Chapter 13, Problem 1TYC

To determine

The thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere, and also enlist one characteristic of the troposphere and stratosphere.

Answer to Problem 1TYC

The thickness of the atmosphere of Earth is ${1/100}^{\text{th}}$ of the Earth’s diameter. The troposphere is the thinnest layer and is important for the weather, whereas, the stratosphere absorbs the harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Explanation of Solution

Earth is the planet ranking third from the Sun. The earth has formed around $\text{4,570 million years ago}$ and over the passage of time, the organisms are evolving. The radius of the Earth is about $6,400\text{kilometres}\text{.}$

The atmosphere of the Earth is approximately equal to ${1/100}^{\text{th}}$ of the diameter of the Earth surface. The atmosphere of the Earth is about $\text{480}\text{kilometres}$ thick and the major part of the atmosphere is about of $\text{16}\text{kilometres}$ that starts from the surface of Earth.   The atmosphere of the Earth is composed of four layers “thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere”.

The characteristics of troposphere and stratosphere are:

1) Troposphere:

The troposphere is the thinnest layer among all the four layers. This layer is responsible for the weather of the Earth. This layer comprises of $3/4\text{'}\text{s}$ of the atmosphere.

2) Stratosphere:

The layer stratosphere is lesser dense and about $1000\text{ times}$ drier as compared to the troposphere. The gases entered into this layer remained for a longer duration due to the least vertical mixing of gases. This layer is warmer due to the absorption of the ultraviolet radiations.