| Date Answered | Questioner (age, location) | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2008 | (age , we stay in Oman) | The influence of forests on atmospheric tempreture | They can influence the atmospheric temperature in several ways. For example, their darker color, when compared with cities and deserts, means that they absorb more solar energy, reflecting less back to the atmosphere. Fires on the forests not only heat the lower layers of the atmosphere, but also release tons of particulates and pollution. The forest also contributes to the atmosphere by taking CO2 and releasing oxygen (O2). |
| August 14, 2008 | sharanya (age 13, karnataka,India) | how is atmosphere weighed? | The weight of the Earth's atmosphere can be calculated as follows. Atmospheric pressure at sea level is on average 14.5 pounds per square inch = 10 tons/m2. This pressure is due to the weight of atmosphere above an area at sea level of one square meter. The radius of the Earth "r" is 5 925 km and so the surface area of the Earth (land and ocean) is 4 x pi x r2 = 4 x 3.142 x 59252 = 441 million kilometres2 = 441,000 billion meter2. Therefore the weight of the Earth's atmosphere is 441,000 billion x 10 = 4.41 million billion tons. Adapted from Accelerated Global Warming and Atmospheric CO2 Emissions. |
| June 30, 2008 | Haley (age 9, Tennessee) | What is the atmosphere made up of? | The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is composed of Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%). |
| June 27, 2008 | Damaris (age 12, Texas) | What layer of the atmosphere contains the biosphere? | The troposphere is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It is considered part of the biosphere. |
| June 27, 2008 | Melanie (age 14, Fl) | Which layer does moest weather conditons take place? | Weather occurs in the Earth's troposphere. |
| May 13, 2008 | ziad (age 12, new york) | Describe how the amount of air changes as you travel up through Earth's atmosphere. | Most of the gases that form our atmosphere are (due to the gravitational atraction) concentrated close to the surface. At sea level, the number of atoms and molecules in a cubic centimeter of air is about 2x1019; however, the outermost atmosphere of our planet (above a few hundred kilometers) is a region of extremely low density, with about 2x107 particles per cubic centimeter of air near 600 km of altitude. |
| May 12, 2008 | Jovanni (age 13, Philippines) | how does an eye of a cyclone or tornado was formed? | There still an on-going debate about how the eye and eyewall are formed. Several scientists support the hypothesis that the existence of very strong winds cause air to be centrifuged out of the eye into the eyewall. |
| May 7, 2008 | Khaila (age 10, Louisiana) | If there is no air in space what keeps the air inside the Earth?Explain why. | Gravity is the force that keeps the atmosphere around our planet. |
| May 2, 2008 | Bryan (age 11, CA) | "What is the region between the layers of the atmosphere called?" | The region between layers is named with the same term as the lower of two layers, but adding "pause" at the end. For example, the transition boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere is called the tropopause. |
| April 18, 2008 | Rica (age 11, Philippines) | What are the gases found in/makes up the atmosphere? | The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is composed of Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%). |
| March 31, 2008 | kiran (age 11, new york) | How does the compisition of gasas change as you travel up through the atmosphere? | The atmosphere surrounds Earth and protects us by blocking out dangerous rays from the sun. The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is composed of Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%). More information can be found in our web page The Earth's Atmosphere and the links therein. |
| March 19, 2008 | Brittany (age 15, Georgia) | what is the ultimate cause of all weather? and what is the source of this ultimate cause of all weather? |
There are several factors that interact in the troposphere to define weather. Heat energy and its dispersion, air pressure and movement, and the amount of moisture are the main players. |
| March 18, 2008 | Deseree (age 11, CA, USA) | what are the various things you can find in each layer of the atmosphere? for example, what do you find in the biosphere? | Our web page Layers of Earth's Atmosphere offers the information you are looking for and much more. |
| March 14, 2008 | tristuian (age 15, sc) | why are the layers of the atmosphere so important? | Atmospheric layers are different in composition, temperature, etc. Because we live in one of them, and the weather happens there (besides other human activities in other layers), it is important to know how they behave under different conditions. |
| February 15, 2008 | NADINE (age 13, PHILIPPINES) | what causes storms? | Storms are created when a center of low pressure develops, with a system of high pressure surrounding it. This combination can create winds and result in the formation of storm clouds. |
| February 15, 2008 | nadine (age 13, philippines) | why are there different kinds of storms? | Storms can be clasified in different ways. Most serious storms have heavy rains, winds, snow or hail. Some examples of severe weather are tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms. All of these can cause massive damage where they occur. |
| February 12, 2008 | Katie (age 14, United states) | In the troposphere, what does the air temperature do as the altitude increases? | In the Earth troposphere the temperature generally decreases with increasing height. |
