absorption of thermal long waves. If this does not happen, then the so-called greenhouse effect is observed.
• One of the main problems associated with the atmosphere is pollution, which occurs due to the work of enterprises and vehicle emissions. Therefore, special environmental control has been introduced in many countries, and special mechanisms for regulating emissions and the greenhouse effect are being undertaken at the international level.

And impurities (aerosols). In terms of composition, the air near the earth's surface contains 78% nitrogen (N 2) and about 21% oxygen (O 2), i.e. these two elements account for about 99% of the volume of air. A significant proportion belongs to argon (Ar) - 0.9%. Important components of the atmosphere are ozone (O 3), carbon dioxide (CO 2), and water vapor. The significance of these gases is determined primarily by the fact that they very strongly absorb radiant energy and thus have a significant effect on the temperature regime of the earth's surface and atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is one of the most important components of plant nutrition. It enters the atmosphere as a result of the processes of combustion, respiration of living organisms and decay, but is consumed in the process of assimilation by plants.

Ozone, most of which is concentrated in the so-called ozone layer (), serves as a natural absorber of ultraviolet, which is harmful to living organisms.

The composition also includes numerous solid and liquid impurities suspended in it - the so-called aerosols. They are of natural and artificial (anthropogenic) origin (dust, soot, ash, ice and sea salt crystals, water droplets, microorganisms, etc.).

A characteristic property of the atmosphere is that the content of at least the main gases (N 2 , O 2 , Ar) changes slightly with height. So, at an altitude of 65 km in the atmosphere, the content of nitrogen is 86%, oxygen - 19, argon - 0.91, and at an altitude of 95 km - 77, 21.3 and 0.82%, respectively. The constancy of the composition of atmospheric air both vertically and horizontally is maintained by its mixing.

The modern composition of the Earth's air was established at least several hundred million years ago and remained unchanged until the production activity of man increased sharply. In the current century, there has been an increase in the content of CO 2 around the globe by about 10 - 12%.

The atmosphere has a complex structure. In accordance with the change in temperature with height, four layers are distinguished: the troposphere (up to 12 km), the stratosphere (up to 50 km), the upper ones, which include the mesosphere (up to 80 km) and the thermosphere, gradually turning into interplanetary space. In the troposphere and mesosphere, it decreases with height, while in the stratosphere and thermosphere, on the contrary, it increases.

Troposphere - the lower layer of the atmosphere, the height of which varies from 8 km above the poles to 17 km (average 12 km). It contains up to 4/5 of the entire mass of the atmosphere and almost all of the water vapor. Air is dominated by nitrogen, oxygen, argon and carbon dioxide. The air of the troposphere is heated from the earth's surface - the surface of water and land. The air in the troposphere is constantly churning. Water vapor condenses, and forms, rains fall, and storms occur. The temperature decreases with height by an average of 0.6°C for every 100 m, and at the upper limit it is — 70°C at the equator and -65°C over the North Pole.

The stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere. It extends up to a height of 50 km. Gases in the stratosphere are constantly mixed, in its lower part there are stable so-called jet streams of air with a speed of up to 300 km/h. The color of the sky in the stratosphere does not seem blue, as in the troposphere, but purple. This is due to the rarefaction of the air, as a result of which the sun's rays almost do not scatter. There is very little water vapor in the stratosphere, and there are no active processes of cloud formation and precipitation. Occasionally, in the stratosphere at an altitude of » 30 km in high latitudes, thin bright clouds appear, called mother-of-pearl. It is in the stratosphere, approximately at an altitude of 20-30 km, that a layer of maximum ozone concentration is released - the ozone layer (ozone screen, ozonosphere). Thanks to ozone, the temperature in the stratosphere and at the upper boundary is within +50 +55°C.

Above the stratosphere are the high layers of the atmosphere - the mesosphere and the thermosphere.

Mesosphere - the middle sphere extends from 40-45 to 80-85 km. The color of the sky in the mesosphere appears black, day and night bright non-flickering stars are visible. The temperature drops to 75-90°C below zero.

The thermosphere extends from the mesosphere and above. Its upper limit is supposed to be at an altitude of 800 km. It mainly consists of ions formed under the influence of cosmic rays, the action of which on gas molecules leads to their decay into charged particles of atoms. The layer of ions in the thermosphere is called the ionosphere, which is characterized by high electrification and from which, like a mirror, long and medium radio waves are reflected. In the ionosphere arise - the glow of rarefied gases under the influence of electrically charged particles flying from the Sun.

The thermosphere is characterized by an increasing increase in temperature: at an altitude of 150 km it reaches 220-240°C; at an altitude of 500-600 km it exceeds 1500°C.

Above the thermosphere (i.e., above 800 km) is the outer sphere, the sphere of dispersion is the exosphere, which extends up to several thousand kilometers.

It is conditionally considered that the atmosphere extends up to an altitude of 3000 km.

Atmosphere- this is the air shell that surrounds the Earth and the force of gravity associated with it. The atmosphere is involved in the daily rotation and annual movement of our planet. Atmospheric air is a mixture of gases in which liquid (water droplets) and solid particles (smoke, dust) are suspended. The gas composition of the atmosphere is unchanged up to a height of 100-110 km, which is due to the balance in nature. The volume fractions of gases are: nitrogen - 78%, oxygen - 21%, inert gases (argon, xenon, krypton) - 0.9%, carbon - 0.03%. In addition, water vapor is always present in the atmosphere.

In addition to biological processes, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon are actively involved in the chemical weathering of rocks. The role of ozone 03 is very important, absorbing most of the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun, in large doses it is dangerous for living organisms. Solid particles, which are especially abundant above cities, serve as condensation nuclei (water drops and snowflakes form around them).

Height, boundaries and structure of the atmosphere

The upper boundary of the atmosphere is conditionally drawn at an altitude of about 1000 km, although it can be traced much higher - up to 20,000 km, but there it is very rarefied.

