Infographic: What is in the Ocean of Air Above Earth?

Source – WorldScienceFestival.com by Erica Rowell
Artist: Julie Rossman
Graphic artist Julie Rossman has created an infographic depicting the “aerial ocean” above the Earth’s surface extending into space. It includes the location of:
“Our atmosphere wasn’t always as hospitable as it is now. It took billions of years for oxygen levels to rise enough to support oxygen-hungry animals like us. And as much as it supports us, we also influence it. In fact it’s clear that our interactions with this dynamic force can change—and have profoundly changed—it. People of a certain age may remember spray deodorants and refrigerants like Freon. Those items are no longer around because it turned out that the chlorofluorocarbons they contained destroyed parts of the ozone layer. Through the Montreal Protocol countries around the world came together to phase out such ozone-depleting substances, and years later the effort is paying off. But there are still issues with our atmosphere, including the amount of pollution we are putting into it and the amount of heat-trapping gases like CO2 and methane we’re adding to it. Seems like a smart idea to treat our atmosphere right.” – Erica Rowell, World Science Festival