Thermosphere: Importance, Facts, and Resources

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Why is the Thermosphere Important?

The thermosphere plays an important role in protecting the earth and makes modern forms of communication and space exploration possible. The thermosphere is directly above the mesosphere and below the exosphere. It extends from about 56 miles to between 311 to 621 miles above our planet.

The earth’s atmosphere protects and supports life on the planet. It absorbs the sun’s energy, recycles water, and creates a moderate temperature, shielding the earth from the extreme cold of space. The thermosphere is important because it absorbs a large amount of the X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by the sun. The thermosphere heats up and expands when the sun emits high levels of radiation.

The thermosphere is an outer layer of the earth’s atmosphere, a series of five layers of gases, primarily nitrogen and oxygen, surrounding the planet. The thermosphere lies beyond the mesosphere and beneath the exosphere, stretching from a point about 50 miles above the earth to between 300 and 600 miles above earth. The lower layer, made up of ionized air, is known as the ionosphere, and the upper layer is called the exosphere.

Where Did the Thermosphere Get Its Name?

The name thermosphere comes from the Greek word for heat, because temperatures in the thermosphere can reach more than 1,000 degrees Celsius. In the thermosphere, temperatures rise with increasing heights so that the most extreme temperatures are found in the highest regions of the thermosphere. The sun is responsible for these extreme temperatures.

Because the thermosphere is the first location in space where the sun interacts with the earth’s atmosphere, researchers can learn about both by studying what happens in the thermosphere. In addition to heat, the sun gives off ultraviolet light, X-rays, and charged particles. As these reach the upper layers of the atmosphere, their energy can change the molecular structure of the gases in the atmosphere. As these particles collide and split, they increase the energy of the gases and raise temperatures.

This activity increases with changes in the solar cycle, an 11-year cycle of changes in the amount of radiation coming from the sun. At solar maximum, when the sun’s radiation is at its most intense, the thermosphere heats up and expands.

The air of the thermosphere is very thin, with only few molecules, which are easily heated by the sun’s energy. Because of gravity, heavier atmospheric gases and greater concentrations of gases are found in the lower layers.

The thermosphere is the beginning of space. It is in this layer of the atmosphere that the space shuttle and many satellites, including the International Space Station, orbit the earth. Weather, television and communications satellites use the thermosphere to send information around the world. As the scattered air particles of the thermosphere become electrically charged, radio waves can also be transmitted by being bounced off of these particles.

Scientists now believe that, like the ozone layer, the thermosphere may be affected by climate change. Increases in carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels could reduce the density of the outer layers of the earth’s atmosphere in the coming decades. While these emissions are responsible for warming lower layers of the atmosphere closer to earth, they actually cause cooling in the thermosphere. Changes to the density of the thermosphere pose dangers for satellites, however, because the contraction of this layer can alter their orbits. It also speeds up the old satellites and other orbiting materials often called “space junk,” making it dangerous for working satellites and space exploration.

The Northern and Southern Lights, or auroras, are also located in the thermosphere. These colorful light displays, seen most clearly in the polar regions of the far north and south, are created by collisions of charged particles from space with particles in the thermosphere. The energy generated by these collisions produces the photons of light that create the displays.

Resources about the Thermosphere

Vertical Profile of Temperature in the Atmosphere, The Thermosphere

Climate Change Affecting Earth’s Outermost Atmosphere

Earth’s Atmosphere: The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which we call the atmosphere. It reaches over 560 kilometers (348 miles) from the surface of the Earth, so we are only able to see what occurs fairly close to the ground. Early attempts at studying the nature of the atmosphere used clues from the weather, the beautiful multi-colored sunsets and sunrises, and the twinkling of stars. With the use of sensitive instruments from space, we are able to get a better view of the functioning of our atmosphere.

A Puzzling Collapse of Earth’s Upper AtmosphereJuly 15, 2010: NASA-funded researchers are monitoring a big event in our planet’s atmosphere. High above Earth’s surface where the atmosphere meets space, a rarefied layer of gas called “the thermosphere” recently collapsed and now is rebounding again.

Resource by F.Rosseti

I am a teacher in Michigan. I grew up in Florida and have lived here in MI for close to 15 years. I enjoy writing and skiing in my spare time.

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