Through the different nature of changes in air temperature with altitude, other physical properties in the atmosphere, several parts are distinguished, which are separated from each other by transitional layers.

The troposphere is the lowest and densest layer of the atmosphere. Its upper boundary is drawn at an altitude of 18 km above the equator and 8-12 km above the poles. The temperature in the troposphere decreases by an average of 0.6 ° C for every 100 m. It is characterized by significant horizontal differences in the distribution of temperature, pressure, wind speed, as well as the formation of clouds and precipitation. In the troposphere there is an intense vertical movement of air - convection. It is in this lower layer of the atmosphere that the weather is mainly formed. Almost all of the water vapor in the atmosphere is concentrated here.

The stratosphere extends mainly up to a height of 50 km. The ozone concentration at an altitude of 20-25 km reaches its highest values, forming an ozone screen. The air temperature in the stratosphere, as a rule, increases with height by an average of 1-2 ° C per 1 km, reaching 0 ° C and higher at the upper limit. This is due to the absorption of solar energy by ozone. There is almost no water vapor and clouds in the stratosphere, and hurricane-force winds blow at speeds up to 300-400 km/h.

In the mesosphere, the air temperature drops to -60 ... - 100 ° C, intensive vertical and horizontal air movements occur.

In the upper layers of the thermosphere, where the air is highly ionized, the temperature rises again to 2000 ° C. Here, auroras and magnetic storms are observed.

The atmosphere plays a big role in the life of the Earth. It prevents excessive heating of the earth's surface during the day and its cooling at night, redistributes moisture on the Earth, protects its surface from meteorite impacts. The presence of an atmosphere is an indispensable condition for the existence of organic life on our planet.

Solar radiation. Heating of the atmosphere

The sun radiates a huge amount of energy, only a small fraction of which is received by the Earth.

The emission of light and heat from the Sun is called solar radiation. Solar radiation travels a long way in the atmosphere before reaching the earth's surface. Overcoming it, it is largely absorbed and dissipated by the air shell. Radiation that directly reaches the earth's surface in the form of direct rays is called direct radiation. Part of the radiation that is scattered in the atmosphere also reaches the Earth's surface in the form of scattered radiation.

The combination of direct and diffuse radiation entering a horizontal surface is called total solar radiation. The atmosphere absorbs about 20% of the solar radiation entering its upper boundary. Another 34% of the radiation is reflected from the Earth's surface and atmosphere (reflected radiation). 46% of solar radiation is absorbed by the earth's surface. Such radiation is called absorbed (absorbed).

The ratio of the intensity of the reflected solar radiation to the intensity of all the radiant energy of the Sun entering the upper boundary of the atmosphere is called the Earth's albedo and is expressed as a percentage.

So, the albedo of our planet, together with its atmosphere, averages 34%. The albedo value at different latitudes has significant differences associated with the color of the surface, vegetation, cloudiness, and the like. A surface area covered with fresh snow reflects 80-85% of radiation, grass vegetation and sand - respectively 26% and 30%, and water - only 5%.

The amount of solar energy received by individual parts of the Earth depends primarily on the angle of incidence of the sun's rays. The straighter they fall (i.e., the greater the height of the Sun above the horizon), the greater the amount of solar energy per unit area.

The dependence of the total radiation on the angle of incidence of the rays is due to two reasons. Firstly, the smaller the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, the larger the area distributed this flux of light and the less energy per unit surface. Secondly, the smaller the angle of incidence, the longer the path of the beam in the atmosphere.

The amount of solar radiation that hits the earth's surface is affected by the transparency of the atmosphere, especially cloudiness. The dependence of solar radiation on the angle of incidence of solar rays and the transparency of the atmosphere determines the zonal nature of its distribution. Differences in the amount of total solar radiation at the same latitude are mainly caused by cloudiness.

The amount of heat entering the earth's surface is determined in calories per unit area (1 cm) per unit time (1 year).

The absorbed radiation is spent on heating the thin near-surface layer of the Earth and evaporating water. The heated earth's surface transfers heat to the environment through radiation, conduction, convection and condensation of water vapor.

Changes in air temperature depending on the geographical latitude of the place and on the height above sea level

The total radiation decreases from the equatorial-tropical latitudes to the poles. It is maximum - about 850 J / m2 per year (200 kcal / cm2 per year) - in tropical deserts, where direct solar radiation through the high altitude of the Sun and a cloudless sky is intense. In the summer half of the year, the differences in the total solar radiation inflow between low and high latitudes are smoothed out. This is due to the longer duration of solar illumination, especially in the polar regions, where the polar day lasts even half a year.

Although the total solar radiation entering the earth's surface is partially reflected by it, however, most of it is absorbed by the earth's surface and converted into heat. Part of the total radiation that remains after its costs for reflection and for thermal radiation of the earth's surface is called the radiation balance (residual radiation). In general, for the year it is positive everywhere on Earth, with the exception of the high ice deserts of Antarctica and Greenland. The radiation balance naturally decreases in the direction from the equator to the poles, where it is close to zero.

Accordingly, the air temperature is distributed zonal, that is, it decreases in the direction from the equator to the poles. .Air temperature also depends on the height of the area above sea level: the higher the area, the lower the temperature.

Significant influence on air temperature distribution of land and water. The surface of the land heats up quickly, but quickly cools, and the surface of the water heats up more slowly, but retains heat longer and releases it more slowly into the air.

As a result of the different intensity of heating and cooling of the Earth's surface day and night, in the warm and cold seasons, the air temperature changes during the day and year.

Thermometers are used to measure air temperature. it is measured 8 times a day and the average is taken per day. At the average daily temperature, monthly averages are calculated. It is they who, as a rule, are shown on climate maps by isotherms (lines that connect points with the same temperature over a certain period of time). To characterize temperatures, average monthly January and July indicators are most often taken, less often annual ones. ,

At 0 °C - 1.0048 10 3 J / (kg K), C v - 0.7159 10 3 J / (kg K) (at 0 °C). The solubility of air in water (by mass) at 0 ° C - 0.0036%, at 25 ° C - 0.0023%.

