what are 3 facts about the stratosphere what are 3 facts about the stratosphere

The more humid the atmosphere is, the thicker the contrails will be. The exosphere is really, really big. 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. The troposphere is the lowest layer of our atmosphere. The other four layers include the troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is very important, as each layer plays a role for life on Earth. 10. 110 lessons. 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). The burning of fossil fuels discharges carbon dioxide, while agricultural developments deposit a lot of methane and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Some of these waves and tides carry energy from the troposphere upward into the stratosphere, others convey energy from the stratosphere up into the mesosphere. The QBO induces a secondary circulation that is important for the global stratospheric transport of tracers, such as ozone[14] or water vapor. To learn more about each layer of the atmosphere, click the images below. The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. [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. Cred: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio 3. In 1985, they observed a hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic. 5. 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. The atmosphere is dense near the surface of the Earth and protects life on the planet Earth. They have been observed by airline pilots and the international space station. This layer is 22 miles (35 kilometers) thick. The contrails usually become thin at low humidity and high altitudes. 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. 77 Amazing, Interesting, and Exciting Facts about the Atmosphere If you do your calculations, each water vapor particle spends approximately nine days in the atmosphere. At the outer limit of the magnetic field is the magnetosphere. It is called stratosphere because it is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. The next layer up is called the stratosphere. It lies above the troposphere, the layer closest to Earth, and below the mesosphere. Temperatures rise as one moves upward through the stratosphere. It has different layers with different qualities. Meteorological phenomena are limited to the troposphere since they result from the earths rotation and suns radiation on the atmosphere. Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas whose molecules are comprised of three oxygen atoms. But there are no mountains high enough to reach the stratosphere, so you dont have to worry about that. What's in the Atmosphere? There are forms of biological bacteria living in the stratosphere. 13. This layer holds 19 percent of the atmosphere's gases but very little water vapor. Terms & Conditions Troposphere is the thinnest and closest layer to the earths surface. While common in the troposphere, very little convection takes place in the stratosphere. Clouds form due to convection, which is uncommon in the stratosphere. As a result, the air in the stratosphere is about 1000 times thinner in the stratosphere than at sea level in the troposphere. 2 It extends from a height of approximately 65 km (40 miles) to 85 km (53 miles) above the Earth's surface. The particles in the exosphere do not behave like gases. This list does not contain all the data available about the stratosphere but highlights the key facts and characteristics of this layer. The layer made of layers. Composed of mostly nitrogen and oxygen, the stratosphere also contains the ozone layer. It is like a giant magnet and retains high-energy particles, thereby protecting the earth. Earth's atmosphere is similar to a jacket for our planet. As the altitude increases, the atmosphere diminishes which is the reason why the air pressure in the exosphere is shallow. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. It has a very important job: to protect us from harmful energy from the Sun, called radiation. As a result of the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Between the troposphere and stratosphere is the tropopause border that demarcates the beginning of the temperature inversion. 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. She earned her bachelor's in Physics and Astronomy from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The thermosphere is home to the International Space Station as it orbits Earth. 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. Its magnetic field goes up to 60,000 km into space. Here are 50 Interesting facts about the atmosphere that you probably didnt know. He discovered this atmospheric layer by sending a weather balloon up and noticing that the temperature changes differently than it does in the troposphere. [6], The mechanism describing the formation of the ozone layer was described by British mathematician Sydney Chapman in 1930. Like an onion, the Earth's atmosphere is composed of many layers. Earth's atmosphere is a jacket of gases that surrounds our planet. It is the second layer of the atmosphere as you go upward. 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. Airplanes fly in the stratosphere to avoid turbulence. The stratosphere contains approximately 19% of the earth's total atmospheric gases. Ozone is a blue pungent-smelling gas that helps to absorb the ultraviolet radiation in the sun rays. The ozone layer is a layer of gas within the stratosphere that protects the Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet sun rays. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. As previously mentioned, the stratosphere is one of the five layers that make up the Earth's atmosphere. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Air density in this layer gradually decreases as you go higher. In fact, the ozone layer absorbs most of the UV radiation the sun sends to us. Paul J. Crutzen, Mario J. Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for their work describing the formation and decomposition of stratospheric ozone.[9]. [24], Seinfeld, J. H., and S. N.(2006), Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change 2nd ed, Wiley, New Jersey. 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. The stratosphere the atmosphere's second layer, and is located right above the troposphere and right below the mesosphere. It also allows the airplane to stay above the turbulent weather of the troposphere. The ozone layer helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. The atmosphere gradually changes as the climate and weather change. All air entering the stratosphere must pass through the tropopause, the temperature minimum that divides the troposphere and stratosphere. They are far much apart from that they can move thousands of kilometers without colliding. The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. Autumn Skies Online Pty Ltd also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank, CJ, ShareASale, and other sites. So, what does the stratosphere do? As this article clearly illustrated, the stratosphere has a crucial role to play in maintaining the atmosphere and all life in it. Temperature increases with height until the estimated top of the thermosphere at 500 km. The top of the stratosphere occurs at an altitude of 50 km (31 miles). Stratosphere. Without the stratosphere, life on Earth would be much different, if not non-existent. measured by the humidity of the air. Commercial airliners fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid the weather, travel faster, and save fuel. Stratopause is the connection between the mesosphere and stratosphere. As a meteor begins to enter this layer, it rapidly bumps into mesosphere particles and scrapes against them. The oxygen atom product combines with atmospheric molecular oxygen to reform O3, releasing heat. But there are no mountains high enough to reach the stratosphere, so you dont have to worry about that. He concluded that there was another layer in the atmosphere above the troposphere, which he called the stratosphere. 9. 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. This is the opposite of what happens in the troposphere, the layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth. The atmosphere surrounds our planet like the peel of an orange. This is the opposite of what happens in the troposphere, where an increasing altitude yields a decrease in temperature. This layer of our atmosphere has its own set of layers. 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 . No tracking or performance measurement cookies were served with this page. The HO2 radical produced by the reaction of OH with O3 is recycled to OH by reaction with oxygen atoms or ozone. As the ozone layer absorbs UV radiation, it causes the temperature in this layer to increase. 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. These are generated when cold atmospheric air blends with the hot, humid exhaust. The stratosphere has many defining features that make it a unique part of the atmosphere. 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). Commercial jet aircraft fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid the turbulence which is common in the troposphere below. [18] When the vortex is strong, it keeps the cold, high-pressure air masses contained in the Arctic; when the vortex weakens, air masses move equatorward, and results in rapid changes of weather in the mid latitudes. Finally, chlorofluorocarbon molecules are photolysed in the stratosphere releasing chlorine atoms that react with ozone giving ClO and O2. But its not the same everywhere. The atmosphere has nearly 37.5 million billion gallons of water at any given time. It changes sometimes unpredictably It keeps us warm, it gives us oxygen to breathe, and its where our weather happens. It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_3',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_4',116,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2-0_1');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_5',116,'0','2'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2-0_2');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_6',116,'0','3'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ownyourweather_com-large-billboard-2-0_3'); .large-billboard-2-multi-116{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:3px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:3px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:250px;min-width:300px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}Recent Posts, Copyright 2023 by Own Your Weather. 5. However, this feature allows commercial airliners to fly in the lower stratosphere while traveling faster and save fuel. Ozone is a chemical compound consisting of three oxygen atoms.