They are: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. Together, the five make up the atmosphere, the gaseous layer that surrounds the Earth and is responsible, among other things, for maintaining the planet’s thermal balance, protecting against the impact of meteors and filtering ultraviolet rays. The difference between each of the layers is basically temperature and altitude. But each has its own peculiarities.
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1. THE BAND OF LIFE
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Name Troposphere
Altitude From 0 km to 18 km
Temperature Down to -60°C, in the highest parts
It concentrates the largest amounts of gases essential for living beings: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% carbon dioxide. Meteorological phenomena such as rain and wind occur there. And it is through it that planes, helicopters, balloons, etc. travel.
2. SUN FILTER
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Name Stratosphere
Altitude From 18 km to 50 km
Temperature From -60°C to -80°C
In it is the ozone layer, responsible for filtering the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the Sun. The famous “hole”, in fact, is the rarefaction of the ozone and is concentrated in Antarctica, carried by strong air currents.
3. PROTECTIVE FILM
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Name mesosphere
Altitude From 50 km to 80 km
Temperature From -10°C to -100°C
Protect Earth from meteors. They fall at a speed of 65,000 km/h, but explode when they encounter the friction of that slice, combined with the low temperature. It also forms the intriguing noctilucent clouds: composed of tiny ice crystals that are only visible when illuminated from below, at sunset.
4. PATH TO THE SUN
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Name thermosphere
Altitude From 80 km to 300 km
Temperature Can reach 1,000°C
In this layer the air is already very rarefied. It is here that the solar wind is intercepted by Earth’s magnetism and directed towards the poles, which forms the aurora borealis. It is also where the ionosphere is located, a band loaded with ions that receives and transmits radio frequencies.
5. SPACE SEAL
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Name exosphere
Altitude From 300 km to 600 km
Temperature 1,000°C
It is the transition between the atmosphere and space, so it gradually ends until it becomes just outer space! In this layer are the space satellites that orbit the Earth. As the air is extremely rarefied, the temperature reaches 1,000°C. But don’t be alarmed: due to rarefaction, the heat doesn’t propagate.
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Sources: Claudia Marques Rosa, biologist; Book Critical Geography Vol. 1by J. William Vesentini