In addition to the gases indicated in the table, the atmosphere contains Cl 2, SO 2, NH 3, CO, O 3, NO 2, hydrocarbons, HCl,, HBr, vapors, I 2, Br 2, as well as many other gases in minor quantities. In the troposphere there is constantly a large amount of suspended solid and liquid particles (aerosol). Radon (Rn) is the rarest gas in the Earth's atmosphere.

The structure of the atmosphere

boundary layer of the atmosphere

The lower layer of the atmosphere adjacent to the Earth's surface (1-2 km thick) in which the influence of this surface directly affects its dynamics.

Troposphere

Its upper limit is at an altitude of 8-10 km in polar, 10-12 km in temperate and 16-18 km in tropical latitudes; lower in winter than in summer. The lower, main layer of the atmosphere contains more than 80% of the total mass of atmospheric air and about 90% of all water vapor present in the atmosphere. Turbulence and convection are strongly developed in the troposphere, clouds appear, cyclones and anticyclones develop. Temperature decreases with altitude with an average vertical gradient of 0.65°/100 m

tropopause

The transitional layer from the troposphere to the stratosphere, the layer of the atmosphere in which the decrease in temperature with height stops.

Stratosphere

The layer of the atmosphere located at an altitude of 11 to 50 km. A slight change in temperature in the 11-25 km layer (lower layer of the stratosphere) and its increase in the 25-40 km layer from −56.5 to 0.8 ° (upper stratosphere or inversion region) are characteristic. Having reached a value of about 273 K (almost 0 °C) at an altitude of about 40 km, the temperature remains constant up to an altitude of about 55 km. This region of constant temperature is called the stratopause and is the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere.

Stratopause

The boundary layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the mesosphere. There is a maximum in the vertical temperature distribution (about 0 °C).

Mesosphere

The mesosphere begins at an altitude of 50 km and extends up to 80-90 km. The temperature decreases with height with an average vertical gradient of (0.25-0.3)°/100 m. The main energy process is radiant heat transfer. Complex photochemical processes involving free radicals, vibrationally excited molecules, etc., cause atmospheric luminescence.

Mesopause

Transitional layer between mesosphere and thermosphere. There is a minimum in the vertical temperature distribution (about -90 °C).

Karman Line

Altitude above sea level, which is conventionally accepted as the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and space. According to the FAI definition, the Karman Line is at an altitude of 100 km above sea level.

Thermosphere

The upper limit is about 800 km. The temperature rises to altitudes of 200-300 km, where it reaches values ​​of the order of 1226.85 C, after which it remains almost constant up to high altitudes. Under the influence of solar radiation and cosmic radiation, air is ionized (“ auroras”) - the main regions of the ionosphere lie inside the thermosphere. At altitudes above 300 km, atomic oxygen predominates. The upper limit of the thermosphere is largely determined by the current activity of the Sun. During periods of low activity - for example, in 2008-2009 - there is a noticeable decrease in the size of this layer.

Thermopause

The region of the atmosphere above the thermosphere. In this region, the absorption of solar radiation is insignificant and the temperature does not actually change with height.

Exosphere (scattering sphere)

Up to a height of 100 km, the atmosphere is a homogeneous, well-mixed mixture of gases. In higher layers, the distribution of gases in height depends on their molecular masses, the concentration of heavier gases decreases faster with distance from the Earth's surface. Due to the decrease in gas density, the temperature drops from 0 °C in the stratosphere to −110 °C in the mesosphere. However, the kinetic energy of individual particles at altitudes of 200–250 km corresponds to a temperature of ~150 °C. Above 200 km, significant fluctuations in temperature and gas density are observed in time and space.

At an altitude of about 2000-3500 km, the exosphere gradually passes into the so-called near space vacuum, which is filled with highly rarefied particles of interplanetary gas, mainly hydrogen atoms. But this gas is only part of the interplanetary matter. The other part is composed of dust-like particles of cometary and meteoric origin. In addition to extremely rarefied dust-like particles, electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation of solar and galactic origin penetrates into this space.

Overview

The troposphere accounts for about 80% of the mass of the atmosphere, the stratosphere accounts for about 20%; the mass of the mesosphere is no more than 0.3%, the thermosphere is less than 0.05% of the total mass of the atmosphere.

Based on the electrical properties in the atmosphere, they emit the neutrosphere And ionosphere .

Depending on the composition of the gas in the atmosphere, they emit homosphere And heterosphere. heterosphere- this is an area where gravity affects the separation of gases, since their mixing at such a height is negligible. Hence follows the variable composition of the heterosphere. Below it lies a well-mixed, homogeneous part of the atmosphere, called the homosphere. The boundary between these layers is called turbopause, it lies at an altitude of about 120 km.

Other properties of the atmosphere and effects on the human body

Already at an altitude of 5 km above sea level, an untrained person develops oxygen starvation and, without adaptation, a person's performance is significantly reduced. This is where the physiological zone of the atmosphere ends. Human breathing becomes impossible at an altitude of 9 km, although up to about 115 km the atmosphere contains oxygen.

The atmosphere provides us with the oxygen we need to breathe. However, due to the drop in the total pressure of the atmosphere as you rise to a height, the partial pressure of oxygen also decreases accordingly.

In rarefied layers of air, the propagation of sound is impossible. Up to altitudes of 60-90 km, it is still possible to use air resistance and lift for controlled aerodynamic flight. But starting from altitudes of 100-130 km, the concepts of the M number and the sound barrier familiar to every pilot lose their meaning: there passes the conditional Karman line, beyond which the area of ​​​​purely ballistic flight begins, which can only be controlled using reactive forces.

