Is there life in the atmosphere?

1. Are there living things in the atmosphere?
2. Where do we live in the earth's atmosphere?
3. Can life exist in the stratosphere?
4. Can life survive on Earth without atmosphere?
5. Do we live on Earth's surface?
6. What things are in the atmosphere?
7. How does the atmosphere make life possible on Earth?
8. What atmosphere do planes fly in?
9. Can you see Earth's atmosphere from space?
10. What is the greenhouse effect?
11. What forms life in the stratosphere?
12. How high in the atmosphere is there life?
13. What if space had an atmosphere?
14. Can the Earth lose its atmosphere?
15. Is the atmosphere disappearing?

Are there living things in the atmosphere?

Birds, insects, plants, and fungi all exploit the world-spanning fluid of the air and its currents and turbulence. It also seems that the vast microbial biosphere extends well into this domain. On the face of things it's not surprising that there are single-celled organisms floating through the air.

Where do we live in the earth's atmosphere?

We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere.

Can life exist in the stratosphere?

The presence of microbial life in Earth's stratosphere is not only opening up a new arena in which to study extremophiles, but is increasing the range of possible environments in which we may find life on other planets. This is the conclusion of a new study that summarizes what we know about stratospheric life so far.

Can life survive on Earth without atmosphere?

The Earth's sky would look like that. All unprotected plant and animal life on the Earth's surface would die. We can't survive long in a vacuum, which is what we'd have if the atmosphere suddenly vanished. It would be much like being "spaced' or shot out of an airlock, except the initial temperature would be higher.

Do we live on Earth's surface?

The surface of the planet, where we live, is called the crust—it's actually a very thin layer, just 70 kilometres deep at its thickest point. ... These move slowly across the surface of the planet, and most of Earth's volcanoes and earthquakes occur at the boundaries between tectonic plates.

What things are in the atmosphere?

Earth's atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases. Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon are some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent.

How does the atmosphere make life possible on Earth?

Ozone Layer Makes Life Possible

Ozone in the upper atmosphere absorbs high-energy ultraviolet (UV) radiation coming from the Sun. This protects living things on Earth's surface from the Sun's most harmful rays. Without ozone for protection, only the simplest life forms would be able to live on Earth.

What atmosphere do planes fly in?

Commercial jet aircraft fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid the turbulence which is common in the troposphere below. The stratosphere is very dry; air there contains little water vapor. Because of this, few clouds are found in this layer; almost all clouds occur in the lower, more humid troposphere.

Can you see Earth's atmosphere from space?

The layered structure of Earth's atmosphere is visible in this view of a sunset over the Indian Ocean as seen from the International Space Station. The troposphere (orange) is at the bottom, above the dark limb of Earth's surface.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without this atmosphere. ... Human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels and clearcutting of forests, have increased the greenhouse effect and caused global warming.

What forms life in the stratosphere?

Most of the microbes discovered so far are bacterial spores — extremely hardy organisms that can form a protective shell around themselves and thus survive the low temperatures, dry conditions and high levels of radiation found in the stratosphere.

How high in the atmosphere is there life?

Organisms could live more than 30 miles (50 kilometers) above Earth's surface, in an atmospheric zone known as the stratopause, scientists say.

What if space had an atmosphere?

If space were replaced with air and we could hear the Sun, it would be incredibly noisy – the output of the Sun is equivalent to 10 million keys, or notes, of a piano. ... Sound intensity decreases with distance, which means that the Sun would deliver a much smaller 125 decibels to the surface of our planet.

Can the Earth lose its atmosphere?

A pair of researchers from Toho University and NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science has found evidence, via simulation, that Earth will lose its oxygen-rich atmosphere in approximately 1 billion years.

Is the atmosphere disappearing?

Around 90 tonnes of the atmosphere disappears into space every day, according to the European Space Agency. This sounds like a lot, but it's just a tiny part of the atmosphere. “It would probably take more than 150 billion years before the atmosphere disappeared this way,” says Samset.