Atmosphere Research Paper

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is the layers of gases that surround a planet. The principal constituents of the atmosphere of the Earth are nitrogen (78 per cent) and oxygen (21 per cent). The atmospheric gases in the remaining 1 per cent are argon (0.9 per cent), carbon dioxide (0.03 percent). Varying amounts of water vapour, and trace amounts of hydrogen, ozone, methane, carbon monoxide, helium, neon, krypton, and xenon are also found in the atmosphere. The are four layers in atmosphere, they are: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Ionosphere, and Exosphere.

Structure of Atmosphere

Troposphere

The atmosphere may be divided into several layers. In the lowest one, the troposphere, the temperature as a rule decreases upwards at the rate of 5.5° C per

Because of the relatively high concentration of ions in the air above 80 km (50 mi), this layer, extending to an altitude of 640 km (400 mi), is called the ionosphere. It is also termed the thermosphere, because of the high temperatures in this layer (rising to about 2,200°F, or 1,200°C at about 400 km/250

The temperature declined per 1,000 feet with the increase in altitude is referred as the dry adiabatic lapse rate.

• The temperature distribution is highly variable in vertical air which ranges from very stable to very unstable.

• In the lower layer of the atmosphere the diurnal variation in temperature occurs because of heating and cooling at the earth's surface.

Cyclone

• Atmospheric system of strong winds in the low pressure region.

• It rotates anti-clockwise direction in the nothern hemisphere while in southern hemisphere it rotates in clockwise direction.

• It is known as “Cyclone” in Indian ocean and Southern Pacific region, “Typhoon” in the Western Pacific region and Hurican in Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific area.

• There are two types of cyclones: i) Tropical cyclone and ii) Temperate cyclone.

• Tropical cyclone is the fastly rotating cloud system which occurs above the tropical or sub-tropical water region. It mainly developed in the Northern hemisphere in anti-clockwise direction and it cause heavy rainfall in these region.

• Temperate cyclone the temperate cyclones are those which occur in mid latitudes i.e. 400 to 600 N & S. These are formed due to convergence of the warm (tropical) and Cold (Polar)