At altitudes above 100 km, the atmosphere is also deprived of another remarkable property - the ability to absorb, conduct and transfer thermal energy by convection (that is, by mixing air). This means that various elements of equipment, equipment of the orbital space station will not be able to be cooled from the outside in the way it is usually done on an airplane - with the help of air jets and air radiators. At such a height, as in space in general, the only way to transfer heat is thermal radiation.

History of the formation of the atmosphere

According to the most common theory, the Earth's atmosphere has been in three different compositions throughout its history. Initially, it consisted of light gases (hydrogen and helium) captured from interplanetary space. This so-called primary atmosphere. At the next stage, active volcanic activity led to the saturation of the atmosphere with gases other than hydrogen (carbon dioxide, ammonia, water vapor). This is how secondary atmosphere. This atmosphere was restorative. Further, the process of formation of the atmosphere was determined by the following factors:

• leakage of light gases (hydrogen and helium) into interplanetary space;
• chemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, lightning discharges and some other factors.

Gradually, these factors led to the formation tertiary atmosphere, characterized by a much lower content of hydrogen and a much higher content of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (formed as a result of chemical reactions from ammonia and hydrocarbons).

Nitrogen

The formation of a large amount of nitrogen N 2 is due to the oxidation of the ammonia-hydrogen atmosphere by molecular oxygen O 2, which began to come from the surface of the planet as a result of photosynthesis, starting from 3 billion years ago. Nitrogen N 2 is also released into the atmosphere as a result of the denitrification of nitrates and other nitrogen-containing compounds. Nitrogen is oxidized by ozone to NO in the upper atmosphere.

Nitrogen N 2 enters into reactions only under specific conditions (for example, during a lightning discharge). Oxidation of molecular nitrogen by ozone during electrical discharges is used in small quantities in the industrial production of nitrogen fertilizers. It can be oxidized with low energy consumption and converted into a biologically active form by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and nodule bacteria that form rhizobial symbiosis with legumes, which can be effective green manure plants that do not deplete, but enrich the soil with natural fertilizers.

Oxygen

The composition of the atmosphere began to change radically with the advent of living organisms on Earth, as a result of photosynthesis, accompanied by the release of oxygen and the absorption of carbon dioxide. Initially, oxygen was spent on the oxidation of reduced compounds - ammonia, hydrocarbons, the ferrous form of iron contained in the oceans, etc. At the end of this stage, the oxygen content in the atmosphere began to grow. Gradually, a modern atmosphere with oxidizing properties formed. Since this caused serious and abrupt changes in many processes occurring in the atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, this event was called the Oxygen catastrophe.

noble gases

Air pollution

Recently, man has begun to influence the evolution of the atmosphere. The result of human activity has been a constant increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels accumulated in previous geological epochs. Huge amounts of CO 2 are consumed during photosynthesis and absorbed by the world's oceans. This gas enters the atmosphere due to the decomposition of carbonate rocks and organic substances of plant and animal origin, as well as due to volcanism and human production activities. Over the past 100 years, the content of CO 2 in the atmosphere has increased by 10%, with the main part (360 billion tons) coming from fuel combustion. If the growth rate of fuel combustion continues, then in the next 200-300 years the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere will double and may lead to global climate change.

Fuel combustion is the main source of polluting gases (СО,, SO 2). Sulfur dioxide is oxidized by atmospheric oxygen to SO 3, and nitric oxide to NO 2 in the upper atmosphere, which in turn interact with water vapor, and the resulting sulfuric acid H 2 SO 4 and nitric acid HNO 3 fall on the Earth's surface in the form so-called. acid rain. The use of internal combustion engines leads to significant air pollution with nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and lead compounds (tetraethyl lead Pb (CH 3 CH 2) 4).

Aerosol pollution of the atmosphere is caused both by natural causes (volcanic eruption, dust storms, entrainment of sea water droplets and plant pollen, etc.) and by human economic activity (mining of ores and building materials, fuel combustion, cement production, etc.). Intense large-scale removal of solid particles into the atmosphere is one of the possible causes of climate change on the planet.

see also

• Jacchia (atmosphere model)

Write a review on the article "Atmosphere of the Earth"

Notes

1. M. I. Budyko , K. Ya. Kondratiev Atmosphere of the Earth // Great Soviet Encyclopedia. 3rd ed. / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1970. - T. 2. Angola - Barzas. - pp. 380-384.
2. - article from the Geological Encyclopedia
4. Gribbin, John. Science. A History (1543-2001). - L. : Penguin Books, 2003. - 648 p. - ISBN 978-0-140-29741-6.
5. Tans, Pieter. Globally averaged marine surface annual mean data . NOAA/ESRL. Retrieved February 19, 2014.(English) (for 2013)
6. IPCC (English) (for 1998).
7. S. P. Khromov Air humidity // Great Soviet Encyclopedia. 3rd ed. / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1971. - T. 5. Veshin - Gazli. - S. 149.
8. (English) , SpaceDaily, 07/16/2010

Literature

1. V. V. Parin, F. P. Kosmolinsky, B. A. Dushkov"Space biology and medicine" (2nd edition, revised and supplemented), M .: "Prosveshchenie", 1975, 223 pages.
2. N. V. Gusakova"Chemistry of the environment", Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2004, 192 with ISBN 5-222-05386-5
3. Sokolov V. A. Geochemistry of natural gases, M., 1971;
4. McEwen M, Phillips L. Chemistry of the atmosphere, M., 1978;
5. Wark K., Warner S. Air pollution. Sources and control, trans. from English, M.. 1980;
6. Monitoring of background pollution of natural environments. in. 1, L., 1982.