| February 5, 2008 | harris (age 11, FL America) | the main idea of troposphere | The troposphere is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The air is very well mixed and the temperature decreases with altitude. Air in the troposphere is heated from the ground up. The surface of the Earth absorbs energy and heats up faster than the air does. The heat is spread through the troposphere because the air is slightly unstable. Weather occurs in the Earth's troposphere. |
| January 30, 2008 | Debbie (age 15, usa) | how does the amount of humidity in the air affect the amount of clouds in the sky? | Clouds form when water accumulates around very small particles (aerosols). If there is no change in the amount of these particles, higher humidity would produce more water accumulation, which could result in an increase in the number of clouds. |
| January 15, 2008 | Jackie (age 10, Michigan) | What type of weather/stuff happens in the mesosphere? | In the Earth's mesosphere, the air is relatively mixed together and the temperature decreases with altitude. The atmosphere reaches its coldest temperature of around -90°C in the mesosphere. This is also the layer in which a lot of meteors burn up while entering the Earth's atmosphere. There are no important weather processes here. |
| January 12, 2008 | Laine (age 5, Louisiana/USA) | Where do tornados form? on the ground or in the sky? | Tornadoes form from severe thunderstorms. They have a very high energy density which means that they affect a small area but are very destructive to that area. They also don't last very long which makes it hard to learn about them. More information in our website Tornadoes. |
| January 8, 2008 | ashin (age 12, usa) | What is the temperature in the Exosphere?????? | The exosphere is the outermost layer of the earth's atmosphere, starting at 500-1000 km above the surface and gradually thinning to the vacuum of space. At these altitudes the air is so tenuous that temperature has to be defined in terms of the energy of individual molecules: daytime energies reach well over a thousand degrees; at night the molecule radiates and its energy level falls to a few degrees of absolute zero. |
| January 3, 2008 | Andrew (age 9, South Carolina/United States) | Explain how the air above the earth is warmed? | There are different ways in which our atmosphere is warmed. The main ones are directly from the Sun rays, and because the radiation of heat from the surface of the Earth. |
| December 27, 2007 | Sarah (age 13, New York) | What gases make up th Troposphere? | The troposphere is primarily composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) with only small concentrations of other gases. Nearly all atmospheric water vapour is found in the troposphere. |
| December 27, 2007 | shelina (age 14, USA) | explain why the total amount of nitrogen doesn't change? | For a relatively short period of time, the amount of nitrogen on Earth's atmosphere remains approximately constant, moving around the different parts of the Nitrogen Cycle. But when long periods of time are considered, the amount of nitrogen does change. Please, visit our web page Earth's Primordial Atmosphere for further details. |
| December 17, 2007 | Emily (age 16, Louisiana) | Why does weather only occur in the Tropospheric? | It is true that most weather occurs in the troposhere, but there is still some weather related processes above the troposphere, but these layers are very stable and have much lower density. |
| December 12, 2007 | michelle (age 27, illinois usa) | why does most weather occur only in 1 layer of the atmosphere | Most weather occurs in the troposhere. There is still some weather related processes above the troposphere, but these layers are very stable and have much lower density. |
| December 10, 2007 | marvin (age 15, western australia) | which layer has jet streams | Jet streams are found in the atmosphere at around 11 kilometers of altitude. The jet stream is mainly found in the tropopause, the transition region between the troposphere and the stratosphere. |
| December 10, 2007 | Jillian (age 13, PA/United States) | How does the mesophere affect life on the Earth's surface? | In the Earth's mesosphere, the air masses are relatively mixed together and the temperature decreases with altitude. Atmospheric temperatures reach the lowest average value of around -90°C in the mesosphere. This is also the layer in which a lot of meteors burn up while entering the Earth's atmosphere. Because the mesosphere lies between the maximum altitude for aircraft and the minimum altitude for orbital spacecraft, scientists can only study this region using sounding rockets. |
| October 18, 2007 | Dawson (age 11, FL) | 1. Need details of the EXOSPHERE 2. What is the Exosphere miles and/or kilometers? 3. What is the Exosphere Teperature (Celsius & Fahrenheit)? 4. What if anythin is located in the Exosphere? do you have pictures? |
The exosphere starts at around 500 km of altitude, where the Earth's atmosphere becomes very thin and where atoms and molecules escape into space. The exosphere is on top of the thermosphere. |
| October 15, 2007 | ronel (age 16, Batangas Philippines) | What objects can be seen in each layer of earth's atmosphere? | Layers of the Earth's Atmosphere. |
| August 21, 2007 | Brittany (age 14, Western Australia) | Why is the thermosphere hotter than the mesosphere? | The temperature in the Thermosphere can reach 2000º C. It is so hot here because nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere absorb a good deal of radiation from space and convert it to heat. |
