dampkring

Dampkring is the Dutch term for the atmosphere, the gaseous envelope that surrounds a planetary body, most commonly Earth. It also functions as a metaphor for the surrounding environment or mood of a place or event. In translation, dampkring is usually rendered as "atmosphere" or "environment" in English.

On Earth, the dampkring is composed mainly of nitrogen (about 78 percent) and oxygen (about 21 percent), with argon, carbon dioxide and other trace gases making up the rest. Water vapor varies with location and weather. Sea-level air pressure is about 1013 hPa. The atmosphere has several vertical layers: the troposphere (where weather occurs), the stratosphere (which contains the ozone layer), followed by the mesosphere and thermosphere, with the exosphere forming the outer boundary. Temperature generally decreases with altitude in the troposphere, and can rise in parts of the stratosphere due to ozone absorption, before falling again at higher layers.

Functions of the dampkring include shielding living organisms from harmful solar radiation, regulating surface climate through the greenhouse effect, providing the air necessary for respiration, and enabling weather, wind, and the water cycle. It also transmits sound and acts as a medium for various geophysical and biological processes.

Beyond Earth, dampkring varies greatly among planets and moons, from thick, life-supporting atmospheres on Venus or Titan to tenuous exospheres on Mercury or the Moon. Its composition is governed by factors such as outgassing, solar radiation, gravity, and atmospheric loss. In everyday Dutch usage, dampkring can also describe the social or cultural atmosphere surrounding a place or event, highlighting its broader connotation of ambience.