Links

• // December 17, 2013, FOBOS Center

History of the Earth Physical properties of the Earth Shells of the Earth Geography and geology Environment see also

An excerpt characterizing the Earth's atmosphere

When Pierre approached them, he noticed that Vera was in the self-satisfied enthusiasm of the conversation, Prince Andrei (which rarely happened to him) seemed embarrassed.
- What do you think? Vera said with a thin smile. - You, prince, are so insightful and understand the character of people at once. What do you think of Natalie, can she be constant in her affections, can she, like other women (Vera understood herself), love a person once and remain faithful to him forever? This is what I consider true love. What do you think, prince?
“I know your sister too little,” answered Prince Andrei with a mocking smile, under which he wanted to hide his embarrassment, “to solve such a delicate question; and then I noticed that the less a woman likes, the more constant she is, ”he added and looked at Pierre, who had approached them at that time.
- Yes, it's true, prince; in our time, Vera continued (referring to our time, as limited people generally like to mention, believing that they have found and appreciated the features of our time and that the properties of people change with time), in our time the girl has so much freedom that le plaisir d "etre courtisee [the pleasure of having fans] often drowns out the true feeling in her. Et Nathalie, il faut l" avouer, y est tres sensible. [And Natalya, it must be confessed, is very sensitive to this.] The return to Natalya again made Prince Andrei frown unpleasantly; he wanted to get up, but Vera continued with an even more refined smile.
“I don’t think anyone was as courtisee [object of courtship] as she was,” Vera said; - but never, until very recently, did she seriously like anyone. You know, count, - she turned to Pierre, - even our dear cousin Boris, who was, entre nous [between us], very, very dans le pays du tendre ... [in the land of tenderness ...]
Prince Andrei frowned silently.
Are you friends with Boris? Vera told him.
- Yes, I know him…
- Did he tell you right about his childhood love for Natasha?
Was there childhood love? - suddenly suddenly blushing, asked Prince Andrei.
- Yes. Vous savez entre cousin et cousine cette intimate mene quelquefois a l "amour: le cousinage est un dangereux voisinage, N" est ce pas? [You know, between cousin and sister, this closeness sometimes leads to love. Such kinship is a dangerous neighborhood. Is not it?]
“Oh, without a doubt,” said Prince Andrei, and suddenly, unnaturally animated, he began to joke with Pierre about how careful he should be in his treatment of his 50-year-old Moscow cousins, and in the middle of a joking conversation, he got up and, taking under the arm of Pierre, took him aside.
- Well? - said Pierre, looking with surprise at the strange animation of his friend and noticing the look that he threw at Natasha getting up.
“I need, I need to talk to you,” said Prince Andrei. - You know our women's gloves (he talked about those Masonic gloves that were given to the newly elected brother to present to his beloved woman). - I ... But no, I'll talk to you later ... - And with a strange gleam in his eyes and restlessness in his movements, Prince Andrei went up to Natasha and sat down beside her. Pierre saw how Prince Andrei asked her something, and she, flushing, answered him.
But at this time, Berg approached Pierre, urging him to take part in a dispute between the general and the colonel about Spanish affairs.
Berg was pleased and happy. The smile of joy never left his face. The evening was very good and exactly like the other evenings he had seen. Everything was similar. And ladylike, subtle conversations, and cards, and behind the cards a general raising his voice, and a samovar, and cookies; but one thing was still missing, that which he always saw at parties, which he wished to imitate.
There was a lack of loud conversation between men and an argument about something important and clever. The general started this conversation and Berg brought Pierre to it.

The next day, Prince Andrei went to the Rostovs for dinner, as Count Ilya Andreich called him, and spent the whole day with them.
Everyone in the house felt for whom Prince Andrei went, and he, without hiding, tried all day to be with Natasha. Not only in the soul of Natasha, frightened, but happy and enthusiastic, but in the whole house, fear was felt before something important that had to happen. The countess looked at Prince Andrei with sad and seriously stern eyes when he spoke with Natasha, and timidly and feigningly began some kind of insignificant conversation, as soon as he looked back at her. Sonya was afraid to leave Natasha and was afraid to be a hindrance when she was with them. Natasha turned pale with fear of anticipation when she remained face to face with him for minutes. Prince Andrei struck her with his timidity. She felt that he needed to tell her something, but that he could not bring himself to do so.
When Prince Andrei left in the evening, the countess went up to Natasha and said in a whisper:
- Well?
- Mom, for God's sake don't ask me anything now. You can’t say that,” Natasha said.
But despite the fact that that evening Natasha, now agitated, now frightened, with stopping eyes, lay for a long time in her mother's bed. Now she told her how he praised her, then how he said that he would go abroad, then how he asked where they would live this summer, then how he asked her about Boris.
“But this, this… has never happened to me!” she said. “Only I’m scared around him, I’m always scared around him, what does that mean?” So it's real, right? Mom, are you sleeping?
“No, my soul, I myself am afraid,” answered the mother. - Go.
“I won’t sleep anyway. What's wrong with sleeping? Mommy, mommy, this has never happened to me! she said with astonishment and fear before the feeling that she was aware of in herself. - And could we think! ...
It seemed to Natasha that even when she first saw Prince Andrei in Otradnoye, she fell in love with him. She seemed to be frightened by this strange, unexpected happiness that the one whom she had chosen back then (she was firmly convinced of this), that the same one had now met her again, and, as it seems, was not indifferent to her. “And it was necessary for him, now that we are here, to come to Petersburg on purpose. And we should have met at this ball. All this is fate. It is clear that this is fate, that all this was led to this. Even then, as soon as I saw him, I felt something special.
What else did he tell you? What verses are these? Read it ... - thoughtfully said the mother, asking about the poems that Prince Andrei wrote in Natasha's album.
- Mom, is it not a shame that he is a widower?
- That's it, Natasha. Pray to God. Les Marieiages se font dans les cieux. [Marriages are made in heaven.]
“Darling, mother, how I love you, how good it is for me!” Natasha shouted, crying tears of happiness and excitement and hugging her mother.
At the same time, Prince Andrei was sitting with Pierre and telling him about his love for Natasha and about his firm intention to marry her.