| August 21, 2007 | Nicolas (age 12, New Zealand) | How does the activity of man affect the atmosphere | There are many ways in which humans affect the atmosphere, maybe he best known is the "greenhouse effect". The gases in the atmosphere that help retain heat are called greenhouse gases. These gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), absorb heat instead of allowing it to escape into space. This "greenhouse effect" makes the planet a hospitable place. However, greenhouse gases can have negative effects, too. Human activity has increased the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Since the 1800s, industrialized societies have burned fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas; these processes all give off CO2. During the past 25 years, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by about 8 percent. With more CO2 in the atmosphere, more heat is absorbed and retained, causing global temperatures to rise. Extracted from Weather: The Atmoshere. |
| July 27, 2007 | Amy (age 13, Australia, Qld) | How thick are layers in the atmosphere? | The troposphere goes to about 10km. The stratosphere from about 10 km to about 50km (40 km thick). From 50 km to about 85 km is the mesosphere (~35 km thick), and from about 85 km to about 500 km is the thermosphere (~400 km thick). This figure from our web site shows the different layers. |
| July 18, 2007 | GABY (age 16, CA) | what are the 4 layers of the atmosphere? | The atmosphere is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with height until it eventually merges with space. 1) The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer. 2) Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer absorbs harmful rays from the Sun. 3) Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere. 4) The thermosphere is a layer with auroras. It is also where the space shuttle orbits. 5) The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere. |
| July 18, 2007 | windsor (age 9, ) | How did Earth get atmostphere | Scientists believe that Earth’s present atmosphere came from inside the planet. Volcanos might have spewed out water vapor, nitrogen compounds, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and methane. Interactions with radiation from the sun—and falling temperatures—caused large amounts of nitrogen to appear. Eventually, life came on the scene to add breathable oxygen and protective ozone, creating the air we breathe today. More information at this web page. |
| July 17, 2007 | Christopher (age 12, Australia) | What is the composition of all the individual layers in the earths atmosphere? | The atmosphere surrounds Earth and protects us by blocking out dangerous rays from the sun. The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is composed of Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%). More information can be found in our web page The Earth's Atmosphere and the links therein. |
| July 11, 2007 | maggie (age 13, mi) | what is thermospher temperature range | The thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere and is located above the mesosphere. The air is really thin in the thermosphere. A small change in energy can cause a large change in temperature. That's why the temperature is very sensitive to solar activity. When the sun is active, the thermosphere can heat up to 1,500°C or higher! More information in our webpage The Thermosphere. |
| July 11, 2007 | BOODHUN (age 39, MAURITIUS) | Define a low pressure and high pressure area? | A low pressure are has a lower atmospheric pressure that its sorroundings. The opposite is true for high pressure areas. |
| July 2, 2007 | jade (age 11, Hong Kong) | Why is the thermosphere made of mostly hydrogen and helium? | Because the extreme temperatures that can be reached at this height. The thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere and is located above the mesosphere. The air is really thin in the thermosphere. A small change in energy can cause a large change in temperature. That's why the temperature here is very sensitive to solar activity. When the sun is active, the thermosphere can heat up to 1,500°C or higher! |
| July 2, 2007 | Desmonnd (age 19, South africa) | what are the first most charectoristics of the first layer of the atmosphere | The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer. |
| May 21, 2007 | Mary (age 14, NY ,USA) | why is the atmoshere divided into four layers? | This image shows the changes in temperature with height. There you can see how the temperature profile has different characteristics for the different layers. |
| May 5, 2007 | jemel (age 15, massachusetts) | how does the temperature change as you travel up through the atmosphere | There are different layers in the atmosphere where the temperature either increases or decreases with height!! For an image showing the temperature of the atmosphere throughout different layers, visite our web page. |
| May 5, 2007 | josue (age 11, Texas,U.S.A) | WHAT IS THE FORCE THAT HELPS FORM THUNDER? | Inside a thunderstorm, the + and - charges are separated into two sections. All of the + charges are at the top of the thunderstorm cloud. All of the - charges are at the bottom of the thunderstorm cloud. During a thunderstorm, the ground has a + charge. + and - charges are attracted to each other. The - charge at the bottom of the thunderstorm cloud wants to meet the + charge of the ground. The - charge of the cloud starts to rush toward the + charge at the ground. At the same time, the + charge rushes toward the - charge. It happens so fast that all we can see is a line of light. This is called lightning. More information in our web page Lightning and Thunder. |
| May 5, 2007 | shane (age 10, n.c , usa) | what layer of the amosphere does planes fly in? | Most of the flying occurs in the troposphere. For an image showing what man-made and natural phenomena occur in each layer of the atmosphere, visit here. |
| May 5, 2007 | shane (age 10, n.c , usa) | what layer of the amosphere does planes fly in? | Most of the flyind occurs in the troposphere. For an image showing what man-made and natural phenomena occur in each layer of the atmosphere, visit here. |
