The Earth's Atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is composed of several very distinct layers.

To compare,

Mount Everest, the highest mountain, is about 8.8 km high.
Concorde cruises at about 16km.

but ...

The radius of the earth is about 6400 km.
Space satellites occupy orbits from 800 km (LandSat 4) to over 36,000 km (the geostationary orbit) above the surface.

Temperature and pressure both vary with altitute.

Variation of Temperature and Pressure with Altitude

Temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K) (to convert from Kelvin to Centigrade, subtract 273).

Pressure is measured in millibars (mb). 1000 mb is approximately 1 atmosphere. Over 90% of the earth's airmass lies below 10km.

© 1998. Centre for Atmospheric Science, Cambridge University, UK. No text or graphics can be used or reproduced without explicit written permission. This version designed and maintained by Dr. Glenn Carver. Original concept and design Owen Garrett.