The atmosphere of the Earth is one of the most important protective elements that provide the very possibility of life on our planet. Interest in its study has increased sharply after in 2013, Felix Baumgartner climbed with the help of a special fiberglass capsule and a balloon to a height of 39 kilometers and made a parachute jump. Below are interesting facts related to our atmosphere, which can rightfully be called miracles …
5-level protection system
We know from the school curriculum that the atmosphere consists of 5 layers. The first is the troposphere. This is where all weather changes take place. The second layer - the stratosphere - contains the ozone layer, which protects us from excessive ultraviolet radiation. The third layer - the mesosphere - burns all the meteorites that enter the Earth's atmosphere.
This is followed by the ionosphere and thermosphere, which cover hundreds of kilometers above the earth's surface. Our satellites fly there. The fifth layer is the exosphere: this layer can expand and contract by 10 (!) Times, depending on the activity of the Sun. There are only five layers, and humanity is already protected from most cosmic hazards and adverse conditions.
Natural special effects
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Why are the ionosphere and thermosphere considered one layer? Because they are located in the same plane, and the ionosphere is generally a kind of worldwide sponsor of natural special effects. The fact is that the ionosphere got its name because of the high concentration of ions: they are formed due to the interaction of a large number of high-energy particles and sunlight.
It is thanks to this layer that we are able to observe such stunning phenomena as the Northern and Southern Auroras (this effect is created as a result of the collision of charged particles of the Sun with air molecules).
Generally Electricity surrounds us everywhere. Thus, lightning is capable of heating the surrounding airspace to 30,000 ° C. It is this sharp temperature jump that actually explodes the air. This explosion creates a shock wave, and that, in turn, turns into a sound wave, and voila - we hear thunder!
The atmosphere is gone - a reward awaits the finder
Now this sounds incredible, but scientists believe that over the entire history of its existence, the Earth probably lost its atmosphere several times. Only this happened long before the appearance of any life forms on Earth.
When the planet was covered with magma, quite large space objects, similar in size to small planets, often crashed into it. Such collisions not only led to the formation of the moon, but, most likely, several times destroyed the nascent atmosphere.
Where is more water - in the clear sky or in the clouds?
Most of us will misunderstand this question. In fact, most of the water in the atmosphere is in a state of invisible vapor. It is its concentration that we find out when we read about air humidity in the weather forecast.
That is why very hot weather in a humid climate is so difficult to tolerate - the air already contains a large amount of moisture and the sweat released by our body does not evaporate, and, therefore, does not cool.
The ozone layer is not only a condition, but also the result of the existence of life on Earth
We know that not all components of the atmosphere appeared at the same time. But not everyone knows that some of its components, for example the ozone layer, appeared after the origin of life on earth. The fact is that ozone molecules are formed as a result of the interaction of ultraviolet radiation and oxygen atoms, which, under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, combine into triple bonds, forming an Ozone molecule.
This reaction requires a significant amount of oxygen. That is why the ozone layer formed around the planet, when there were already enough living things in the oceans capable of producing (exhaling) it.
Purple skies and scarlet sunsets
Most of us think the sky is blue. It is actually purple. We see it blue because of the atmosphere. As mentioned above, the atmosphere has a very high concentration of water vapor.
Water molecules pass light through themselves, refracting and scattering it. When scattering, some colors are absorbed, and some, on the contrary, become brighter. Each color has its own wavelength: blue has the shortest wavelength and therefore is better diffused.
However, a short wavelength means that the farther away the light source, the less blue we see. That is why, at sunset, when the sun gets farther away, the blue light simply dissipates into the atmosphere, and we see colors with a longer wavelength, such as red and pink. The same principle is at the heart of the rainbow.
Is the atmosphere a living organism?
There is such a possibility. However, organisms rather live IN IT. In 2013, scientists discovered microorganisms at an altitude of 15 km above the earth's surface. Some of these bacteria are of terrestrial origin, and some were brought into our atmosphere from space. They break down organic chemicals floating in the air, thus obtaining food for themselves.
Anna Kiseleva