Earth is a planet with an ecosystem composed of four domains: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. They represent air, water, land and life respectively. Each of these spheres is important in making Earth what it is now: the only planet in the solar system that can support life (Rosenberg, 2020). Each place on earth has a unique distribution of characteristics in these spheres, which makes this place unique: landform, body of water, atmospheric pressure, humidity, altitude, etc.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand in detail what makes these areas of ecosystems indispensable for humans, plants, animals and all life. This article will focus on the atmosphere, its description, and its importance to the earth. discuss The atmosphere is a layer of gas surrounding the surface of the earth. It is composed of a variety of gases, such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon and so on. These gases play an important role in sustaining life, because oxygen is the gas that plants, animals and humans depend on for survival. Indeed, plants usually provide oxygen after consuming carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, but at night, plants also consume oxygen.
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Atmospheric nitrogen is used in the nitrogen cycle to enrich the soil. Therefore, in a general sense, the atmosphere is vital for the survival of life on Earth. The figure below shows the distribution of various gases in the atmosphere in relation to their volume. Among the planets in the solar system, Earth and Venus are the only planets that have a suitable atmosphere made of gas.
However, the atmosphere of Venus is too toxic due to the presence of noxious gases. The planet must have enough gravity and magnetic field to gather gas on the surface and form a layer. Outside the Earth, planets such as Mars and Jupiter do not possess this quality, and therefore do not have their own atmosphere (Achenbach, 2017). There are many layers in the earth's atmosphere. Moving up from the surface, these layers are as follows: troposphere, stratosphere, middle layer, thermal layer, and outer layer.
The gas density decreases as the height increases. This leads to changes in low pressure and atmospheric pressure that contribute to the climate and climate of places on earth. The temperature between the earth and the sun is within a comfortable range that can sustain life. Most of the credit goes to the atmosphere. This is because the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere traps the ears that enter the atmosphere from the sun, thus keeping the earth warm, like a blanket. In the absence of an atmosphere, the earth will become so cold that it becomes uninhabitable. Even life cannot survive because it is not designed to survive in a vacuum.
If the atmosphere suddenly disappears at the present time, the water on the earth's surface will suddenly start to boil to make up for the lost pressure around the earth (Helmenstine, 2019), just like astronauts in outer space, if not. make. Don't wear spacesuits. In a very hypothetical situation, life exists in a vacuum and we will not be able to communicate with each other through sound, because sound does not travel in a vacuum. If the atmosphere does not exist, navigation will be very difficult, because any living thing will be extremely burned by the harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. Currently, there is an ozone layer in the atmosphere that protects the earth from these rays by absorbing these rays. Ultraviolet rays, even with a small amount of dangerous frequency, can cause severe burns, skin cancer, blindness, and other diseases. However, the worrying thing is that the ozone layer is depleting and there is a very large hole in this layer, as big as Antarctica.
This is caused by the release of chemicals harmful to the ozone layer into the atmosphere by human activities (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2017). The earth's atmosphere is also an important part of the earth's mineral and water cycle. Although 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water, it is not suitable for drinking. The water in the ocean must evaporate, form clouds, move in the atmosphere with the help of wind, and then rain elsewhere in order to replenish groundwater for plants, animals, and humans.
Similarly, atmospheric nitrogen is important for maintaining soil fertility. Nitrogen is fixed in the soil by nitrogen-forming bacteria in the form of nitrate, which is an important nutrient for plant growth (Britannica, 2021). The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere helps plants prepare food through photosynthesis, and the food produced is consumed by animals and humans all over the world to meet the energy needs of survival. However, due to over-industrialization and the burning of fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases has risen out of control, resulting in a sharp rise in the average temperature of the earth, which is called global warming.
Due to the greenhouse effect, as discussed earlier, carbon dioxide absorbs heat (Open Learn, 2021). Many other problems have occurred, such as wildfires and acid rain. Because there are a lot of harmful gases in the atmosphere, and the earth's temperature rises uncontrollably. in conclusion In general, it can be seen that the atmosphere is a very important life-supporting area in the terrestrial ecosystem. As mentioned above, if there is no atmosphere, life on Earth cannot survive for more than a few seconds.
The presence of the atmosphere means that plants obtain sufficient nutrients through microbial nitrogen fixation and can produce food from sunlight, carbon dioxide and the water they absorb. The ozone layer protects the earth's life system by absorbing all harmful rays that will harm all living things. The atmosphere of the earth is also important to climate and weather conditions.
However, in the past two centuries, it has been observed that rapid industrialization has led to the consumption of large amounts of fossil fuel resources, which has released dangerously large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which has caused serious damage. To an atmosphere that may be irreversible. Therefore, measures must be taken to prevent further damage to the atmosphere or any other areas of the ecosystem.