The Atmosphere-Ocean System: Properties of the Atmosphere

Section Objectives Icon Section Objectives

After you have completed this section, you will be able to:

  1. Identify the atmosphere as a mixture of gases, water vapor, and particulate matter.
  2. Describe and illustrate the major layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
  3. Describe the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere over geologic time.
  4. Discuss the features of the atmosphere that allow life on Earth and how organisms are affected by conditions of the atmosphere.