| April 4, 2007 | Taylor (age 11, Arizona) | What height is the tropopause,the stratopause, and the mesopause? | The tropopause, at about 10 km of altitud,. is the limit between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Between the stratosphere and the mesosphere is the stratopause (at about 50 km), and the uper part of the mesosphere is the mesopause (about 85 km). |
| March 30, 2007 | liz (age 41, california, usa) | would there be wind without the sun? why or why not? | The main cause for winds is the existence of horizontal differences in air pressure (air flows form areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure). Differences in air pressure are caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface. Therefore, the sun (solar energy) is the ultimate cause of wind. For more information, visit the web page Wind, Global Wind Systems and the Coriolis Effect. |
| March 30, 2007 | liz (age 41, california, usa) | would there be wind without the sun? why or why not? | The main cause for winds is the existence of horizontal differences in air pressure (air flows form areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure). Differences in air pressure are caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface. Therefore, the sun (solar energy) is the ultimate cause of wind. For more information, visit the web page Wind, Global Wind Systems and the Coriolis Effect. |
| March 28, 2007 | Alex (age , ) | The ozone layer is the part of the atmosphere with relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). This layer is mainly located in the lower part of the stratosphere (15 to 35 km above Earth's surface) although the thickness varies seasonally and geographically. | |
| March 5, 2007 | Amber (age 12, Georgia) | Why is there 7 layers in the atmosphere? | The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is composed of Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%). The atmosphere is divided into five layers depending on how temperature changes with height. Our web page Layers of the Earth Atmosphere describes the different layers. |
| March 5, 2007 | stacey (age 17, malaysia) | What will happen if acid rain is not overcome? | Acid rain can have harmful impacts on the ecosystems in the environment. It acidifies the soil and water where it falls, damaging or even killing plants and animals. Surface water acidification can lead to a decline in, and loss of, fish populations and other aquatic species including frogs, snails and crayfish. Acid rain affects trees, usually by weakening them through damage to their leaves. Certain types of building stone, such as limestone and marble, can be gradually dissolved in acid rain. The long-term effects of acid rain could be devastating. |
| March 1, 2007 | Sharon (age 12, GA) | What objects lie in the Stratosphere? (example: stars, rockets, meteroids, etc.) | Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. It also contains the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful rays from the Sun. |
| February 22, 2007 | Judy (age 13, wa) | What is the Width of each layer in Earth 's atmosphere ? Answer please it's due on 2/14/07 | Troposphere: From surface to about 10 km. Stratosphere: From 20 to about 50 km. Mesosphere: From about 50 to about 85 km. Thermosphere: Over 90 km. More detailed information at our web page Temperature of the Atmosphere. |
| February 22, 2007 | Judy (age 13,wa) | What is the Width of each layer in Earth 's atmosphere ? Answer please it's due on 2/14/07 | Troposphere: From surface to about 10 km. Stratosphere: From 20 to about 50 km. Mesosphere: From about 50 to about 85 km. Thermosphere: Over 90 km. More detailed information at our web page . |
| February 22, 2007 | Judy (age 13, wa) | What is the Width of each layer in Earth 's atmosphere ? Answer please it's due on 2/14/07 | Troposphere: From surface to about 10 km. Stratosphere: From 20 to about 50 km. Mesosphere: From about 50 to about 85 km. Thermosphere: Over 90 km. More detailed information at our web page . |
| February 22, 2007 | Judy (age 13, wa) | What is the range temperture of the mesosphere ? | The mesosphere covers from about 50 km to the range of 80 km to 85 km, and its temperature decreases with height from about -10 to about -70 degree C. |
| February 22, 2007 | claus (age 60, BC, Canada) | I have searched the www and this site. I would like to know the formulae for calculating the volume of the earht's atmosphere ... say to the 99% of mass which I believe is within 31Kilometers from earth Should I just assume the volume of the larger sphere and deduct the smaller... but the earth is not round. Can you send me to a link? Thanks Claus |
The mesosphere covers from about 50 km to the range of 80 km to 85 km, and its temperature decreases with height from about -10 to about -70 degree C. |
| February 22, 2007 | Faith (age 8, Tennessee) | What kind of cloud brings sleet and freezing rain? | Cummulonimbus clouds are storm clouds associated precipitation like rain, sleet, hail, etc. |
| February 22, 2007 | lindsey (age 12, nj) | how do different air pressures in two air masses cause dramatic changes in weather patterns | Most weather occurs along the periphery of air masses at boundaries called fronts. For example, in winter an arctic air mass (very cold and dry air) can move over the ocean, picking up some warmth and moisture from the warmer ocean and becoming a maritime polar air mass - one that is still fairly cold but contains moisture. If that same polar air mass moves south from Canada into the southern U.S. it will pick up some of the warmth of the ground, but due to lack of moisture it remains very dry. This is called a continental polar air mass. Pressure is related with the air masses through the fact that cold, dry air is more dense than warm, moist air. If hot air masses are the same height, the cold air will have higher pressure at the earth's surface. |
