what are 3 facts about the stratosphere

We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. The stratosphere extends from from 4 -12 miles (6-20 km) above the Earth's surface to around 31 miles (50 km). It surrounds our planet, keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our weather happens. Sydney Chapman gave a correct description of the source of stratospheric ozone and its ability to generate heat within the stratosphere;[citation needed] he also wrote that ozone may be destroyed by reacting with atomic oxygen, making two molecules of molecular oxygen. 20. 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. Radicals produced from the homolytically split oxygen molecules combine with molecular oxygen to form ozone. Along with the neutral upper atmosphere, the ionosphere forms the boundary between Earth's lower atmosphere where we live and breathe and the vacuum of space. It contains the ozone layer and is between the troposphere, the first layer of the atmosphere, and the mesosphere, the third layer of the atmosphere. [22][23], In 1902, Lon Teisserenc de Bort from France and Richard Assmann from Germany, in separate but coordinated publications and following years of observations, published the discovery of an isothermal layer at around 1114km, which is the base of the lower stratosphere. The air in the stratosphere is about 1000 thinner than the air at sea level in the troposphere. Its upper edge has maximum ozone concentration, referred to as the ozone belt. It changes sometimes unpredictably It is made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. 3. The ozone layer helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. Terms & Conditions The thermosphere is home to the International Space Station as it orbits Earth. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere. The word 'stratosphere' is derived from the word 'strato' meaning layer, and 'sphere' which is earth's shape. The stratosphere extends from the tropopause at about 10 to 17 km (about 6 to 11 miles) altitude to its upper boundary (the stratopause) at . In addition, solar proton events can significantly affect ozone levels via radiolysis with the subsequent formation of OH. The electrically charged atoms and molecules that are formed in this way are called ions, giving the ionosphere its name and endowing this region with some special properties. There are no storms or turbulence here to mix up the air, so cold, heavy air is at the bottom and warm, light air is at the top. The first is due to the reaction of hydroxyl radicals (OH) with ozone. Heat is produced in the process of the formation of Ozone, and this heat is responsible for . The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere. In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. Planes and jets will sometimes. ozone depletion, gradual thinning of Earth's ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human activities. While common in the troposphere, very little convection takes place in the stratosphere. Endeavoring to achieve professional growth through ongoing development of skills and using new and accepted methods of . The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere. It is called stratosphere because it is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. What are the characteristics of the five layers of the atmosphere? As the altitude increases, the atmosphere diminishes which is the reason why the air pressure in the exosphere is shallow. 110 lessons. Why Is Carbon Important? The stratosphere is very cold, ranging in temperatures from negative 68F to negative 5F. Of all the atmospheric layers, this is the most closest to the Earth. As a result, air circulation is not as prevalent in this layer of the atmosphere, making it difficult for some gasses to escape. The stratosphere is one of five layers of the atmosphere. [4] Temperatures range from an average of 51C (60F; 220K) near the tropopause to an average of 15C (5.0F; 260K) near the mesosphere. The atmosphere comprises five layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. The height of the bottom of the stratosphere varies with latitude and with the seasons. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere. However, it is made up out of five different layers: The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. While the troposphere is filled with a vast assortment of clouds thanks to a gas we know as water vapor, the stratosphere is a vast, clear blue sky. Different definitions place the top of the exosphere somewhere between 100,000 km (62,000 miles) and 190,000 km (120,000 miles) above the surface of Earth. Temperatures in the upper thermosphere can range from about 500 C (932 F) to 2,000 C (3,632 F) or higher. This list does not contain all the data available about the stratosphere but highlights the key facts and characteristics of this layer. The stratosphere begins at around 10 kilometers above the surface of the earth. Like the other atmospheric layers, it does not have a fixed height but starts at an altitude of approximately 10 km(6 miles), extending up to a height of roughly 50 km(30 miles). 