The stratosphere also contains the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation as it enters our atmosphere from the sun. 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. Atmosphere Atmosphere and Its Layers This breaking is caused due to a highly non-linear interaction between the vertically propagating planetary waves and the isolated high potential vorticity region known as the polar vortex. 16. The atmosphere has nearly 37.5 million billion gallons of water at any given time. They shoot upwards through the stratosphere in a blue column to altitudes as high as 50km! Mercury has water ice and organics. (The lack of weather activity in the stratosphere also allows aircraft to avoid adverse weather conditions by flying in the lower stratosphere above the weather.). "Strat" means layer. The rides, which are called The Big Shot, Insanity and X-Scream, are equally terrifying and exciting. 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. Above the troposphere and below the mesosphere, we have the stratosphere. Fun Stratosphere Facts for Kids. It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet. It is the only atmospheric layer where temperature inversion occurs and the region where the ozone layer is situated. It helps in propagation of the radio waves used in telecommunication. Luckily the situation has improved since the ban of chlorofluorocarbon. It is seen in high latitude areas as shimmering curtains of lights that are visible at night. It surrounds the globe and protects it by absorbing the infrared rays from the sun. There is very little water vapor in this layer of the atmosphere, so clouds are a rare occurrence. The stratosphere extends from from 4 -12 miles (6-20 km) above the Earth's surface to around 31 miles (50 km). It lies above the troposphere, the layer closest to Earth, and below the mesosphere. As mentioned in the introduction, certain birds such as cranes, swans, and vultures can fly at this altitude. The ionosphere stretches roughly 50 to 400 miles above Earth's surface, right at the edge of space. The ozone layer absorbs the majority of these rays, shielding life from harmful radiation. The Earth's atmosphere is very important, as each layer plays a role for life on Earth. [21] Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) sometimes migrate over Mount Everest, whose summit is 8,848m (29,029ft). 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 site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site. The water exists in the form of vapor and invisible to plain eyes. This jacket of gases does a lot for us. Approximately 90 percent of the atmosphere's ozone occurs in the stratosphere, the region extending from 10-18 km (6-11 miles) to approximately 50 km (about 30 miles) above Earth's surface. 22. So, what does the stratosphere do? Other gases such as carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and neon occupy the remaining portion. It is the second layer of the atmosphere as you go upward. The more humid the atmosphere is, the thicker the contrails will be. Planes and jets will sometimes choose to fly in the stratosphere, where there are no clouds or weather that can affect the ride. Earth's atmosphere has six layers: the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the ionosphere, and the exosphere. Another large-scale feature that significantly influences stratospheric circulation is the breaking planetary waves[15] resulting in intense quasi-horizontal mixing in the midlatitudes. They are much similar to warm breath during cold weather. An increase of altitude in the troposphere makes temperatures decrease, which is why it is much colder on the top of a mountain than on sea level. Strat means layer. It has a very important job: to protect us from harmful energy from the Sun, called radiation. The atmosphere is a layer of gases retained by gravity on the earth. Despite Mercury's weak magnetic field, it behaves similarly to Earth's. She earned her bachelor's in Physics and Astronomy from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. What Is the Greenhouse Effect? Earths atmosphere has six layers: the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the ionosphere, and the exosphere. The stratosphere protects Earth life from extremely harmful UV rays from the sun. 28. The chlorine atoms are recycled when ClO reacts with O in the upper stratosphere, or when ClO reacts with itself in the chemistry of the Antarctic ozone hole. The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. This diagram shows some of the features of the stratosphere. Planes and jets will sometimes. However, exceptionally energetic convection processes, such as volcanic eruption columns and overshooting tops in severe supercell thunderstorms, may carry convection into the stratosphere on a very local and temporary basis. This UV radiation is important for the production of vitamin D in humans, but too much can destroy tissue. The temperatures in the ozone belt are higher than in the troposphere since the ozone absorbs the ultraviolet rays. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. 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 air in the stratosphere is extremely thin, which makes it impossible to breathe at this level. 32. 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 . It is made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Air is roughly a thousand times thinner at the top of the stratosphere than it is at sea level. 21. 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). We now know that there are additional ozone loss mechanisms and that these mechanisms are catalytic meaning that a small amount of the catalyst can destroy a great number of ozone molecules. He concluded that there was another layer in the atmosphere above the troposphere, which he called the stratosphere. They result from ionized particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere above the poles. This is due to gravity, but mostly due to the temperature inversion in the tropopause that prevents gases from entering the layer. The stratosphere also traps certain gasses known as CFC's, which are chemicals derived from aerosol. We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. It is possible to send research balloons into the stratosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is made up of roughly 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.1% other gases. The stratosphere contains approximately 19% of the earth's total atmospheric gases. I feel like its a lifeline. 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. It keeps us warm, it gives us oxygen to breathe, and its where our weather happens. It extends above the tropopause to an altitude of 50 km above the earth. The atmosphere is one of four spheres of the earth, which include the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the lithosphere. UCAR/Randy Russell To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. The temperature increases to about negative {eq}5 {/eq} F in the stratosphere. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. As a result, it tends to trap any and all gases that enter this region of the atmosphere. [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. Earth's atmosphere is a jacket of gases that surrounds our planet. 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. It is the only atmospheric layer where temperature inversion occurs and the region where the ozone layer is situated. In fact, the ozone layer absorbs most of the UV radiation the sun sends to us. Biosphere forms part of the troposphere where life exists. However, as you enter the stratosphere, the ozone gas absorbs the ultraviolet light entering the atmosphere from the sun. 12. At the top of the stratosphere, the density of the air is close to zero. To learn more about each layer of the atmosphere, click the images below. Clouds rarely form in the stratosphere for this reason as well, as the air is very dry. Ozone layer lies about 19-32 km over the earths surface. Polar Stratospheric Clouds develop in this layer near the poles at an altitude of 15 - 25 kilometers. The top of the stratosphere occurs at an altitude of 50 km (31 miles). There are some species of birds capable of flying in the stratosphere. It surrounds our planet, keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our weather happens. The stratosphere is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, and lies approximately 10km to 50km above the Earth's surface. All rights reserved. The mesosphere is the third layer of the atmosphere (above the troposphere and stratosphere.) The atmosphere has nearly 37.5 million billion gallons of water at any given time. The water ice appears younger than we would expect. 14. Commercial airliners fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid the weather, travel faster, and save fuel. 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. As a result, air circulation is not as prevalent in this layer of the atmosphere, making it difficult for some gasses to escape. That's the opposite of how the . Autumn Skies Online Pty Ltd is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies., The Earth's atmosphere consists of five layers. The stratosphere is a layer of extremely stratified air that rises 40 kilometres above the tropopause and comprises about 20% of the atmosphere's mass.