Atmospheric Structure and Pollution Sources

The atmosphere is the thin layer of gas surrounding earth. Half of the mass of the atmosphere is below a height of 5.5 km, 90% is below 16.5 km, and 99% is below 30 km.


This is what the atmosphere looks like viewed edge on from space. The image is of a small cross-sectional area, note the small curvature of the surface, yet the atmosphere is a small part of the whole. Looking closely, you can see tall thunderstorm clouds silhouetted against an orange layer of atmospheric gases backlit by the sun just below the horizon. Above this layer is the clear blue of the stratosphere and the blackness of space.