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The

22
22 Atmosphere

of Earth

This cloud forms a thin covering over the mountaintop. Likewise, Earth’s
atmosphere forms a thin shell around Earth, with 99 percent of the mass
within 32 km (about 20 mi) of the surface.

CORE CONCEPT

The atmosphere is a thin shell of gases that surround
the solid Earth, cycling materials back and forth.

OUTLINE

22.1 The Atmosphere
Composition of the Atmosphere Composition of the Atmosphere Warming the Atmosphere
The atmosphere is made up Atmospheric Pressure The process of heating the lower
of relatively fixed amounts of Warming the Atmosphere part of the atmosphere by the
A Closer Look: Hole in the Ozone Layer?
nitrogen, oxygen, and argon plus absorption and reemission of
Structure of the Atmosphere
variable amounts of water vapor infrared radiation is called the
22.2 The Winds
and carbon dioxide. Local Wind Patterns greenhouse effect.
A Closer Look: The Windchill Factor
Science and Society: Use Wind Energy?
Structure of the Atmosphere Global Wind Patterns The W inds
Almost all weather occurs in the 22.3 Water and the Atmosphere Horizontal movement of air is
Evaporation and Condensation
troposphere, which is the lower Humidity called wind, and the direction
11 km (about 6.7 mi) of the The Condensation Process of a wind is the direction from
atmosphere. Fog and Clouds which it blows.
People Behind the Science:
James Ephraim Lovelock
Evaporat ion and Condensation Evapo ration and Condensation
Relative humidity is a ratio of Cooling, saturation, and
the amount of water vapor to the condensation nuclei are needed
maximum at that temperature. to form the tiny droplets of fog
or clouds.

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