The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for liquid water to exist on the Earth's surface, absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention, and reducing temperature extremes between day and night .
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Earth's early atmosphere consisted of gases in the solar nebula, primarily hydrogen.
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The Earth's atmosphere changed significantly over time, affected by many factors such as volcanism, life, and weathering.
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The Earth's atmosphere becomes thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
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Several layers can be distinguished in the Earth's atmosphere, based on characteristics such as temperature and composition.
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Mesosphere is the third highest layer of Earth's atmosphere, occupying the region above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere.
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However, the Earth's atmosphere is more accurately modeled with a customized equation for each layer that takes gradients of temperature, molecular composition, solar radiation and gravity into account.
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Some gases in the Earth's atmosphere absorb and emit infrared radiation, but do not interact with sunlight in the visible spectrum.
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Outgassing from volcanism, supplemented by gases produced during the late heavy bombardment of Earth by huge asteroids, produced the next Earth's atmosphere, consisting largely of nitrogen plus carbon dioxide and inert gases.
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Constant re-arrangement of continents by plate tectonics influences the long-term evolution of the Earth's atmosphere by transferring carbon dioxide to and from large continental carbonate stores.
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Two main processes govern changes in the Earth's atmosphere: Plants using carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere and releasing oxygen, and then plants using some oxygen at night by the process of photorespiration while the remaining oxygen is used to break down organic material.
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Breakdown of pyrite and volcanic eruptions release sulfur into the Earth's atmosphere, which reacts with oxygen and hence reduces its amount in the Earth's atmosphere.
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Periods with much oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere are associated with the rapid development of animals.
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