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 Space

Layers of the Atmosphere

Students will create a model of layers that make up the atmosphere using colored sand.

Materials

• Graduated cylinder 100mL (3fl.oz) (1 per group)

• Powder funnel (1 per group)

• Different colored sands (5) (e.g., red, blue, yellow, green, orange)

• Set of five plastic cups (1 per group)

• Marker

Procedure

1.       Before class, label five sets of five cups 1 through 5. Fill the cups labelled “1” and “5” with 5g (1tsp) red and orange sand respectively. Fill the cups labelled “2” and “3” with 25g (2tbsp) blue and yellow sand respectively. Fill the cups labelled “4” with 40g (3tbsp) green sand. Write or draw the following words on the board: weather, jet airplane, burning meteors, space shuttles, last layer before space.

2.       Divide the class into groups of five. Give each group five cups of sand labeled 1-5, a powder funnel, and graduated cylinder.

3.       Explain to the students that they will create a model of the layers that make up the Earth’s atmosphere using colored sands.

4.       Tell the students that the troposphere is the atmospheric layer closest to Earth. Ask the students to recall what events occur in the troposphere (see explanation). They may refer to the clues written on the blackboard if needed.

5.       Have a student from each group pour the cup of sand labeled “1” into the graduated cylinder through the funnel. Tell the students that this layer of stand represents the troposphere.

6.       Repeat steps 4 (explain each layer before the students pour in the sand) and 5 with cups 2 (stratosphere), 3 (mesosphere), 4 (thermosphere) and 5 (exosphere) to complete the atmospheric layers model.

Explanation

The troposphere is where most weather phenomena occur. As you move up within the troposphere, air temperature and pressure decreases. Most jet airplanes fly in the stratosphere’s lower portion, just above the troposphere, to avoid turbulent weather and take advantage of powerful air currents. The ozone layer, a zone rich in UV-blocking ozone molecules, is also located in the stratosphere. Meteors burn up in the mesosphere, the third layer. The mesosphere is a transitional zone with very thin air and cold temperatures. The fourth layer is the thermosphere, characterized by very high temperatures and very low concentration of air molecules. Space shuttles orbit the Earth in the thermosphere. The exosphere is the last layer before space and is where the molecules from the atmosphere escape Earth’s gravitational pull and fly off into outer space.

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