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Main article: Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere consists, from the ground up, of

the troposphere (which includes the planetary boundary layer or peplosphere as lowest layer),

stratosphere,

mesosphere,

ionosphere (or thermosphere),

exosphere and

the magnetosphere.

Each of the layers has a different lapse rate, defining the rate of change in temperature with height.

Three quarters of the atmosphere lies within the troposphere, and the depth of this layer varies between 17 km at the equator and 7 km at the poles.

The ozone layer, which absorbs ultraviolet energy from the Sun, is located primarily in the stratosphere, at altitudes of 15 to 35 km.

The Kármán line, located within the thermosphere at an altitude of 100 km, is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

However, the exosphere can extend from 500 up to 10,000 km above the surface, where it interacts with the planet's magnetosphere.