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Layers of the Atmosphere

Atmosphere

The Atmosphere is a layer of gases which surrounds the Earth. It is composed of nitrogen(78%), oxygen (about 21%), argon (about 0.9%), carbon dioxide (0.04%)and a small quantity of other gases and a variable amount of water vapour. It protects us from solar ultraviolet radiation. It is divided into five layers: exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere.
Layers of the atmosphere. NOOA satellites. Flickr. (Public Domain)	Exosphere	It is 500-1000 km above the Earth's surface. It separates the rest of the atmosphere from outer space. There is no air to breathe here.
	Thermosphere	It is 80-500 km above the Earth's surface. The temperature may reach 1000 degrees Celsius because it receives solar radiation. We can find the International Space Station and some satellites here.
	Mesosphere	It is 50 to 80 km above the Earth's surface. It is -80 degrees Celsius. Meteorites collide here with gas particles and burn up long before they reach the ground.
	Stratosphere	It is 12 to 50 km high. Its temperature is -60 degrees Celsius. It contains the ozone layer, which absorbs ultraviolet rays from the Sun.
	Troposphere	It is the lowest part of the atmosphere and it is about 12 km high. It contains about 75% of the air in the atmosphere and almost all the water vapour, which forms the clouds and rain. We live here.

Activity 1 and 2

1. Listen and complete the words with the missing letters.			2. Write the component of the atmosphere that corresponds to these percentages.
	NI Cloze (1): JXUwMDBjJXUwMDA2 OGEN		About 78%	Cloze (2):
	OX Cloze (3): JXUwMDAxJXUwMDFl EN		About 21%	Cloze (4):
	A Cloze (5): JXUwMDBhJXUwMDE1 ON		About 0.9%	Cloze (6):
	CA Cloze (7): JXUwMDBhJXUwMDEw ON D Cloze (8): JXUwMDExJXUwMDA2 XIDE		About 0.04%	Cloze (9): Cloze (10):

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Activity 3

Activity 4

4. Relate these words to a layer in the atmosphere.
1. Ozone layer		Cloze (1):	5. Almost all the water vapour		Cloze (2):
2. Outer space		Cloze (3):	6. No air to breathe		Cloze (4):
3. International Space Station		Cloze (5):	7. Meteorites		Cloze (6):
4. Clouds and rain		Cloze (7):	8. Northern Lights		Cloze (8):

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Extra Activities

2. What about a visit to the library or some Internet searching to find an answer for these questions. Work in pairs and then explain your answers to the rest of students. 1. We need oxygen to breath but what do we also use oxygen for? 2. What are northern lights? 3. Why are there oxygen masks on planes? 4. What is argon? 5. What is the hole in the Ozone layer?
1. Relate these images to a layer in the atmosphere. Write their names under each image.

Cloze (1):	Cloze (2):	Cloze (3):	Cloze (4):

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Speaking of Science foi realizado por Yolanda Varela Guzmán durante unha licenza por formación no curso 2018-2019.