On that day, Countess Elena Vasilievna had a reception, there was a French envoy, there was a prince, who had recently become a frequent visitor to the countess's house, and many brilliant ladies and men. Pierre was downstairs, walked through the halls, and struck all the guests with his concentrated, absent-minded and gloomy look.
From the time of the ball, Pierre felt the approach of fits of hypochondria in himself and with a desperate effort tried to fight against them. From the time of the prince’s rapprochement with his wife, Pierre was unexpectedly granted a chamberlain, and from that time on he began to feel heaviness and shame in a large society, and more often the same gloomy thoughts about the futility of everything human began to come to him. At the same time, the feeling he noticed between Natasha, who was patronized by him, and Prince Andrei, his opposition between his position and the position of his friend, further strengthened this gloomy mood. He equally tried to avoid thoughts about his wife and about Natasha and Prince Andrei. Again everything seemed to him insignificant in comparison with eternity, again the question presented itself: “what for?”. And he forced himself day and night to work on the Masonic works, hoping to drive away the approach of the evil spirit. Pierre at 12 o'clock, having left the Countess's chambers, was sitting upstairs in a smoky, low room, in a worn dressing gown in front of the table and copying genuine Scottish acts, when someone entered his room. It was Prince Andrew.
“Ah, it’s you,” said Pierre with an absent-minded and displeased look. “But I’m working,” he said, pointing to a notebook with that kind of salvation from the hardships of life with which unhappy people look at their work.
Prince Andrei, with a radiant, enthusiastic face renewed to life, stopped in front of Pierre and, not noticing his sad face, smiled at him with egoism of happiness.
“Well, my soul,” he said, “yesterday I wanted to tell you and today I came to you for this. Never experienced anything like it. I'm in love my friend.
Pierre suddenly sighed heavily and sank down with his heavy body on the sofa, next to Prince Andrei.
- To Natasha Rostov, right? - he said.
- Yes, yes, in whom? I would never believe it, but this feeling is stronger than me. Yesterday I suffered, suffered, but I will not give up this torment for anything in the world. I haven't lived before. Now only I live, but I can't live without her. But can she love me?... I'm old for her... What don't you say?...
- I? I? What did I tell you, - Pierre suddenly said, getting up and starting to walk around the room. - I always thought this ... This girl is such a treasure, such ... This is a rare girl ... Dear friend, I ask you, do not think, do not hesitate, marry, marry and marry ... And I am sure that no one will be happier than you.
- But she!
- She loves you.
“Don’t talk nonsense ...” said Prince Andrei, smiling and looking into Pierre’s eyes.
“He loves, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrei, stopping him by the hand. Do you know what position I'm in? I need to tell everything to someone.
“Well, well, say, I’m very glad,” Pierre said, and indeed his face changed, the wrinkle smoothed out, and he joyfully listened to Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his anguish, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was the only person before whom he dared to speak out; but on the other hand, he told him everything that was in his soul. Either he easily and boldly made plans for a long future, talked about how he could not sacrifice his happiness for the whim of his father, how he would force his father to agree to this marriage and love her or do without his consent, then he was surprised how on something strange, alien, independent of him, against the feeling that possessed him.
“I would not believe someone who would tell me that I can love like that,” said Prince Andrei. “It's not the same feeling I had before. The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one is she and there is all the happiness of hope, light; the other half - everything where it is not, there is all despondency and darkness ...
“Darkness and gloom,” Pierre repeated, “yes, yes, I understand that.
“I can't help but love the light, it's not my fault. And I am very happy. You understand me? I know that you are happy for me.
“Yes, yes,” Pierre confirmed, looking at his friend with touching and sad eyes. The brighter the fate of Prince Andrei seemed to him, the darker his own seemed.

For marriage, the consent of the father was needed, and for this, the next day, Prince Andrei went to his father.
The father, with outward calm, but inward malice, received his son's message. He could not understand that someone wanted to change life, to bring something new into it, when life was already ending for him. “They would only let me live the way I want, and then they would do what they wanted,” the old man said to himself. With his son, however, he used the diplomacy he used on important occasions. Assuming a calm tone, he discussed the whole matter.
Firstly, the marriage was not brilliant in relation to kinship, wealth and nobility. Secondly, Prince Andrei was not the first youth and was in poor health (the old man especially leaned on this), and she was very young. Thirdly, there was a son whom it was a pity to give to a girl. Fourthly, finally, - said the father, looking mockingly at his son, - I beg you, postpone the matter for a year, go abroad, take medical treatment, find, as you like, a German, for Prince Nikolai, and then, if it’s love, passion, stubbornness, whatever you want, so great, then get married.
“And this is my last word, you know, the last ...” the prince finished in such a tone that he showed that nothing would make him change his mind.
Prince Andrei clearly saw that the old man hoped that the feeling of his or his future bride would not stand the test of the year, or that he himself, the old prince, would die by this time, and decided to fulfill his father's will: to propose and postpone the wedding for a year.
Three weeks after his last evening at the Rostovs, Prince Andrei returned to Petersburg.

