Science Common Sense
1272 - Why can the atmosphere be divided into layers based on temperature variation
The atmosphere can be divided into layers based on temperature variation because of how heat behaves at different heights.
As you go higher in the atmosphere, the air gets thinner and can't trap heat as well as the lower layers. Here's a simple explanation of each layer and its temperature behavior:
- Troposphere (up to 12 km): Temperature decreases as you go higher. This is because the heat from the Earth gets trapped by greenhouse gases in the lower part of the troposphere.
- Stratosphere (12-50 km): Temperature increases slightly with height. This is because of a special type of oxygen in the stratosphere that absorbs sunlight and warms the layer.
- Mesosphere (50-85 km): Temperature decreases again as you go higher. This is because there are fewer greenhouse gases to trap heat, and the atmosphere gets thinner.
- Thermosphere (85-600 km): Temperature increases with height, but it's not like the temperature on Earth. The thermosphere gets really hot because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
- Exosphere (600-10,000 km): Temperature decreases again, but it's not as important in this layer.
These temperature variations create different conditions in each layer, making them distinct from one another.