3090 Center Green Drive, Boulder, CO 80301, Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere, ACOM | Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling, CISL | Computational & Information Systems, EdEC | Education, Engagement & Early-Career Development, Government Relations & External Engagement. That means that to get to outer space, you have to be really far from Earth. Also, magnetic and south poles reverse at uneven intervals of hundreds of thousands of years. The atmosphere is about 500 km thick, with a mix of more than ten different gases. They are a combination of supercooled water and nitric acid that develop at very low temperatures. As you go up, it becomes colder. 9. The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is a layer of Earths atmosphere. Just like the troposphere, its depth varies with latitude. Almost all weather is in this region. Atmosphere Atmosphere and Its Layers The lower boundary of the stratosphere can be as high as 20 km (12 miles or 65,000 feet) near the equator and as low as 7 km (4 miles or 23,000 feet) at the poles in winter. Earth is a great planet to live on because it has a wonderful atmosphere around it. The ionosphere is not a distinct layer like the others mentioned above. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the temperature within it. [4] The temperature inversion is in contrast to the troposphere, near the Earth's surface, where temperature decreases with altitude. 19. The stratosphere is the second layer in the Earth's atmosphere. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. It reaches up to the mesosphere, with another thin layer of air called the stratopause separating them. Air circulation within the stratosphere is dominated by the Brewer-Dobson Circulation, which is a single-celled air movement that stretches from the Poles to the Equator. A single chlorine atom can destroy more than a hundred thousand ozone molecules. This creates a smoother ride for passengers, as there are few clouds or weather in the stratosphere. PSCs appear in the lower stratosphere near the poles in winter. The shiny blue marble continues to fascinate us since the time we began walking across its surfaces. The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas whose molecules are comprised of three oxygen atoms. Instead, the ionosphere is a series of regions in parts of the mesosphere and thermosphere where high-energy radiation from the Sun has knocked electrons loose from their parent atoms and molecules. But there are no mountains high enough to reach the stratosphere, so you dont have to worry about that. The stratosphere also has an increasing temperature with increasing altitude, which is different than what happens in the troposphere. The ozone layer helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. Troposphere - The lowest level of our atmosphere is called the Troposphere. They are far much apart from that they can move thousands of kilometers without colliding. Requested URL: byjus.com/chemistry/stratosphere/, User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 15_5 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/15.5 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1. Above the troposphere and below the mesosphere, we have the stratosphere. The stratosphere ( / strtsfr, - to -/) is the second layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The troposphere, the lowest layer, is right below the stratosphere. It has increased the number of respiratory conditions such as asthma. The stratosphere is a very interesting layer in Earth's atmosphere, as there are many fun stratosphere facts outside of its primary characteristics that make it unique. Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. The wind, which is the air current, is generated when the hot air rises and gets replaced by colder air. The stratosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. They go from the ground all the way to outer space. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced by biological activity at the surface and is oxidised to NO in the stratosphere; the so-called NOx radical cycles also deplete stratospheric ozone. We live in the troposphere, which is the layer of the atmosphere closest to earth. There are forms of biological bacteria living in the stratosphere. The stratosphere is where youll find the very important ozone layer. As a result of the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Earths atmosphere has six different layers. They have been observed by airline pilots and the international space station. The air density is also very low, making it less turbulent to travel through. Due to this, the stratosphere has very little convection, which causes chemicals derived from aerosols, known as CFC's, to become confined to the stratosphere. Meteorological phenomena are limited to the troposphere since they result from the earths rotation and suns radiation on the atmosphere. 1. Air pollution causes the demolition of the ozone belt, and without it, the earth would be exposed to the deadly ultraviolet rays in the sun. It not only examines what the stratosphere is but also looks at the characteristics or facts that define it. Since the stratosphere has increasing temperature with elevation, convection is very rare. At an altitude of 100 km above sea level, a border represents the separation between the atmosphere and outer space. Acidic rains destroy plants and animals, and if it reaches rivers and lakes, it destroys all the aquatic life. Stated another way, it allows the airliner to fly faster while maintaining lift equal to the weight of the plane. Stratospheric warming of the polar vortex results in its weakening. [7] Molecular oxygen absorbs high energy sunlight in the UV-C region, at wavelengths shorter than about 240nm. Other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent include trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, and neon. The temperatures decrease by 6.5 degrees Celsius each kilometer, reaching -55 degrees Celsius at the top limit of the troposphere, commonly known as the tropopause. 