The next day after her explanation with her mother, Natasha waited all day for Bolkonsky, but he did not arrive. The next day, the third day, it was the same. Pierre also did not come, and Natasha, not knowing that Prince Andrei had gone to her father, could not explain his absence to herself.
So three weeks passed. Natasha did not want to go anywhere, and like a shadow, idle and despondent, she walked around the rooms, in the evening she secretly cried from everyone and did not appear in the evenings to her mother. She was constantly blushing and irritated. It seemed to her that everyone knew about her disappointment, laughed and regretted her. With all the strength of inner grief, this vainglorious grief increased her misfortune.
One day she came to the countess, wanted to say something to her, and suddenly burst into tears. Her tears were the tears of an offended child who himself does not know why he is being punished.
The Countess began to reassure Natasha. Natasha, who at first listened to her mother's words, suddenly interrupted her:
- Stop it, mom, I don’t think, and I don’t want to think! So, I traveled and stopped, and stopped ...
Her voice trembled, she almost burst into tears, but she recovered herself and calmly continued: “And I don’t want to get married at all. And I'm afraid of him; I am now completely, completely, calmed down ...
The next day after this conversation, Natasha put on that old dress, which she was especially aware of for the cheerfulness it delivered in the morning, and in the morning she began her former way of life, from which she lagged behind after the ball. After drinking tea, she went to the hall, which she especially loved for its strong resonance, and began to sing her solfeji (singing exercises). Having finished the first lesson, she stopped in the middle of the hall and repeated one musical phrase that she especially liked. She listened joyfully to that (as if unexpected for her) charm with which these sounds, shimmering, filled the entire emptiness of the hall and slowly died away, and she suddenly became cheerful. “Why think about it so much and so well,” she said to herself, and began to walk up and down the hall, stepping not with simple steps on the resonant parquet, but at every step stepping from heel (she was wearing new, favorite shoes) to toe, and just as joyfully as to the sounds of his voice, listening to this measured clatter of heels and the creaking of socks. Passing by a mirror, she looked into it. - "Here I am!" as if the expression on her face at the sight of herself spoke. “Well, that's good. And I don't need anyone."
The footman wanted to come in to clean up something in the hall, but she did not let him in, again shutting the door behind him, and continued her walk. She returned that morning again to her beloved state of self-love and admiration for herself. - “What a charm this Natasha is!” she said again to herself in the words of some third, collective, masculine face. - "Good, voice, young, and she does not interfere with anyone, just leave her alone." But no matter how much they left her alone, she could no longer be at peace, and immediately felt it.
In the front door the entrance door opened, someone asked: are you at home? and someone's footsteps were heard. Natasha looked in the mirror, but she did not see herself. She listened to the sounds in the hallway. When she saw herself, her face was pale. It was he. She knew this for sure, although she barely heard the sound of his voice from the closed doors.
Natasha, pale and frightened, ran into the living room.
- Mom, Bolkonsky has arrived! - she said. - Mom, this is terrible, this is unbearable! “I don’t want to… suffer!” What should I do?…
The countess had not yet had time to answer her, when Prince Andrei entered the drawing room with an anxious and serious face. As soon as he saw Natasha, his face lit up. He kissed the hand of the countess and Natasha and sat down beside the sofa.
“For a long time we have not had pleasure ...” the countess began, but Prince Andrei interrupted her, answering her question and obviously in a hurry to say what he needed.
- I have not been with you all this time, because I was with my father: I needed to talk to him about a very important matter. I just got back last night,” he said, looking at Natasha. “I need to talk to you, Countess,” he added after a moment's silence.
The Countess sighed heavily and lowered her eyes.
“I am at your service,” she said.
Natasha knew that she had to leave, but she could not do it: something was squeezing her throat, and she looked impolitely, directly, with open eyes at Prince Andrei.
"Now? This minute!… No, it can't be!” she thought.
He looked at her again, and this look convinced her that she had not been mistaken. - Yes, now, this very minute her fate was being decided.
“Come, Natasha, I will call you,” said the countess in a whisper.
Natasha looked with frightened, pleading eyes at Prince Andrei and at her mother, and went out.
“I have come, Countess, to ask for the hand of your daughter,” said Prince Andrei. The countess's face flushed, but she said nothing.
“Your suggestion…” the Countess began sedately. He remained silent, looking into her eyes. - Your offer ... (she was embarrassed) we are pleased, and ... I accept your offer, I'm glad. And my husband ... I hope ... but it will depend on her ...
- I will tell her when I have your consent ... do you give it to me? - said Prince Andrew.
“Yes,” said the Countess, and held out her hand to him, and with a mixture of aloofness and tenderness pressed her lips to his forehead as he leaned over her hand. She wanted to love him like a son; but she felt that he was a stranger and a terrible person for her. “I'm sure my husband will agree,” said the countess, “but your father ...
- My father, to whom I informed my plans, made it an indispensable condition for consent that the wedding should not be earlier than a year. And this is what I wanted to tell you, - said Prince Andrei.
- It is true that Natasha is still young, but so long.
“It could not be otherwise,” Prince Andrei said with a sigh.
“I will send it to you,” said the countess, and left the room.
“Lord, have mercy on us,” she repeated, looking for her daughter. Sonya said that Natasha was in the bedroom. Natasha sat on her bed, pale, with dry eyes, looked at the icons and, quickly making the sign of the cross, whispered something. Seeing her mother, she jumped up and rushed to her.
- What? Mom?… What?
- Go, go to him. He asks for your hand, - the countess said coldly, as it seemed to Natasha ... - Go ... go, - the mother said with sadness and reproach after the fleeing daughter, and sighed heavily.
Natasha did not remember how she entered the living room. When she entered the door and saw him, she stopped. “Is this stranger really become my everything now?” she asked herself and instantly answered: “Yes, everything: he alone is now dearer to me than everything in the world.” Prince Andrei went up to her, lowering his eyes.
“I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you. Can I hope?
He looked at her, and the earnest passion of her countenance struck him. Her face said: “Why ask? Why doubt that which is impossible not to know? Why talk when you can’t express what you feel in words.
She approached him and stopped. He took her hand and kissed it.
– Do you love me?
“Yes, yes,” Natasha said as if with annoyance, sighed loudly, another time, more and more often, and sobbed.
– About what? What's wrong with you?
“Oh, I’m so happy,” she answered, smiled through her tears, leaned closer to him, thought for a second, as if asking herself if it was possible, and kissed him.
Prince Andrei held her hands, looked into her eyes, and did not find in his soul the former love for her. Something suddenly turned in his soul: there was no former poetic and mysterious charm of desire, but there was pity for her feminine and childish weakness, there was fear of her devotion and gullibility, a heavy and at the same time joyful consciousness of the duty that forever connected him with her. The real feeling, although it was not as light and poetic as the former, was more serious and stronger.

