Related topics: carbon dioxide , earth
Atmosphere
hideAn atmosphere (from Greek ατμός - atmos, 'vapor' + σφαίρα - sphaira, 'sphere') is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, by the gravity of the body, and are retained for a longer duration if gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low. Some planets consist mainly of various gases, but only their outer layer is their atmosphere (see gas giants).
The term stellar atmosphere describes the outer region of a star, and typically includes the portion starting from the opaque photosphere outwards. Relatively low-temperature stars may form compound molecules in their outer atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere, which contains oxygen used by most organisms for respiration and carbon dioxide used by plants, algae and cyanobacteria for photosynthesis, also protects living organisms from genetic damage by solar ultraviolet radiation. Its current composition is the product of billions of years of biochemical modification of the paleoatmosphere by living organisms.
For more information about Atmosphere, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with atmosphere
Global warming likely to be amplified by slow changes to Earth systems
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 20, 2009 |
2.6 / 5 (38) |
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Researchers studying a period of high carbon dioxide levels and warm climate several million years ago have concluded that slow changes such as melting ice sheets amplified the initial warming caused by greenhouse ...
Astronomers Find Super-Earth Using Amateur, Off-the-Shelf Technology (w/ Video)
Dec 16, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (26) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers announced today that they have discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. They found the distant planet with a small fleet of ground-based ...
Scientist uncovers relics of ancient cosmos
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 14, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (19) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Manchester scientist, working as part of an international team, has uncovered an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos.
Glint of Sunlight Confirms Liquid in Northern Lake District of Titan
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (14) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini Spacecraft has captured the first flash of sunlight reflected off a lake on Saturn's moon Titan, confirming the presence of liquid on the part of the moon dotted with many large, ...
Earth's atmosphere came from outer space, find scientists
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 10, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (29) |
12
(PhysOrg.com) -- The gases which formed the Earth's atmosphere - and probably its oceans - did not come from inside the Earth but from outer space, according to a study by University of Manchester and University ...
Life on Mars theory boosted by new methane study
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 08, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
11
Scientists have ruled out the possibility that methane is delivered to Mars by meteorites, raising fresh hopes that the gas might be generated by life on the red planet, in research published tomorrow in Earth an ...
New Russian missile failure sparks UFO frenzy
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 10, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (10) |
25
Russia's new nuclear-capable missile suffered another failed test launch, the defence ministry said Thursday, solving the mystery of a spectacular plume of white light that appeared over Norway.
Cassini Captures Ghostly Dance of Saturn's Northern Lights (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (10) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the first video showing the auroras above the northern latitudes of Saturn, Cassini has spotted the tallest known "northern lights" in the solar system, flickering in shape and brightness ...
A New View of Coronal Waves
Dec 11, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The corona is the hot outer region of the sun's atmosphere. The corona is threaded by magnetic fields that loop and twist upwards from the sun's surface, driven by motions of its dense atmosphere.
CO2 levels rising in troposphere over rural areas
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2009 |
2.8 / 5 (4) |
5
Spanish researchers have measured CO2 levels for the past three years in the troposphere (lower atmosphere) over a sparsely inhabited rural area near Valladolid. The results, which are the first of their kind ...
Mankind using Earth's resources at alarming rate
Nov 24, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (24) |
74
Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans, according to a report issued Tuesday.
Climate experts debate strategies for reducing atmospheric carbon and future warming
Nov 25, 2009 |
2.7 / 5 (15) |
26
(PhysOrg.com) -- Reducing carbon dioxide to safe levels may require extracting carbon from the air, says Cornell climate researcher.