| January 25, 2007 | Brittany (age 14, Arizona) | What is the average temperature of the whole Troposphere? | The troposphere starts at the Earth's surface and extends 8 to 1.5 kilometers high. The temperature drops with height from about 17 to -52 degrees Celsius. |
| January 25, 2007 | Crystal (age 13, Texas) | What are the 5 layers of the atmosphere called | The Earth's atmosphere is divided vertically into four layers based on temperature: the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. |
| January 25, 2007 | Crystal (age 13, Texas) | What are the 5 layers of the atmosphere called | The Earth's atmosphere is divided vertically into four layers based on temperature: the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. |
| January 23, 2007 | debra (age 20,CANADA) | What is the temperature of the stratosphere | The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends up to 50 kilometers high. The temperature in this region increases gradually to -3 degrees Celsius, due to the absorbtion of ultraviolet radiation. |
| January 17, 2007 | zachary (age 12, canada) | how does the greenhouse effect effect our planet? | The presence in the atmosphere of gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, causes the trapping of the Sun energy. In other words, without greenhouse gases, the heat would leave our planet and Earth would be considerably cooler. |
| January 14, 2007 | skilar (age 10, united states ohio) | what are some facks about the Troposphere | The troposphere is where all weather takes place. It is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The air is very well mixed and the temperature decreases with altitude. Air in the troposphere is heated from the ground up. The surface of the Earth absorbs energy and heats up faster than the air does. The heat is spread through the troposphere because the air is slightly unstable. For more information, please visit our web page The Troposphere. |
| January 5, 2007 | chavon (age 13 1/2, ohio) | what is another name for very low clouds? | Low clouds (clouds with bases are around 6,500 feet or 2,000 meters), are usually of the nimbostratus, stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus and cumulonimbus type. |
| January 5, 2007 | divya (age 14, India) | what is cyclones? Please explain | The definition of cyclone is: an area of low pressure around which winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Also the term used for a hurricane in the Indian Ocean and in the Western Pacific Ocean.
For more information about this topic, please visit our web page Hurricanes. |
| January 5, 2007 | divya (age 14, India) | what is cyclones? Please explain | The definition of cyclone is: an area of low pressure around which winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Also the term used for a hurricane in the Indian Ocean and in the Western Pacific Ocean. For more information about this topic, please visit our web page . |
| December 6, 2006 | brittany (age 12, alaska) | what is the layers of the earths atmosphere? | The atmosphere is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with height until it eventually merges with space. 1) The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer. 2) Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. 3) Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere. 4) The thermosphere is a layer with auroras. 5) The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere. For more information visit our page a href="/earth/Atmosphere/layers.html">Layers of the Earth's Atmosphere |
| November 30, 2006 | Kelli (age 11, SouthCarolina/unitedstates) | The troposphere contains about 75%f what in the atmosphere? | The Troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere and contains about 95 % of the mass of air in the Earth's atmosphere. |
| November 20, 2006 | katelynd (age 12, new zealand) | what are the differences between climate and weather? | Weather is the mix of events that happen each day in our atmosphere including temperature, rainfall and humidity. Weather is not the same everywhere. Perhaps it is hot, dry and sunny today where you live, but in other parts of the world it is cloudy, raining or even snowing. Everyday, weather events are recorded and predicted by meteorologists worldwide. Climate in your place on the globe controls the weather where you live. Climate is the average weather pattern in a place over many years. So, the climate of Antarctica is quite different than the climate of a tropical island. Hot summer days are quite typical of climates in many regions of the world, even without the affects of global warming. Information adapted from: http://eo.ucar.edu/basics/index.html |
| June 15, 2001 | Ghada (11, Saudi Arabia) | What does climate mean? | The earth's climate is generally defined as the average weather over a long period of time. A place or region's climate is determined by both natural and anthropogenic (human-made) factors. |
| May 9, 2001 | (14, New York, USA) | Where can I find information about the mesosphere and exosphere? | The mesophere and exosphere are layers of the Earth's atmosphere. |
| March 27, 2001 | Allison (11, Mississippi, USA) | About how many layers are in the atmosphere? | There are 5 layers in the Earth's atmosphere. |
| February 5, 2001 | Melissa (age 21+, South Carolina, USA) | Does our wind come from solar wind? | Though the solar wind does drive some processes that affect life on Earth, it is not responsible for the wind. Most simply, winds on Earth are due to differences in pressure within the atmosphere. |
| November 20, 2000 | Krystle (age 14, USA) | How is lightning formed? And how do the storms form? What causes them to happen when they happen? | This page should help you out! |
