"By mole fraction (i.e., by number of molecules), dry air contains 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases."
The study of planetary atmospheres and how they interact with the planet's surface, including climate modeling and the greenhouse effect.
Atmospheric Composition: Understanding the gases that make up the atmosphere and their interactions with each other.
Solar Radiation: How the sun's energy heats Earth and drives climate patterns.
Climate Zones: The different regions with distinct climates, such as arctic, desert, and tropical.
Global Circulation: The movement of air and water around the Earth, affecting weather patterns and climate.
Greenhouse Effect: How gases in the atmosphere trap heat and affect the Earth's temperature.
Paleoclimatology: The study of ancient climates and how they can provide insights into current and future climate trends.
Feedback Loops: The interplay between atmospheric components that can amplify or dampen climate change effects.
Weather Systems: Understanding the mechanisms that drive weather patterns, such as low and high pressure systems and frontal boundaries.
Climate Modeling: The use of computer simulations to project future climate trends and analyze the impacts of various climate scenarios.
Atmospheric Dynamics: The study of the physics of how the atmosphere moves and interacts with other systems on Earth.
Biogeochemical Cycles: How the movement of nutrients and carbon through Earth's systems affects the atmosphere and climate.
Ocean Circulation: The role that ocean currents and temperatures play in the Earth's climate system.
Land Use and Land Cover Change: How human activities such as deforestation and urbanization can impact the atmosphere and climate.
Aerosols: Tiny particles in the atmosphere that can affect weather patterns and climate change.
Extreme Weather: The impacts and factors contributing to severe weather events, like hurricanes, droughts, and heat waves.
Terrestrial atmosphere: Similar to Earth's atmosphere, composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace amounts of other gases.
Thermo atmosphere: An atmosphere with a high temperature due to its close proximity to the Sun.
Atmosphereless planets: Planets that lack a significant atmosphere, such as Mercury and the Moon.
Tenuous atmosphere: An atmosphere with low density or pressure, often found around small or distant planets.
Volatile-rich atmosphere: An atmosphere that contains a high concentration of volatile compounds such as water, methane, or ammonia.
Hydrogen-dominated atmosphere: An atmosphere composed mostly of hydrogen, often found around gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn.
Carbon dioxide atmosphere: An atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide, such as the atmosphere of Mars.
Oxygen-rich atmosphere: An atmosphere with relatively high levels of oxygen, often found around planets with active photosynthesis or geological activity.
Nitrogen-rich atmosphere: An atmosphere with a high concentration of nitrogen, such as on Titan (Saturn's moon).
Methane atmosphere: An atmosphere dominated by methane gas, such as on Pluto.
Sulphuric acid atmosphere: An atmosphere containing sulphuric acid, such as on Venus.
Dusty atmosphere: An atmosphere with high levels of airborne dust particles.
"The atmosphere of Earth creates pressure, absorbs most meteoroids and ultraviolet solar radiation, warms the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), allowing life and liquid water to exist on the Earth's surface, and reduces temperature extremes between day and night."
"Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere."
"Air composition, temperature, and atmospheric pressure vary with altitude."
"Within the atmosphere, air suitable for use in photosynthesis by terrestrial plants and breathing of terrestrial animals is found only in Earth's troposphere."
"The atmosphere changed significantly over time, affected by many factors such as volcanism, life, and weathering."
"Recently, human activity has also contributed to atmospheric changes, such as global warming, ozone depletion and acid deposition."
"The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15×10^18 kg."
"Three quarters of the atmosphere's mass is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface."
"The atmosphere becomes thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space."
"The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi) or 1.57% of Earth's radius, is often used as the border between the atmosphere and outer space."
"Atmospheric effects become noticeable during atmospheric reentry of spacecraft at an altitude of around 120 km (75 mi)."
"Several layers can be distinguished in the atmosphere, based on characteristics such as temperature and composition."
"The study of Earth's atmosphere and its processes is called atmospheric science (aerology)."
"Early pioneers in the field include Léon Teisserenc de Bort and Richard Assmann."
"Atmospheric science includes multiple subfields, such as climatology and atmospheric physics."
"The study of historic atmosphere is called paleoclimatology."
"The atmosphere [...] reduces temperature extremes between day and night (the diurnal temperature variation)."
"The atmosphere of Earth creates [...] absorbs most meteoroids and ultraviolet solar radiation."
"The atmosphere of Earth creates [...] allowing life and liquid water to exist on the Earth's surface."