Background Information: Stratosphere
Characteristics:
- Altitude: The stratosphere is the region above the troposphere. It extends from the top of the troposphere to an altitude of 50 kilometers.
- Temperature: (i) Generally remains constant up to -20 kilometers. For this reason it is sometimes called the isothermal layer. (ii) The layer of the atmosphere is already very cold and exceedingly sparse. (iii) Temperature variation is very small, this results in almost no air movement. However, temperature increases slowly to about 30 kilometers, above which it rises rapidly. (iv) At an altitude of -50 kilometers, the temperature ceases to rise. The temperatures in the upper part of the stratosphere can be higher than those near the Earth's surface. A noteworthy point here is that heat energy is transferred downwards by radiation. The stratosphere has a heat source in its upper level, in contrast the troposphere, which is mainly heated from below.