| October 30, 2000 | Tom (age 13, Bethesda) | What is the stratosphere? | The stratosphere is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere (going from the ground up). The famous ozone layer is in the stratosphere. |
| October 12, 2000 | Casey (age 11, Missouri, USA) | Why do rainbows occur? | Here's a page on why rainbows occur! |
| September 29, 2000 | Kenny (age 10, Colorado, USA) | How far is the atmosphere from Earth? | Well, the atmosphere actually starts right at the solid surface of the Earth. So if you go out in the backyard and lie down on the grass...the atmosphere is right there even just an inch above the grass. The first layer of the atmosphere starts right where we live. That layer of the atmosphere is called the troposphere. But the atmosphere does extend out really far...to about 250 miles or 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface. That last layer of the Earth's atmosphere is called the exosphere. |
| August 16, 2000 | Andy (age 51, New Zealand) | When the temperature drops to 0 centigrade at ground level is there a warm layer of air above it and if so what height dose the warm level start and finish? | First of all, regardless of the surface temperature, it is possible for air above the surface to be warmer. Typically, the temperateure decreases as we go up for the 10-20 km. However, at some height the air may actually get warmer for just a little while. This is called an inversion. Inversion can occur at almost any altitude. Clouds usually form near an inversion. |
| July 13, 2000 | Christin (age 19, California, USA ) | What is thought to be the likely origin of the modern Earth's atmoshere? | Scientists believe our atmosphere was formed when gases seeped out of the Earth. There were large amounts of water vapor that became lakes. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide also leaked out of the Earth. These gases were unable to escape the Earth's gravitational pull. Eventually, there was enough gas to create an atmosphere. |
| June 26, 2000 | Angelina (age 13, Canada ) | What surveillance methods exist to track or predict tornadoes? | Read tornado forecasting to find out! |
| June 13, 2000 | Elly (age 16, Virginia, USA ) | How does a helium balloon work? | This is a simple question of density. Helium is less dense than the air around it. And we all know that less dense air rises! You can do the simple experiment with water and cooking oil. Put them in a glass, and the oil will always float above the water because it is less dense. |
| May 12, 2000 | Tammy (26, Ohio, USA) | When is a tornado more likely to form day or night or when have most formed? | Tornadoes can form at any time, day or night. The important thing is to have the right conditions. A tornado can't just form out of thin air!
First of all, tornadoes can only form from one type of cloud. Only the most advanced and largest clouds can make tornadoes. Plus, there must be a high level of instability in the atmosphere, and a high dew point. |
| May 12, 2000 | Patrick (age 22, Illinois, USA) | Why is there a difference of heights of the tropopause level at two different locations? | The height of the tropopause depends on a number of factors, including the surface temperature. The temperature of the tropopause does not change much, but the surface temperature changes greatly around the globe. In the Arctic regions, the surface temperature is obviously lower than the tropics. It takes a lot longer for the temperature to drop in the tropics, so naturally the tropopause has to be higher. |
| March 20, 2000 | Holly (age 15, Canada) | Does rain fall in droplets because the water molecules are attracted to each other by electrostatic forces, or is this just another theory? | During a storm, water molecules in clouds begin to form around dust particles. These molecules are mixed up inside the clouds and combine to form tiny droplets. At some point the droplets get too big for the cloud to hold, and they begin to fall out. As they fall, they collect more molecules and eventually form rain droplets. During stronger storms, the winds can keep the droplets inside the clouds for longer periods of time, so we get larger droplets. However, rain droplets can only get so large before they are broken up during their fall through the sky. |
| March 1, 2000 | Vivek (age 15, India) | How can I understand the mechanism of the monsoons ? | This page, from USA Today, has a good diagram to check out. |
| February 9, 2000 | Eledy (age 13, Pennsylvania, USA) | Can you tell the weather from clouds? If so how? | You can't really tell the weather from clouds, but they will give you an idea of what the weather will be like in the near future. If you look outside and there are only scattered, thin clouds, then you don't have to worry about any rain or snow for a while.
But if there are many grey, tall clouds, you better get inside because a storm is probably on its way! Also, the amount of cloud cover will affect the temperature at night. If the sky is clear, then the heat from the Earth can escape into space. But when it's cloudy, the clouds absorb some of the heat, keeping it a little warmer at night. |
| January 25, 2000 | Angie (age 15, Florida, USA) | What is the atmospheric pressure on Mars compared to Earth? | The average pressure on the surface of Mars is only 7 millibars which is less than 1% of Earth's. |
| January 25, 2000 | Beth (age 15, Ohio, USA) | i am studying global warming and the green house effect in my 9th grade science class. i was wondering what is the difference between the two and what would happen if we were to expierence either one? | The difference is, one causes the other. The greenhouse effect is the main cause of global warming. Basically, the greenhouse effect describes the process of heat being trapped in our atmosphere.