24. Planes and jets will sometimes choose to fly in the stratosphere, where there are no clouds or weather that can affect the ride. 29. There are no storms or turbulence here to mix up the air, so cold, heavy air is at the bottom and warm, light air is at the top. PSCs are also called nacreous clouds. Thislayerseparates the rest of the atmosphere from outer space. Ozone depletion is a major environmental problem because it increases the amount of ultraviolet (UV . Rainbow Facts: What Is A Rainbow And How Does It Occur? Between the troposphere and stratosphere is the tropopause border that demarcates the beginning of the temperature inversion. There are five layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Within no time, the vapor from the exhaust freezes and turns visible. We are not permitting internet traffic to Byjus website from countries within European Union at this time. 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. 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. If you are interested in the complete structure and make-up of the atmosphere,this articlecovers all five atmospheric layers and their relation to each other in more detail. - There are no clouds in the layer, and though . The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site. So, what does the stratosphere do? High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of degrees. Such is the case for ozone-destroying chemicals called CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over Antarctica. While the stratosphere is dry, additional water vapor is produced in situ by the photochemical oxidation of methane (CH4). Ionosphere plays a vital role in radio signals broadcast on the earths surface. Luckily the situation has improved since the ban of chlorofluorocarbon. It's about 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) thick. The stratosphere is actually crucial to allowing us to live on earth, because within the stratosphere you will find the ozone layer. The atmosphere is a layer of gases retained by gravity on the earth. Life as we know it wouldnt be possible without this layer of protection. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The atmosphere surrounds our planet like the peel of an orange. . Air is roughly a thousand times thinner at the top of the stratosphere than it is at sea level. Ice clouds form in this layer which is visible when lighted from beneath during sunset. The ozone layer is situated within this layer. The definition of the stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere, extending from about 6 miles to 30 miles, or 10km to 50km, above the Earth's surface. These distances vary slightly due to elevation changes on the Earth. It acts as a giant sponge and absorbs the vast majority of the sun's dangerous Ultraviolet Light. Ozone protects life on Earth from the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These events often precede unusual winter weather [16] and may even be responsible for the cold European winters of the 1960s.[17]. It keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our weather happens. This is due to the temperature changes within the stratosphere. [6] Winds in the stratosphere can far exceed those in the troposphere, reaching near 60m/s (220km/h; 130mph) in the Southern polar vortex. [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. Commercial jet aircraft fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid the turbulence which is common in the troposphere below. As altitude increases, air density in the layers of the atmosphere decrease. Although the sun and other planets have magnetospheres, the earths magnetosphere is the strongest one of all the rocky planets. The atmospheric balance is jeopardized by human activities that cause global warming, greenhouse effect, ozone belt destruction, air contamination, and acid rains. We live in one layer, called the troposphere, where the clouds and most of the water vapor reside. The top of the stratosphere occurs at an altitude of 50 km (31 miles). Stratosphere - The Stratosphere makes up around 25% of the total of Earth's atmosphere, and is home to more than 90% of our Earth's O-Zone layer. stratosphere, layer of Earth's atmosphere lying between the troposphere and the mesosphere. On October 24, 2014, Alan Eustace became the record holder for reaching the altitude record for a manned balloon at 135,890ft (41,419m). The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90 C (-130 F), are found near the top of this layer. 6. 15. 