Science
Atmospheric layers.
Definition
Earth's atmospheric layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere, classified by how temperature changes with altitude. The boundaries between layers are called pauses (tropopause, stratopause, mesopause, thermopause).
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 Temperature decreases with altitude in the troposphere but increases in the stratosphere due to ozone absorbing UV light
- 2 The mesosphere is the coldest layer, reaching temperatures as low as −90°C
- 3 The thermosphere can reach temperatures above 1,000°C, but it would not feel hot due to the extremely low air density
Key Fact
Temperature trend: troposphere ↓, stratosphere ↑, mesosphere ↓, thermosphere ↑.