Environment
How Do Climate Models Work?
Climate models are mathematical representations of the atmosphere, ocean, land, ice and the exchanges of energy and matter among them. They are built from physical laws…
Atmosphere
Browse ScienceInfo articles and explainers related to Atmosphere.
Topic archive
Articles about Atmosphere
902 published items.
Environment
How Do Weather Forecasting Models Work?
Weather forecasting models are computer simulations that estimate how the atmosphere will evolve from an analyzed starting state. They translate physical laws into numer…
Environment
How Do Hurricanes Form?
Hurricanes form over warm tropical oceans when the atmosphere and ocean supply a specific combination of heat, moisture, rotation and organized thunderstorms. In other r…
Space science
What Is a Solar Flare?
A solar flare is a rapid release of magnetic energy in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares can brighten dramatically in X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation and can acceler…
Space science
What Can Exoplanet Atmospheres Tell Us?
Exoplanet atmospheres can reveal molecules, temperatures, clouds, circulation and clues to a planet’s formation, climate and possible habitability by imprinting chemical…
Space science
What Makes an Exoplanet Potentially Habitable?
A potentially habitable exoplanet is a world where known conditions could allow environments suitable for life as we understand it; being in a star’s habitable zone is o…
Discover science
Scientists determine when humans should leave Earth as the atmosphere runs out of oxygen
At that time, humans and most other life forms that depend on oxygen for survival have almost no chance of survival on Earth.
Space science
Are there many planets with life?
We know that one in five stars has an Earth-like planet. There are 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone.
Space science
Discovered a place more habitable than Earth in the Solar System
A planet has just been confirmed as being as promising a place for the origin of life as the early Earth, if not more so.
Space science
How to distinguish meteorites from ordinary rocks
Meteorites are often particularly heavy, magnetic, and bear characteristic marks from being heated as they plunged into the atmosphere.
Space science
Jupiter is a gas planet, so if a person stood on the surface of Jupiter, would he fall straight into the core?
Jupiter's atmosphere is divided into four layers: the troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Each layer has its own function and role in Jupiter's activ…
Environment
Ozone layer recovers faster than expected
International efforts to protect the ozone layer are a 'tremendous global success,' scientists said on June 12.
Discover science
If there was a civilization on Earth that predated humans, would we have discovered them?
Determining the existence of a civilization on Earth that predates humans is a thorny question and attracts the interest of many scientists and archaeologists.
Space science
Habitable planet discovered 40 light years from Earth
Scientists have discovered an exoplanet called Gliese 12 b in the constellation Pisces that has conditions suitable for life.
Space science
The world breathed a sigh of relief as a 2.6-ton battery burst into flames in the atmosphere.
As expected, the Expose Pallet 9 (EP9) battery pack from the ISS entered Earth's atmosphere over the weekend.