For most of human existence air has been thought to be infinite. In the early 1960s photographs made by satellites and astronauts confirmed the modern view that the earth's atmosphere is finite . We live in an ocean of air extending upward perhaps 1,000 miles. A thin, narrow band of air, from 5 to 11 miles thick, lies next to the earth and is the region of continuous winds. Were it not for wind the component gases of our air would separate into layers.
Air is highly compressible.
Within this nearby blanket of heavy air most of earth's weather changes occur. Technology is the tool which has allowed us to understand air and weather and the human-caused impacts on both. Technology has provided insight into how contaminated air adversely affects our health. Technology has given us the means to pollute the air and the means to control and to limit contamination of the air. Air currents can be a source of enjoyment, too.