It's not easy to measure the weather. Pupils learn about what all weather has in common—the atmosphere. Scholars discover how a meteorologists must be able to measure aspects of the atmosphere and decipher the data. They then create a...

Take a look at climate change from another angle. Readers learn about the MISR instrument on the Terra satellite and how it studies Earth. Pupils experience how the multiple cameras give scientists multiple views so they can better study...

Keep within a water budget. Learners find out that less than 2.5% of Earth's water is available to drink—and that there is a fixed amount of water. Scholars read an interesting article comparing the available water to a game of Monopoly...

[Free Registration/Login Required] The article "The Rise of Oxygen in the Earth's Atmosphere" from the American Museum of Natural History focuses on when the rise of oxygen in the earth's atmosphere began. A Step Read, a question set,...

Site provides information on the Earth's atmosphere as well as offers additional information about Earth.

The Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth. It composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases. This thin gaseous layer insulates the Earth from...

As viewed from space, the Earth appears beautiful and serene. As you well know, however, here standing on Earth, it's complicated! Complex, that is. And, it's constantly changing. Often changes on Earth happen so slowly it would be...

Learn about the atmosphere and its different layers.

The breathable air we enjoy today originated from tiny organisms, although the details remain lost in geologic time. Scientific American helps uncover this mystery.

Find out about the perfect storm of conditions that allowed Earth's atmosphere to contain oxygen.

Learn interesting information about the Earth, the largest of the "terrestrial" planets.

Provides an overview of the thermosphere, a layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

Overview of the Exosphere, the uppermost region of Earth's atmosphere.

Overview of the Mesosphere, a layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

Facts about the chemical element, nitrogen found in the Earth's atmosphere.

Overview of the Troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.

Even with disruptions like weather fronts and storms, there is a consistent pattern to how air moves around our planet's atmosphere. This pattern, called atmospheric circulation, is caused because the Sun heats the Earth more at the...

Everything in Earth's system can be placed into one of four major subsystems: land, water, living things, or air. These four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water),...

Scientists have learned that when gusts of high-speed solar particles enter our atmosphere, the number of lightning bolts increases. Learn more about how this phenonemon works.

Students will learn how greenhouse gases temporarily trap heat within Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet via the greenhouse effect.

Detailed overview of the stratosphere, a layer of the Earth's atmosphere.

Brief article explores methane, a flammable gas found in the Earth's atmosphere.

See how atmospheric pressure affects air masses, which in turn affects the weather on Earth.

The aim of this article is to relate the history of oxygen in the atmosphere to the evolution of photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, mitochondria, and life on earth.