Certain gases in our atmosphere, like water vapor and carbon dioxide, absorb the radiation given off by our Earth. Normally, this radiation would escape into space, but these gases absorb it, and then release radiation that travels back to Earth. When this radiation reaches Earth, we experience global warming. |
| January 10, 2000 | Richard (age 66, Missouri, USA) | I picture the jetstreams as flowing like water. I believe that the winds react the same way as water flowing down a stream. When someone throws a object into the flow it creates little swirles that moves along the way of the flow until thet staightenout.This is what I think happens when the shuttle creates when passing through. Can this happen? | That's actually an excellent way to look at it. Both air and water are fluids, so they have very similar properties as far as their motion is concerned. |
| December 24, 1999 | Jasmin(age 13, Alabama, USA) | how does pollution effect the atmostspere? | Pollution causes all kinds of problems! Some kinds make acid rain that kills our plants and fish. Others cause breathing problems, like smog. Even more cause a decrease in ozone, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet light from the Sun. So as you can see, it's very important to limit pollution! |
| December 3, 1999 | Dan (age 30, Michigan, USA) | What causes the jet stream and why does it exist? | The jet streams (there is more than one) are caused by temperature differences in the atmosphere. The most famous jet stream is the Polar Jet Stream. It forms where the cold, polar air meets the warm air from the tropics. The large temperature difference between these two causes a large pressure difference as well. Air from high pressure flows in the direction of low pressure. Since the pressure changes so quickly, the air flows between pressures very fast. The strong winds are formed, which are called jet streams. |
| December 3, 1999 | Jack (age 14, Massachusetts, USA) | What is meant by supersaturation as it applies to cloud formation? | Supersaturation refers to the amount of water present in the cloud. A cloud can only hold a certain amount of water. That amount depends on the pressure, volume and temperature of the cloud and water. This amount is usually called humidity. Humidity is measured in percent, and so the hypothetically, a cloud can only reach 100% humidity. However, sometimes the percentage goes slightly higher, which means there is actually some liquid water in the cloud. In this case, the cloud is said to be supersaturated. |
| November 15, 1999 | Rob (age 16, Pennsylvania, USA) | I am concerned about the greenhouse effect and its role in our future. How does it affect our environment? How does it effect our lives? What will happen if nothing is done about it? What solutions have been proposed to reduce or eliminate this problem? Where can I learn more about this? | This page, from the Environmental Defense Fund, would be a good place to start your research: lots of links, and things you can do to help out. |
| October 6, 1999 | Richard (age 66, Iowa, USA) | What effect does the space shuttle have on the jet streams when it goes into and return from outer space? | I don't think this topic has been studied, but in theory the shuttle shouldn't change the jet streams at all. Jet streams are long, thin lines of strong winds. The winds reach speeds higher than 200 miles per hour! This makes the jet streams very d ifficult to change. If the shuttle travels through a stream, it will most likely feel effects similar to an airplane. But the jet stream will just keep on going! |
| July 26, 1999 | Colleen (age 38, California) | Does lightning strike ships at sea? | Yes, lightning strikes do occur at sea. In fact, a boat is just about the worst place to be during a thunderstorm because it is the highest point around (unless of course there's a taller ship nearby). |
| June 8, 1999 | Igor (age 13, England) | Why do the hurricanes have anti cyclonic patterns in the northern hemisphere? | Hurricanes show this pattern in the northern hemisphere because the Coriolis effect causes winds to begin to flow in a north-easterly direction. When low pressure begins to form north of the equator, winds flow inward trying to fill in the low and are deflected to the right causing a counter-clockwise rotation to form. The opposite rotation will occur southern hemisphere. |
| May 10, 1999 | Hannah (age 13, Minnesota,USA) | why is weather so unpredictable? Why does weather change so much? | Weather is so unpredictable because there are many things that can change it! For example, if there is a nice warm day in Minnesota and cold air from Canada comes down and mixes, a lot of things can happen. The temperature will decrease, the humidity may change, a storm may form, etc. Scientists are now able to use the newest technology to predict what will probably happen in each situation, but they can't always be sure! As our technology becomes more adva nced are predictions will get more exact! |
| May 3, 1999 | Jim (age 57, Nebraska, USA) | What causes the Jet Stream(s)? | The two jet streams are caused by the temperature gradient in the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth's air is generally cooler at poles and warmer at the equator. This temperature difference causes dramatic differences in pressure, which in turn causes intense winds. |
| February 4, 1999 | Bri (age 16) | Why do clouds float? Why don't they just fall to Earth? Everything clouds are made of falls to Earth. Why not clouds? | Clouds are made of very tiny particles of water and ice. They form when water vapor condenses on dust particles in the atmosphere. These cloud droplets are so small that gravity can't pull them down. The droplets can combine together to form rain drops. The rain drops are what fall to the ground; they are so big that gravity can pull them down. |
