Atmosphere Archives

A Guide to the Magnetosphere

Earth’s magnetic field gives us a layer out in space called the magnetosphere. If you want to learn everything about magnetosphere, this is the complete guide. […]

El Niño vs. La Niña: What’s the Difference?

El Niño is the warming phase of the waters in the eastern Pacific. Then, La Niña is the cooling phase. Both phases disrupt weather patterns around the globe. […]

What Is the Troposphere?

The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere. It starts at ground level and extends upwards to about 13 km. All weather occurs in the troposphere. […]

The Impacts and Effects of Climate Change

97% of scientists agree humans are causing global climate change. For example, evidence includes rising sea levels, warming oceans and shrinking ice sheets. […]

10 Unbelievable Weather and Climate Facts

Weather patterns have tremendous impacts on people and ecosystems on Earth. Let’s get started with this list of 10 unbelievable climate and weather facts. […]

How the Greenhouse Effect Traps Heat and Warms Earth

Because greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, this helps regulate temperature on Earth. Without the greenhouse effect, we’d live in an icebox. […]

5 Major Air Pollution Sources in the Atmosphere

Whether it’s agriculture, industry, vehicles, electricity or natural disasters, these are the major air pollution sources that contribute to climate change. […]

Ice Ages: Glaciations in Geologic History

Earth has experienced 5 large ice ages. During these frigid times, hefty layers of ice smothered the planet with temperatures 10°C lower than it is today. […]

What Is the Thermosphere? [Infographic]

The thermosphere is the thickest atmospheric layer (80-550 km). It’s known for its aurora borealis, orbiting satellites and the Karman Line (edge of space). […]

What Are the 3 Milankovitch Cycles?

Earth revolves around the sun in a roughly circular orbit. But about every 200,000 years, its orbit becomes more eccentric because of the Milankovitch Cycle. […]

Ozone Layer: Earth’s Protective Shield Has a Hole In It

What makes Earth unique is its ozone layer. Ozone is a colorless gas made up of three oxygen atoms which protects us from harmful UV radiation from the sun. […]

What is Magnetic Reconnection in the Magnetosphere?

Charged particles or plasma makes up about 99% of the universe. Magnetic reconnection involves how this plasma interacts with magnetic fields (like Earth’s) […]

How Much Space Junk Orbits Earth? [Infographic]

There is over 5500 tons of space junk above Earth’s surface. They mostly consist of small and medium debris within 700 – 36,000 km range in the atmosphere. […]

Aurora Borealis Facts: How the Northern Lights Work

During magnetic storms, trapped plasma flashes lights that are observable around the globe. This disturbance in the magnetosphere is the Aurora Borealis. […]