Quick Overview of Atmospheric Physics


Earth's Atmospheric Layers

MAGNETOSPHERE/EXOSPHERE
* Magnetic Field Limit - about 6,500,000 km (4,038,910 miles)
* Outer Van Allen Solar Radiation Belt - about 13,000 to 19,000 km (strength out to 30,000 km)
* Inner Van Allen Solar Radiation Belt - about 2,600 km (strength out to 10,000 km)

EDGE OF SPACE
* above 700 km (435 miles)
     - Orbital spacecraft and vehicles (shuttles, stations, telescopes)
     - Geostationary communication satellites of the Clark Belt

HETROSPHERE (upper atmosphere)
* Thermosphere - about 95/60 to above 700/435 km/miles
     - Upper (D, E, F1 (day) and F2 (night)) layer regions of the Ionosphere
     - Weather and observation satellites
     - Northern and southern (solar flares) auroral lights
     - Unmanned projectile rockets
     - First sub-orbital flight by the X-15 aircraft
     - Manmade (complex audio/video/data higher bands) terrestrial (reflected) electromagnetic waves

HOMOSPHERE (middle atmosphere)
* Mesopause - about 88/55 to 95/60 km/miles (7/22,965 km/feet)
     - Lower D layer of the Ionosphere
     - Heat trails from meteorites
     - Manmade (simple audio lower bands) terrestrial (reflected) electromagnetic waves
* Mesosphere - about 50/30 to 88/55 km/miles (38/23 km/miles)
     - The Ionosphere begins
     - Decreasing ozone molecules of the Ozonosphere
     - Noctilucent clouds
* Stratopause - about 43/26 to 50/30 km/miles (7/22,965 km/feet)
* Stratosphere - about 20/12 to 43/26 km/miles (23/75,460 km/feet)
     - Majority ozone molecules of the Ozonosphere
     - Nacreous clouds and manmade balloons

HOMOSPHERE (lower atmosphere)
* Tropopause - about 13/42,650 to 20/65,615 km/feet (7/22,965 km/feet)
     - Increasing ozone molecules of the Ozonosphere
* Troposphere - ground level to about 13/42,650 km/feet
     - Clouds, mountains and breathable air


Earth's Atmospheric Pressure

1000 hPa @ ground level
100 hPa @ about 17 km (55,775 feet)
10 hPa @ about 31 km (19 miles)
1 hPa @ about 48 km (29 miles)


Electromagnetic Frequencies within the Ionosphere and Beyond

VERY LOW FREQUENCIES
* Myriametric (longest - 10 km/10^4 m) Wavelengths - ITU band 4 = 3 to 30 kHz
     - Maritime and fixed mobile radio
     - Radio navigation
     - Standard frequency and time signal @ 20 kHz

LOW FREQUENCIES
* Kilometric (1 km/10^3 m) Wavelengths - ITU band 5 = 30 to 300 kHz
     - Maritime and fixed mobile radio extended range
     - Radio navigation extended range
     - ITU region 1 (UK/Europe/Africa) AM broadcasting

MEDIUM FREQUENCIES
* Hectometric (100/10^2 m) Wavelengths - ITU band 6 = 300 kHz to 3 MHz
     - Maritime and fixed mobile radio extended range
     - Radio navigation extended range
     - ITU region 2 (Americas/Greenland) AM broadcasting
     - ITU region 3 (Middle-east/Asia/South Pacific) AM broadcasting
     - Conventional cordless phones
     - Standard frequency and time signal @ 2.5 MHz

HIGH FREQUENCIES
* Decametric (10/10^1 m) Wavelengths - ITU band 7 = 3 to 30 MHz
     - Shortwave radio (3 to 30 MHz)
     - Maritime, fixed and aeronautical mobile radio
     - Standard frequency and time signal @ 5/10/15/20/25 MHz
     - Amateur (ARRL) radio/satellite

VERY HIGH FREQUENCIES
* Metric (1/10^0 m) Wavelengths - ITU microwave band 8 = 30 to 300 MHz
     - Band I Television broadcasts (54 to 88 MHz)
     - Band II FM radio broadcasts (88 to 108 MHz)
     - Aeronautical radio navigation (108 to 138 MHz)
     - Satellite radio navigation (138 to 144 MHz)
     - Band III Television broadcasts (174 to 216 MHz)
     - Lower band P (225 to 300 MHz)
     - Non-orbital space probe transmissions
     - Maritime, fixed and aeronautical mobile radio (30 to 50 MHz/148 to 174 MHz)
     - Amateur (ARRL) radio/satellite
     - Radio astronomy

ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCIES
* Decimetric (0.1/10^-1 m) Wavelengths - ITU microwave band 9 = 300 MHz to 3 GHz
     - Upper band P (300 to 390 MHz)
     - Commercial and satellite navigation (300 to 335 MHz)
     - Maritime, fixed and aeronautical mobile satellite (400 to 420 MHz)
     - Standard frequency and time satellite @ 400.1 MHz
     - Fixed mobile radio (450 to 470 MHz)
     - Band IV and V Television broadcasts (470 to 540 MHz)
     - Cellphone range (800 to 900 MHz)
     - IEEE band L (1 to 2 GHz)
     - Wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g) computer networks (2.4 GHz)
     - Lower IEEE band S (2 to 3 GHz)
     - Aeronautical radio navigation extended range
     - Non-orbital space probe transmissions
     - Ground-based radar tracking systems
     - Satellite broadcasting
     - Radio astronomy

SUPER HIGH FREQUENCIES
* Centimetric (1 cm/10^-2 m) Wavelengths - ITU microwave band 10 = 3 to 30 GHz
     - Upper IEEE band S (3 to 4 GHz)
     - IEEE band C (4 to 8 GHz)
     - Wireless (IEEE 802.11a) computer networks (5 GHz)
     - IEEE band X (8 to 12 GHz)
     _ IEEE band Ku (12 to 18 GHz)
     _ IEEE band K (18 to 27 GHz)
     _ Lower IEEE band Ka (27 to 30 GHz)
     - Orbital and non-orbital spacecraft two-way communications
     - Fixed mobile radio
     - Maritime and aeronautical radio navigation
     - Radio navigation
     - Satellite broadcasting
     - Amateur (ARRL) satellite

EXTREMELY HIGH FREQUENCIES
* Milimetric (1 mm/10^-3 m) Wavelengths - ITU microwave band 11 = 30 to 300 GHz
     - Upper IEEE band Ka (30 to 40 GHz)
     _ IEEE band V (40 to 75 GHz)
     - IEEE band W (75 to 110 GHz)
     - Orbital and non-orbital spacecraft two-way communications
     - Radio navigation
     - Radio astronomy and deep space research
     - Satellite broadcasting
     - Amateur (ARRL) satellite

TERAHERTZ FREQUENCIES
* Decimilimetric (shortest - 0.1 mm/10^-4 m) Wavelengths - 300 GHz to 3 THz
     - Open non-regulated spectrum

The American Radio Relay League Handbook for Radio Amateurs - 79th (2002) edition
<http://www.arrl.org/>
<http://www.atm.ox.ac.uk/user/andrews/>
<http://www.eia.org/>

Observed Mean Earth Surface temperature = 288 K = about 15 C = above 50 F
Solar Radiated temperature from Earth's atmosphere = 0.9 K
Thermal Radiated temperature from Earth's atmosphere = 0.2 K