| November 23, 1998 | Andrea (age 10, Florida, USA) | There is a concern by scientists that there is not enough ozone in the ozone layer of the atmosphere. Local radio stations say that there is too much ozone when the pollution level is high. Is there 'good' ozone and 'bad' ozone? Please explain. | The difference here is in where the ozone is located, not what it's made of. The reason that ozone is good for you in the stratosphere and not good on the surface of the earth is a matter of what it does. The ozone layer protects the earth by reflec ting harmful radiation back into space. However, the chemicals in ozone, for example in the form of acid rain, can be very destructive to the environment and man-made objects. |
| August 27, 1998 | Akshar (Age 10, Kansas, USA) | How long is the average lifespan of a cloud? | Clouds can last anywhere from a few minutes to days. The lifespan of a cloud depends upon its type. Cumulonimus clouds can last for a few minutes, or, in the case of huge storms, twelve hours or more. Small cumulus clouds last around 10 to 15 minut es. |
| June 17, 1998 | Emily (Age 8, Florida, USA) | How far do we travel from the ground until we get to space? | There is not an exact starting place for where the Earth's atmosphere ends and space begins. The Earth's atmosphere just gets less and less as you travel higher and higher. Most scientists (if hard-press ed) would say that the atmosphere ends around 100 kilometers above the Earth, but even at that height, part of the Earth's atmosphere is there (mostly hydrogen). |
| June 17, 1998 | Mary Kate (Age 43, Pennsylvania, USA) Adam (Age 5, Pennsylvania, USA) |
What keeps our atmosphere around the earth instead of floating out into space? | The Earth's atmosphere is kept in place because of the gravitational pull the Earth exerts on particles in the atmosphere. But part of the Earth's atmosphere does float out into space. The part that is lost out into space is the extremely light part icles like Hydrogen which can escape the Earth's gravity. But the Earth's atmosphere is also replenished by releases from planetary volcanism. So no worries! |
| May 29, 1998 | Elliot (Age 12, Texas, USA) | Why doesn't it rain sometimes during a tornado? | Actually, it never rains during a tornado. Tornadoes form in an updraft where air is going up into the storm. The air that's going up also pushes the raindrops up so they can't fall to the ground. But, it can rain near a tornado. Sometimes people will look at a tornado through the rain; they call this a rain-wrapped tornado. |
| May 29, 1998 | Sathasivan (Japan) | If I imagine that the Earth spinning as a ball rotating in a bucket of water, there should be a boundry layer, turbulent region, etc. Where are those in the atmosphere around the globe? Or is it wrong to think in that line. | No, you're right; that is the correct way to think of the atmosphere.
Friction with the surface of the Earth creates what is known as the
Planetary Boundry Layer. It is hard to model the PBL mathematically
because it is very complex. The layer usually extends from the surface to
about 1 kilometer, although this can vary from 30 meters to 3 kilometers
depending on the |
| May 22, 1998 | Leigh (Illinois, USA) | What is the temperature range that snow will fall? | You'd be surprised at the temperature range when it can snow. It never gets too cold to snow. As the temperature drops, the snowflakes just become smaller. It will even snow when the temperature is above freezing! This usually happens when the above freezing air is only close the the ground and there's colder air above it. The air also has to be dry near the ground. This is because the snowflakes will begin to melt slightly as they fall through the warmer air but the melted water will evaporate quickly into the dry air. This evaporation will cool the air around the snowflake and prevent it from melting completely. |
| May 22, 1998 | Sara (age 11, Portugal) | How did the oxygen first get into the Earth's atmosphere? | As the story goes, about 2.7 billion years ago, a type of cyanobacteria appeared on the scene (the evolutionary scene, that is!). Its name? Stromatolites. This cyanobacteria had the ability to photosynthesize. Oxygen is a by-product of photosynthe sis. As these stromatolites continued to photosynthesize, oxygen continued to accumulate in the atmosphere. We call our atmosphere the 'modern atmosphere' because it does have oxygen in it. |
| May 5, 1998 | Sonnyboy (age 12, South Carolina, U.S.A.) | Does lightning come out of the sky or from the ground? | Lightning actually goes from the cloud to the ground and from the ground to the cloud. The electrical spark goes back and forth many times very rapidly, which we see as a single bolt of lightning. |
| January 14, 1998 | Matt (age 12, Indiana, USA) | What are the gases in the Earth's atmosphere other than argon, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen? | The Earth's atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%). The remaining 1% is made of carbon dioxide, water vapor, argon, and trace gases. The trace gases include neon, helium, krypton, and xenon. These are only present in mi nute amounts. |
| January 14, 1998 | Neil (age 42, California, USA) | What is the average depth of the Earth's atmosphere? | The Earth's atmosphere extends thousands of kilometers into space. However, past about 550 kilometers, the air is extremely thin. In fact, about 99% of the total mass of the atmosphere is below the altitude of 32 kilometers. |
Last modified February 20, 2008 by Eduardo Araujo-Pradere.
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