The atmosphere is what makes life possible on Earth. We get the very first information and facts about the atmosphere in elementary school. In high school, we are already more familiar with this concept in geography lessons.

The concept of the earth's atmosphere

The atmosphere is present not only in the Earth, but also in other celestial bodies. This is the name of the gaseous shell surrounding the planets. The composition of this gas layer of different planets is significantly different. Let's look at the basic information and facts about otherwise called air.

Its most important component is oxygen. Some mistakenly think that the earth's atmosphere is made entirely of oxygen, but air is actually a mixture of gases. It contains 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. The remaining one percent includes ozone, argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor. Let the percentage of these gases be small, but they perform an important function - they absorb a significant part of the solar radiant energy, thereby preventing the luminary from turning all life on our planet into ashes. The properties of the atmosphere change with altitude. For example, at an altitude of 65 km, nitrogen is 86% and oxygen is 19%.

The composition of the Earth's atmosphere

• Carbon dioxide essential for plant nutrition. In the atmosphere, it appears as a result of the process of respiration of living organisms, rotting, burning. The absence of it in the composition of the atmosphere would make it impossible for any plants to exist.
• Oxygen is a vital component of the atmosphere for humans. Its presence is a condition for the existence of all living organisms. It makes up about 20% of the total volume of atmospheric gases.
• Ozone It is a natural absorber of solar ultraviolet radiation, which adversely affects living organisms. Most of it forms a separate layer of the atmosphere - the ozone screen. Recently, human activity has led to the fact that it begins to gradually collapse, but since it is of great importance, active work is underway to preserve and restore it.
• water vapor determines the humidity of the air. Its content may vary depending on various factors: air temperature, geographical location, season. At low temperatures, there is very little water vapor in the air, maybe less than one percent, and at high temperatures, its amount reaches 4%.
• In addition to all of the above, in the composition of the earth's atmosphere there is always a certain percentage solid and liquid impurities. These are soot, ash, sea salt, dust, water drops, microorganisms. They can get into the air both naturally and by anthropogenic means.

Layers of the atmosphere

And the temperature, and density, and the qualitative composition of the air is not the same at different heights. Because of this, it is customary to distinguish different layers of the atmosphere. Each of them has its own characteristic. Let's find out which layers of the atmosphere are distinguished:

• The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface. Its height is 8-10 km above the poles and 16-18 km in the tropics. Here is 90% of all water vapor that is available in the atmosphere, so there is an active formation of clouds. Also in this layer there are such processes as the movement of air (wind), turbulence, convection. The temperature ranges from +45 degrees at noon in the warm season in the tropics to -65 degrees at the poles.
• The stratosphere is the second furthest layer from the atmosphere. It is located at an altitude of 11 to 50 km. In the lower layer of the stratosphere, the temperature is approximately -55, towards the distance from the Earth it rises to +1˚С. This region is called the inversion and is the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere.
• The mesosphere is located at an altitude of 50 to 90 km. The temperature at its lower boundary is about 0, at the upper it reaches -80...-90 ˚С. Meteorites entering the Earth's atmosphere burn out completely in the mesosphere, which causes airglows to occur here.
• The thermosphere is about 700 km thick. The northern lights appear in this layer of the atmosphere. They appear due to the action of cosmic radiation and radiation emanating from the Sun.
• The exosphere is a zone of air dispersion. Here, the concentration of gases is small and their gradual escape into interplanetary space takes place.

The boundary between the earth's atmosphere and outer space is considered to be a line of 100 km. This line is called the Karman line.

atmospheric pressure

Listening to the weather forecast, we often hear barometric pressure readings. But what does atmospheric pressure mean, and how might it affect us?

We figured out that air consists of gases and impurities. Each of these components has its own weight, which means that the atmosphere is not weightless, as was believed until the 17th century. Atmospheric pressure is the force with which all layers of the atmosphere press on the surface of the Earth and on all objects.

Scientists conducted complex calculations and proved that the atmosphere presses on one square meter of area with a force of 10,333 kg. This means that the human body is subject to air pressure, the weight of which is 12-15 tons. Why don't we feel it? It saves us its internal pressure, which balances the external one. You can feel the pressure of the atmosphere while in an airplane or high in the mountains, since the atmospheric pressure at altitude is much less. In this case, physical discomfort, stuffy ears, dizziness are possible.

A lot can be said about the atmosphere around. We know a lot of interesting facts about her, and some of them may seem surprising:

• The weight of the earth's atmosphere is 5,300,000,000,000,000 tons.
• It contributes to the transmission of sound. At an altitude of more than 100 km, this property disappears due to changes in the composition of the atmosphere.
• The movement of the atmosphere is provoked by uneven heating of the Earth's surface.
• A thermometer is used to measure air temperature, and a barometer is used to measure atmospheric pressure.
• The presence of an atmosphere saves our planet from 100 tons of meteorites daily.
• The composition of the air was fixed for several hundred million years, but began to change with the onset of rapid industrial activity.
• It is believed that the atmosphere extends upwards to an altitude of 3000 km.

The value of the atmosphere for humans

The physiological zone of the atmosphere is 5 km. At an altitude of 5000 m above sea level, a person begins to show oxygen starvation, which is expressed in a decrease in his working capacity and a deterioration in well-being. This shows that a person cannot survive in a space where this amazing mixture of gases does not exist.

All information and facts about the atmosphere only confirm its importance for people. Thanks to its presence, the possibility of the development of life on Earth appeared. Already today, having assessed the extent of the harm that mankind is capable of inflicting with its actions on the life-giving air, we should think about further measures to preserve and restore the atmosphere.