The
Atmosphere
IGCSE 2
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The atmosphere and human
activities
7.1 The Atmosphere:
Describe the structure and composition of the atmosphere
- troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
- nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, water vapour
- the ozone layer
Describe the natural greenhouse effect
7.2 Atmospheric pollution and its causes
Describe and explain the causes of atmospheric pollution, with reference to:
- Smog - acid rain - ozone layer depletion - enhanced greenhouse effect
7.3 Impact of atmospheric pollution
Describe and explain the impact of atmospheric pollution: smog, ozone depletion, climate
change
7.4 Managing atmospheric pollution
Describe and explain the strategies used by individuals, governments and the international
community to reduce the effects of atmospheric pollution
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What do you remember from the
previous lesson?
1. Name the man who did the red bull space jump in 2012.
2. What height did he jump from?
3. Which gases make up majority of the atmospheres
composition?
4. What are the names of the 4 layers of the atmosphere?
5. At what height does the closest layer to the Earth “end”?
6. Bonus: What height to aeroplanes fly at?
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Take a moment
After watching that video;
Explain to the person sitting next to you what the
greenhouse effect is, and how it keeps the Earth’s
atmosphere at a liveable temperature.
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Natural greenhouse effect
The natural greenhouse effect is the
process that helps keep the Earth’s surface
and atmosphere warm
•The Earth receives incoming short-
wave radiation (insolar) from the
Sun.
•50% is absorbed by the Earth’s
surface
•20% is absorbed by the atmosphere
•30% is reflected by clouds and the
Earth’s surface, back into space.
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• As the Earth’s surface warms, outgoing long-wave radiation or infrared radiation is emitted back
into the atmosphere.
• Greenhouse gases absorb some of this radiation and deflect it back to the Earth’s surface.
• These greenhouses gases make up a small proportion of the atmosphere but they act like a
blanket trapping the radiation.
• The greater the concentration of greenhouse gases, the more effectively they return radiation back
to the Earth’s surface.
• This process maintains the Earth’s temperature at around 33 °C warmer than it would
otherwise be, allowing life to exist
• Aside from water vapour, the main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous
oxides.
• The CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons; gases containing fluorine, chlorine and carbon) are also greenhouse
gases but are artificial.
• Ozone is a greenhouse gas.
• These gases stay in the atmosphere for differing amounts of time
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Some of the greenhouse gases
Name of % Contribution Number of years gas
greenhouse to the stays in the
gas greenhouse atmosphere Why should we be more
effect worried about CFC
Carbon dioxide 65 200 concentrations in the
Methane 17 12 atmosphere than methane?
CFCs 12 1000
Nitrous oxides 6 114
Which gas is the greenhouse gas that occurs in the highest quantity in
the atmosphere?
Hint – it’s not in the table…
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Have you heard of the “Enhanced
Greenhouse Effect” ?
What does that mean?
What causes it?
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Key Terms
• Noble gas: a gas that rarely reacts with other elements because it is stable, previously referred to as
inert gases
• Aerosols: sprays containing fine particles and/or droplets that become suspended in the Atmosphere
• Tropopause: the upper limit of the troposphere
• Temperature inversion: when temperatures increase with altitude
• Stratopause: the upper limit of the stratosphere, temperatures remain constant in this boundary
layer
• Mesopause: the upper limit of the mesosphere, temperatures remain constant in this boundary layer
• Thermopause: the upper limit of the thermosphere, temperatures remain constant in this boundary
layer
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