Part 3: VERTICAL STRUCTURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE
SOURCE: NOAA
Layers of Altitude Descriptio Characteristi Temperatu Things can
the n cs re see in each
Atmosphere Layer
Troposphere • 0 to • lowest •layer where Ave. 62°F Birds,
12km (0 layer of we live, (17°C) to – Airplane,
to 7 miles the breathe, and 60°F (- Weather
atmospher experience 51°C) phenomena,
e most of our Clouds
weather formation
•Layers with
weather
conditions
exist
• Generally
gets colder
as altitude
increases,
due to less
atmospheric
pressure
Tropopause 17km • acts as
(11miles) cold trap for
water vapor
• help to
maintain the
integrity of
ozone layer
by limiting
mixing of air
between
troposphere
and
stratosphere
Stratospher 12 to • Layers • directly Max. 5°F (- Radiosonde
e 50km (7 of Earth’s above the 15°C) at Ozone layer
to 31 atmospher troposphere the top of
miles) e between and below Stratosphe
tropospher mesosphere re
e and • home to
stratosphe the ozone
re layer
• layer that
have strong
winds called
“jet
streams”
• playing
role in global
weather
pattern
Stratopause 45-50km • not fixed
(28- layer
31miles) • limiting
the mixing
up air
between the
stratosphere
and
mesosphere
• acting
barrier to
vertical air
movement
Mesosphere 50 to • coldest • Meteor Rise about Meteorologi
80km (31 layer of Shied 5°F (- cal Rocket
to the • Luminous 15°C) near Meteors
50miles) atmospher clouds – bottom of
e found in this layer
upper
mesosphere
• influence
by strong
Zonal wind,
atmospheric
tides, and
Gravity
waves
Thermosphe 80 to • hottest • consist of Low. - Aurora
re 700km layer of mainly very 184°F (- Borealis
(50 to the low 120°C) at
440miles) atmospher concentratio the
e ns of bottom of
nitrogen and this layer –
oxygen – 3,600°F
absorbs (2,000°C)
most of the
sun’s
harmful
ultraviolet
radiation,
protecting
life on earth
• this
absorption
cause the air
in this layer
to heat up
Exosphere 700 to Outermost Region Can reach Satellite,
10,000km layer of where the up to rocket and
(440 to Earth atmosphere 2,700°F Spaceship
6,200mile Atmospher gradually (1,500°C)
s) e fades into during
the vacuum increase of
of space. solar
Extremely storms
thin, very
few gas
particles
present
Density of
atmosphere
is so low