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. This allows the stratosphere to have an increasing temperature with altitude. What's in the Atmosphere? This material is based upon work supported by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a major facility sponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 35. Its upper edge has maximum ozone concentration, referred to as the ozone belt. The exosphere gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space. Meteors burn up in the coldest layer, the mesosphere. When greenhouse gases rise into the atmosphere, they form chloride ions that destroy the ozone layer by making holes in it. It keeps us warm, it gives us oxygen to breathe, and its where our weather happens. [11] This optimizes fuel efficiency, mostly due to the low temperatures encountered near the tropopause and low air density, reducing parasitic drag on the airframe. A two-step reactive mechanism produces ozone in the stratosphere naturally. The HO2 radical produced by the reaction of OH with O3 is recycled to OH by reaction with oxygen atoms or ozone. The stratosphere is very dry air and contains little water vapor. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. 5. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 2011 UCAR with portions adapted from Windows to the Universe ( 2009 NESTA). Stratopause is the connection between the mesosphere and stratosphere. This vertical stratification, with warmer layers above and cooler layers below, makes the stratosphere dynamically stable: there is no regular convection and associated turbulence in this part of the atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is a mixture of several gases. Other gases such as carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and neon occupy the remaining portion. 4. If you look up at the sky, either on a clear day or a starry night, it probably wouldn't occur to you that you are looking through layers. We take a closer look at the stratosphere and its defining characteristics. The overall circulation of the stratosphere is termed as Brewer-Dobson circulation, which is a single-celled circulation, spanning from the tropics up to the poles, consisting of the tropical upwelling of air from the tropical troposphere and the extra-tropical downwelling of air. You might have seen planes leaving white condensation trails. The burning of fossil fuels discharges carbon dioxide, while agricultural developments deposit a lot of methane and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. The troposphere is where we breath in and is also referred to as the lower atmosphere. This is the opposite of what happens in the troposphere, where an increasing altitude yields a decrease in temperature. (The ozone layer is too large a topic for this article, but you can read more about it in the following post.). 40 Unbelievable But True Troposphere Facts | Kidadl At Home Show All Free Coloring Pages Free Dot to Dot Printables Free Printable Stencils Funnies Trivia Birthdays Books Creative, Arts & Crafts The stratosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. The stratosphere is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, and lies approximately 10km to 50km above the Earth's surface. Planes fly in the stratosphere to avoid turbulence and fly longer distances using less fuel. The Concorde aircraft cruised at Mach 2 at about 60,000ft (18km), and the SR-71 cruised at Mach 3 at 85,000ft (26km), all within the stratosphere. Mesosphere lies between 50-85 km above sea level. The stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful radiation emitted from the Sun. Composition of the Earth's atmosphere. This layer of our atmosphere has its own set of layers. 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 air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe (the air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level and continues dropping as you go higher). Ozone is important for ensuring that just the right amount of ultraviolet radiation reaches the earth. Its depth also varies from 5.5 to 20 miles depending on latitude as well. All air entering the stratosphere must pass through the tropopause, the temperature minimum that divides the troposphere and stratosphere. However, just above that is an equally important layer called the stratosphere. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. It lies above the troposphere, the layer closest to Earth, and below the mesosphere. This includes the troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, and stratosphere. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. 34. The rising air is literally freeze dried; the stratosphere is a very dry place. (Learn more about Nacreous or Polar Stratospheric Clouds in this article.). He concluded that there was another layer in the atmosphere above the troposphere, which he called the stratosphere. Most airplanes or jets travel in the lower part of the stratosphere. 4 "Strat" means layer. What Causes Air Pollution? Create an account to start this course today. Aurora is also referred to as polar light. Clouds rarely form in the stratosphere for this reason as well, as the air is very dry. These elements react with toxic gases, salt, smoke, and volcanic ash. 32. This results in an increase in temperature from about -76 degrees Fahrenheit to around 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Stratosphere. Air density is the lowest, and its temperature can increase up to 1500 degrees Celsius.

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