Though the atmosphere may appear uniform to the naked eye, it is actually similar to a layer cake. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. The Earth's atmosphere is a mixture of several gases. It is important because it contains the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful UV rays. Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat. The stratosphere (/strtsfr, -to-/) is the second layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. When the ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation, it actually causes another phenomenon that is used to identify different layers in the atmosphere. Troposphere - The lowest level of our atmosphere is called the Troposphere. The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere. The stratosphere was discovered in 1900 by French meteorologist Lon Teisserenc de Bort. This diagram shows some of the features of the stratosphere. The atmosphere has nearly 37.5 million billion gallons of water at any given time. The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. 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. Solar ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) separates an oxygen molecule into two different oxygen atoms in the first step. Since the ozone layer absorbs UV rays from the sun, it heats up, which allows temperatures to increase as altitude increases. So, what does the stratosphere do? All rights reserved. These distances vary slightly due to elevation changes on the Earth. The ozone layer is situated within this layer. Ice clouds form in this layer which is visible when lighted from beneath during sunset. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Stratosphere Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster These are generated when cold atmospheric air blends with the hot, humid exhaust. [19] In 2001, dust was collected at a height of 41 kilometres in a high-altitude balloon experiment and was found to contain bacterial material when examined later in the laboratory. This UV radiation is important for the production of vitamin D in humans, but too much can destroy tissue. Ozone depletion | Facts, Effects, & Solutions | Britannica 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. As previously mentioned, the stratosphere is one of the five layers that make up the Earth's atmosphere. Temperature decreases with height throughout the mesosphere. (Learn more about Nacreous or Polar Stratospheric Clouds in this article.). 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 . The rising air is literally freeze dried; the stratosphere is a very dry place. 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. The stratosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. 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. 4. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. 23. Ozone depletion is a major environmental problem because it increases the amount of ultraviolet (UV . Ozone is important for ensuring that just the right amount of ultraviolet radiation reaches the earth. Stratosphere - Wikipedia Although the sun and other planets have magnetospheres, the earths magnetosphere is the strongest one of all the rocky planets. Meteorological phenomena are limited to the troposphere since they result from the earths rotation and suns radiation on the atmosphere. (The ozone layer is too large a topic for this article, but you can read more about it in the following post.). The stratosphere is very cold, ranging in temperatures from negative 68F to negative 5F. The HO2 radical produced by the reaction of OH with O3 is recycled to OH by reaction with oxygen atoms or ozone. The lack of particles in the air causes less friction to hold an aircraft back, which requires less power to travel faster and further. In this region, the temperature increases with height. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. stratosphere, layer of Earth's atmosphere lying between the troposphere and the mesosphere. This layer of Earth's atmosphere is about 319 miles (513 kilometers) thick. It means temperatures rise as altitude increases in this region, unlike the other four layers, which are characterized by a drop in temperature as altitude increases. Life as we know it wouldnt be possible without this layer of protection. Stratosphere | Encyclopedia.com 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. Never miss out again when another interesting and helpful article is released and stay updated, while also receiving helpful tips & information by simplyclicking on this link .Until next time, keep your eye on the weather! The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site. The ozone layer absorbs the majority of these rays, shielding life from harmful radiation. The temperatures in the ozone belt are higher than in the troposphere since the ozone absorbs the ultraviolet rays. Because of this, jet aircraft and weather balloons reach their maximum operational altitudes within the stratosphere. The stratosphere accounts for approximately 24% of the earth's total atmosphere. The temperature increases to about negative {eq}5 {/eq} F in the stratosphere. 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. Earth's atmosphere is composed of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and one percent other gases. Of all the atmospheric layers, this is the most closest to the Earth. The amount of water vapour in the stratosphere is very low, and because of this there are no clouds in the stratosphere. Planes that are low on fuel also fly at this altitude because they can cover more distance than in the troposphere while using less fuel and encountering less turbulence. Privacy Policy stratosphere The atmospheric layer above the troposphere, which extends on average from about 10 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. Its magnetic field goes up to 60,000 km into space. 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 Mesosphere | Center for Science Education Earth is a great planet to live on because it has a wonderful atmosphere around it. It lies above the troposphere, the layer closest to Earth, and below the mesosphere. Thislayerseparates the rest of the atmosphere from outer space. Earths atmosphere is similar to a jacket for our planet. In this article, we are going to learn about the atmosphere. The atmosphere consists of five distinct layers, with the stratosphere being the second, situated just above the troposphere. She has taught in K-12 for more than 15 years, and higher education for ten years. The stratosphere is very dry air and contains little water vapor. The atmospheric balance is jeopardized by human activities that cause global warming, greenhouse effect, ozone belt destruction, air contamination, and acid rains. 15. The rides, which are called The Big Shot, Insanity and X-Scream, are equally terrifying and exciting. The image above illustrates the layers of Earth's atmosphere and their approximate distances from the Earth's surface. Stratosphere | NASA Space Place - NASA Science for Kids This part of the atmosphere is the most dense. 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. The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the thermosphere. The top of the stratosphere is called the stratopause, above which the temperature decreases with height. Since almost almost weather activity is limited to the troposphere and almost no water vapor is present in the stratosphere, Polar Stratospheric Clouds is the only visual meteorological phenomenon that can be observed in the stratosphere. Thermosphere | NASA Space Place - NASA Science for Kids 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. Rocket launches inject exhaust gases into the stratosphere, producing uncertain consequences. The following list highlights the characteristics and facts of the stratosphere in more detail. Ozone is a blue pungent-smelling gas that helps to absorb the ultraviolet radiation in the sun rays. The stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere, in between the troposphere and the mesosphere. 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. Almost all weather is in this region. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. The layer made of layers. It keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our weather happens. This layer of our atmosphere has its own set of layers.