What is the atmosphere made of, how is it layered, and how does energy move through it?
Describe the composition and layers of the atmosphere and explain how energy is transferred by radiation, conduction and convection, including the greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8).
A SOL-level answer on the atmosphere for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the composition (mostly nitrogen and oxygen), the layers (troposphere, stratosphere with the ozone layer, mesosphere, thermosphere), and the three ways energy moves (radiation, conduction, convection) plus the greenhouse effect, with worked exam questions.
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What this topic is asking
Virginia Earth Science SOL standard ES.8 asks you to describe the atmosphere (its composition and layers) and to explain how energy moves through it by radiation, conduction and convection, including the greenhouse effect. The EOC tests this with composition items, layer-identification diagrams, and energy-transfer items (often a convection example). It is the foundation for the weather topics that follow, because all weather is driven by energy moving through the atmosphere.
Composition of the atmosphere
The layers of the atmosphere
The atmosphere is divided into layers by how temperature changes with height:
- Troposphere: the lowest layer (surface up to about 12 km), where almost all weather occurs and where temperature decreases with height.
- Stratosphere: above the troposphere, containing the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation; here temperature increases with height (because ozone absorbs UV).
- Mesosphere: above the stratosphere, where temperature decreases again and meteors burn up.
- Thermosphere: the outermost layer, very hot and thin, home to the auroras and orbiting spacecraft.
A common EOC item asks which layer weather occurs in (the troposphere) or where the ozone layer is (the stratosphere).
The three ways energy moves
In the atmosphere, the Sun heats the surface by radiation; the surface warms the air just above it by conduction; and that warm air rises by convection, setting up the currents that drive winds and weather.
The greenhouse effect
Try this
Q1. Name the layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs and the layer that contains the ozone layer. [2]
- Cue. Weather occurs in the troposphere; the ozone layer is in the stratosphere.
Q2. Explain how convection moves heat in the atmosphere. [2]
- Cue. Air warmed near the surface becomes less dense and rises; cooler, denser air sinks to replace it, forming a circulating convection current that carries heat upward.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
VA Earth Science SOL 2023 (style)1 marksWhich two gases make up most of Earth's atmosphere? (A) oxygen and carbon dioxide. (B) nitrogen and oxygen. (C) hydrogen and helium. (D) carbon dioxide and water vapor.Show worked answer →
A 1-point multiple-choice item on atmospheric composition.
The correct answer is B. Earth's atmosphere is about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, so these two gases make up about 99 percent of the air. Carbon dioxide and water vapor (A and D) are present only in small or variable amounts, and hydrogen and helium (C) are minor.
The test rewards knowing that nitrogen (about 78 percent) and oxygen (about 21 percent) dominate the atmosphere.
VA Earth Science SOL 2024 (style)2 marksA pot of water is heated on a stove and the warm water rises while cooler water sinks, forming a loop. (a) Name the method of energy transfer shown. (b) Explain how this same process moves heat in the atmosphere.Show worked answer →
A 2-point item on energy transfer.
(a) 1 point: the rising of warm fluid and sinking of cool fluid in a loop is convection.
(b) 1 point: in the atmosphere, air warmed near the surface becomes less dense and rises, while cooler, denser air sinks to replace it, forming convection currents that move heat upward and drive weather (rising air can cool, condense and form clouds).
Markers reward naming convection in (a) and describing rising warm air and sinking cool air in (b).
Related dot points
- Explain humidity, relative humidity and dew point, describe how clouds form when air cools to saturation, and identify the main cloud types and forms of precipitation (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8 and ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on atmospheric moisture for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: humidity and relative humidity, the dew point and saturation, how clouds form when rising air cools and condenses on nuclei, the main cloud types (cumulus, stratus, cirrus), and the forms of precipitation, with worked exam questions.
- Explain how temperature affects air pressure and density, how wind blows from high to low pressure, the Coriolis effect, and local winds such as land and sea breezes (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.8).
A SOL-level answer on air pressure and wind for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how temperature controls air density and pressure, why wind blows from high to low pressure, the difference between rising low-pressure systems (stormy) and sinking high-pressure systems (fair), the Coriolis effect, and land and sea breezes, with worked exam questions.
- Describe air masses and the weather at cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts, and explain how thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes form (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on weather systems for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how air masses get their properties from their source region, the weather at cold, warm, stationary and occluded fronts, and how thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes form, including their hazards in Virginia, with worked exam questions.
- Distinguish weather from climate, explain the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), and describe the evidence for climate change and the enhanced greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on climate for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the difference between weather and climate, the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, proximity to water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), the evidence for climate change, the enhanced greenhouse effect, and its impacts on Virginia, with worked exam questions.
- Explain surface currents (driven by wind and deflected by the Coriolis effect into gyres), deep density-driven circulation, and upwelling, and describe how currents transfer heat and affect climate (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.10).
A SOL-level answer on ocean currents for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: wind-driven surface currents and gyres, the Coriolis effect, the difference between warm and cold currents, deep density-driven (thermohaline) circulation, upwelling and marine productivity, and how the Gulf Stream affects climate, with worked exam questions.
Sources & how we know this
- 2018 Science Standards of Learning (Earth Science) — Virginia Department of Education (2018)
- SOL Practice Items (All Subjects) — Virginia Department of Education (2024)