Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

Definition: atmosphere from Dictionary of Energy

Earth Science. 1. the envelope of gases surrounding the earth and held to it by the force of gravity. It consists of four distinct layers, whose boundaries are not precise: the troposphere (extending from sea level to about 5-10 miles above the earth), the stratosphere (up to about 30 miles), the mesosphere (up to about 60 miles), and the thermosphere (up to about 300 miles or more). The upper region of the troposphere is often regarded as a separate region, the exosphere. 2. the pressure of the earth’s atmosphere at sea level; see atmospheric pressure.


atmosphere

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Mixture of gases surrounding a planet. Planetary atmospheres are prevented from escaping by the pull of gravity. On Earth, atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude. In its lowest layer, the atmosphere consists of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), both in molecular form (two atoms bonded together) and argon (1%). Small quantities of other gases are important to the chemistry and physics of the Earth's atmosphere, including water, carbon dioxide, and traces of other noble gases (rare gases), as well as ozone. The atmosphere plays a major part in the various cycles of nature (the water cycle , the carbon cycle , and the nitrogen cycle ). It is the principal industrial source of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, which are obtained by the fractional distillation of liquid air. The Earth's atmosphere is divided into four regions of atmosphere classified by temperature. Troposphere This is the lowest level of the atmosphere (altitudes from 0 to 10 km/6 mi) and it is heated to an average…
10,945 results

Full text Article atmosphere

From Astronomy Encyclopedia
atmosphere The Earth's atmosphere consists of the...
Gaseous envelope that surrounds a planet, satellite or star. The characteristics of a body that determine its ability to maintain an atmosphere are the temperature of the outer layers and the ESCAPE VELOCITY , which is dependent on the body's mass. Small bodies, such as the Moon, Mercury and the…
| 1,664 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article atmosphere

From Philip's Encyclopedia
The Earth's atmosphere is formed of various...
Envelope of gases surrounding the Earth and shielding it from the harsh environment of space. The gases it contains are vital to life. About 95% by weight of the Earth's atmosphere lies below the 25km (15mi) altitude; the mixture of gases in the lower atmosphere is commonly called air. The…
| 225 words , 1 image
Key concepts:
Etymologically, atmosphere means ‘ball of vapour’. It was coined as modern Latin atmosphaera from Greek atmós ‘vapour’ (related to áein ‘blow’, ultimate source of English air ) and sphaira ‘sphere’. Its original application was not, as we would now understand it, to the envelope of air encompassing…
| 109 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article atmosphere

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
[Gr.,=sphere of air], the mixture of gases surrounding a celestial body with sufficient gravity to maintain it. Although some details about the atmospheres of other planets and satellites are known, only the earth's atmosphere has been well studied, the science of which is called meteorology . The…
| 895 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article ATMOSPHERE

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
British army lieutenant-general The atmosphere forms a vast ocean above us, an ocean but little explored. We crawl about the ground like crabs on the bottom of the sea. We make our meteorological observations down on the ground, ignorant of all that is going on in the midst of that great expanse of…
| 597 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article atmosphere

From The Chambers Dictionary
the gaseous envelope that surrounds the earth or any of the celestial bodies; any gaseous medium; a unit of atmospheric pressure equal to the pressure exerted by a column of mercury 760 millimetres in height at 0°C, practically the same as standard atmosphere (see under standard ); the air or…
| 195 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article atmosphere

From An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation
i. The mixture of gases and particles surrounding the earth where weather occurs. This body of air, which surrounds the earth (or for that matter any other celestial body), is defined at its outer limits by the actual presence of air particles. However, they are so few in numbers that collisions…
| 166 words
Key concepts:
Scientists divide and categorize Earth's...
Earth's atmosphere extends hundreds of miles beyond its surface, but it is much denser at the surface than at high altitudes. About half of the gas in Earth's atmosphere is within a few kilometers of the surface, and 95 percent of the gas is found within twelve miles (nineteen kilometers) of the…
| 637 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article atmosphere

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Mixture of gases surrounding a planet. Planetary atmospheres are prevented from escaping by the pull of gravity. On Earth, atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude. In its lowest layer, the atmosphere consists of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), both in molecular form (two atoms bonded together) …
| 1,098 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article atmosphere

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
In Earth’s atmosphere, the limits of the...
Gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth. Near the surface it has a well-defined chemical composition ( see air ). In addition to gases, the atmosphere contains solid and liquid particles in suspension. Scientists divide the atmosphere into five main layers: in ascending order, the troposphere…
| 159 words , 1 image
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources