Just like the troposphere, its depth varies with latitude. There are forms of biological bacteria living in the stratosphere. Atmosphere Atmosphere and Its Layers We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Create an account to start this course today. The exosphere is the very edge of our atmosphere. The stratosphere the atmosphere's second layer, and is located right above the troposphere and right below the mesosphere. As you rise through the troposphere, the temperature decreases to around -60 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the sun and other planets have magnetospheres, the earths magnetosphere is the strongest one of all the rocky planets. 34. . It changes sometimes unpredictably In comparison, the warmest in the thermosphere. Mercury has an atmosphere that changes with its distance to the Sun. The temperatures in the ozone belt are higher than in the troposphere since the ozone absorbs the ultraviolet rays. These "blue jets" appear above thunderstorms, and extend from the bottom of the stratosphere up to altitudes of 40 or 50 km (25 to 31 miles). During northern hemispheric winters, sudden stratospheric warmings, caused by the absorption of Rossby waves in the stratosphere, can be observed in approximately half of winters when easterly winds develop in the stratosphere. Although some experts consider the thermosphere to be the uppermost layer of our atmosphere, others consider the exosphere to be the actual "final frontier" of Earth's gaseous envelope. In this article, we are going to learn about the atmosphere. [2][3] The stratosphere is an atmospheric layer composed of stratified temperature layers, with the warm layers of air high in the sky and the cool layers of air in the low sky, close to the planetary surface of the Earth. It is like a giant magnet and retains high-energy particles, thereby protecting the earth. Large volcanic eruptions and major meteorite impacts can fling aerosol particles up into the stratosphere where they may linger for months or years, sometimes altering Earth's global climate. The stratosphere also contains the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation as it enters our atmosphere from the sun. Terms & Conditions It borders the mesosphere above through a thin transitional space called the stratopause. The air has a very low density that you get into the interplanetary space without a manifest limit. This is how certain gases become trapped in the stratosphere, like CFC's and ozone. Interesting Facts About Mercury. #1. stratosphere, layer of Earth's atmosphere lying between the troposphere and the mesosphere. The next higher layer above the stratosphere is the mesosphere. Instead, clouds condense in the troposphere. 4. The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over Antarctica. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. It is the only atmospheric layer where temperature inversion occurs and the region where the ozone layer is situated. It also consists of a layer known as the ozone layer, a blanket of ozone that absorbs harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. A two-step reactive mechanism produces ozone in the stratosphere naturally. The atmosphere surrounds our planet like the peel of an orange. Autumn Skies Online Pty Ltd also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank, CJ, ShareASale, and other sites. There are five layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Because of this, few clouds are found in this layer and almost all clouds occur in the lower, more humid troposphere. N.Butchart, A.A. Scaife, J. Austin, S.H.E. Certain swans, cranes, and vultures can fly in the lower stratosphere. 27. Near the equator, the lower edge of the stratosphere is as high as 20km (66,000ft; 12mi), at midlatitudes around 10km (33,000ft; 6.2mi), and at the poles about 7km (23,000ft; 4.3mi). The stratosphere is very cold, ranging in temperatures from negative 68F to negative 5F. In fact it is not easy to distinguish between space and not space because of the fact that the Earths atmosphere doesnt simply vanish; rather, it gradually becomes thinner and thinner over about 600 miles. As the altitude increases, the atmosphere diminishes which is the reason why the air pressure in the exosphere is shallow. The ionosphere is not a distinct layer like the others mentioned above. Autumn Skies Online Pty Ltd is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 1. It is the highest layer. The stratosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. It is important because it contains the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful UV rays. The greenhouse gases increase the effect making the earths surface to be warmer than usual. In 1985, they observed a hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic. The stratosphere also traps certain gasses known as CFC's, which are chemicals derived from aerosol. The stratosphere is one of the 5 layers of the atmosphere, situated above the troposphere and below the mesosphere at an altitude of 10 km (6 miles), extending to 50 km (30 miles). Without the stratosphere, life on Earth would be very different or non-existent, as the shielding of the sun's radiation is important for known Earth life. Certain bird species like the common crane, whooper swan, and the Rppel's griffon vulture are capable of flying in the lower stratosphere. Because the temperature in the tropopause and lower stratosphere is largely constant with increasing altitude, very little convection and its resultant turbulence occurs there. The stratosphere protects Earth life from extremely harmful UV rays from the sun. It occurs naturally in small (trace) amounts in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere). 19. They go from the ground all the way to outer space. [6] Winds in the stratosphere can far exceed those in the troposphere, reaching near 60m/s (220km/h; 130mph) in the Southern polar vortex. The lack of particles in the air causes less friction to hold an aircraft back, which requires less power to travel faster and further. Be grateful! The water ice appears younger than we would expect. Other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent include trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, and neon. The coldest temperatures are found in the mesopause. The ozone layer lies in the stratosphere, which absorb the majority of harmful UV radiation from the sun. This increase of temperature with altitude is characteristic of the stratosphere; its resistance to vertical mixing means that it is stratified. The amount of water vapour in the stratosphere is very low, and because of this there are no clouds in the stratosphere. The ozone layer, which absorbs and scatters the . Moving upward from ground level, these layers are called the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Clouds rarely form in the stratosphere for this reason as well, as the air is very dry. In the 1900s, Hungarian physicist Theodore von Krmn determined the boundary to be around 50 miles up, or roughly 80 kilometers above sea level. The stratosphere begins at around 10 kilometers above the surface of the earth. Stratosphere. They result from ionized particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere above the poles. The wind, which is the air current, is generated when the hot air rises and gets replaced by colder air. Of all the atmospheric layers, this is the most closest to the Earth. The stratosphere is the second layer in the Earth's atmosphere. Endeavoring to achieve professional growth through ongoing development of skills and using new and accepted methods of . Planes and jets will sometimes choose to fly in the stratosphere, where there are no clouds or weather that can affect the ride. The stratosphere is where youll find the very important ozone layer. This article focus on the stratosphere, Earth's second layer. The Earth's atmosphere is made up of roughly 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.1% other gases. If you were to climb a mountain in the stratosphere you would have to take off your warm clothes as you got closer to the top rather than putting them on like we usually do. The stratosphere is very dry air and contains little water vapor. Stratospheric warming of the polar vortex results in its weakening. Certain birds will even fly in the stratosphere, including swans, cranes, and vultures! Moreover, the distance between the molecules increases as you move up the different layers. Damage to the ozone layer of the stratosphere occurs naturally when volcanic gases and dust reach the stratosphere, but people have been contributing to this as well with the use of aerosol's containing CFCs. Planes fly in the stratosphere to avoid turbulence and fly longer distances using less fuel. The exosphere is really, really big. The increase of temperature with altitude is a result of the absorption of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation by the ozone layer. 8. The ozone layer is a layer of gas within the stratosphere that protects the Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet sun rays. Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are the exception. The air in the stratosphere is extremely thin, which makes it impossible to breathe at this level. The thermosphere extends from about 90 km to 500 kmand 1,000 km above our planet. The latter value is about halfway to the Moon! She earned her bachelor's in Physics and Astronomy from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Earth's atmosphere is composed of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and one percent other gases. Thislayerseparates the rest of the atmosphere from outer space. 32. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stratosphere&oldid=1140010063, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 00:23. The stratosphere is home to the ozone layer, which is a thin layer of concentrated ozone which plays an essential role in protecting the Earth from dangerous solar radiation. The ozone layer is situated within this layer. It starts to glow, and the rocks begin to fly off. Convection is when gasses cool down as they rise, allowing them to condense onto air particles and form clouds. This is just an estimate, however, as the lower and upper boundaries actually vary with the latitude of the earth. The biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees, to the dark environments of ocean trenches, to lush rain forests, high mountaintops, and transition zones like this one, where ocean and terrestrial ecosystems meet. . CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. The troposphere starts at the Earth's surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9 miles). 28. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere. For this reason, humans would not be able to survive at this altitude without being inside of a plane, rocket, or some type of enclosed environment where air density can be regulated. Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 00:23, "Atmospheric Temperature Trends, 19792005", "NWS JetStream - Layers of the Atmosphere", "The Stratosphere - overview | UCAR Center for Science Education", "Parachutist's Record Fall: Over 25 Miles in 15 Minutes (Published 2014)", "Google's Alan Eustace beats Baumgartner's skydiving record", Quasi-biennial oscillation in ozone in a coupled chemistry-climate model, Breaking planetary waves in the stratosphere, Stratospheric Harbingers of Anomalous Weather Regimes, A stratospheric influence on the winter NAO and North Atlantic surface climate, "How Sudden Stratospheric Warming Affects the Whole Atmosphere", "Collision between a Vulture and an Aircraft at an Altitude of 37,000 Feet". The shiny blue marble continues to fascinate us since the time we began walking across its surfaces. The exosphere gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space. 12. Because of this, the top of the thermosphere can be found anywhere between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground. The stratosphere ends where it transitions to the mesosphere, around 50 kilometers above the earth. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. The air density is also very low, making it less turbulent to travel through. Ozone layer (highest concentration of ozone in the atmosphere) The ozone layer is a thin layer of the stratosphere made of a gas called ozone. The stratospheric air is extremely thin and dry since the vast majority of atmospheric gases (and weather activity) are limited to the troposphere. This decrease in temperature with altitude is what causes convection to occur in the troposphere. However, it is made up out of five different layers: The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. 11. PSCs are also called nacreous clouds. Close to the tropopause, temperatures start at approximately -51 Celsius (-60 Fahrenheit) and continue to rise until reaching the stratopause, where temperatures reach -15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit). The air in the stratosphere is about 1000 thinner than the air at sea level in the troposphere. Within the stratosphere temperatures increase with altitude (see temperature inversion); the top of the stratosphere has a temperature of about 270 K (3C or 26.6F).[8].
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