Menu Close

Why do temperature decrease as you gain in altitude in the troposphere?

Why do temperature decrease as you gain in altitude in the troposphere?

As you increase in elevation, there is less air above you thus the pressure decreases. As the pressure decreases, air molecules spread out further (i.e. air expands), and the temperature decreases.

What causes the temperature to decrease with height in the stratosphere?

The temperature begins to increase with altitude in the stratosphere. This warming is caused by a form of oxygen called ozone (O3) absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The overlying mesosphere does not absorb solar radiation, so the temperature decreases with altitude.

What is the main reason for decrease of temperature with height?

The basic answer is that the farther away you get from the earth, the thinner the atmosphere gets. The total heat content of a system is directly related to the amount of matter present, so it is cooler at higher elevations.

Why does temperature decrease as altitude increases?

As you increase in elevation, there is less air above you thus the pressure decreases. As the pressure decreases, air molecules spread out further (i.e. air expands) and the temperature decreases.

What is temperature What are the factors affecting it?

Things to remember. The factors that affects temperature are altitude, latitude and distance from sea. The height measured from sea level is called altitude. When the latitude increases, the distant from the sun also increases, so the temperature gradually decreases.

What is the temperature of troposphere?

Therefore, the temperature in the troposphere also decreases with height in response. As one climbs higher, the temperature drops from an average around 62°F (17°C) to -60°F (-51°C) at the tropopause.

Why does the thermosphere have a very high temperature?

The thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth’s atmosphere and its name is due to the high temperatures it reaches due to the ionization of the gases that make it up, in addition to the ionization of sodium atoms and various molecules found in it, caused by ultraviolet radiation.

What causes the temperature change in the troposphere?

When a weather phenomenon called at ” temperature inversion ” occurs, temperature in some part of the troposphere gets warmer with increasing altitude, contrary to the normal situation. In the layer above the troposphere, the stratosphere, temperature rises with increasing altitude.

Why does temperature increases as it goes to the thermosphere?

The thermosphere is the outer layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, extending from about 53 miles to more than 370 miles above the surface. The temperature increases rapidly in this layer due to the absorption of huge amounts of incoming high energy solar radiation by atoms of nitrogen and oxygen.

Does the Tempature increase or decrease in the stratosphere?

The temperature increases in the stratosphere due to the ozone layer being there that captures radiation (heat from the sun). The temperature decreases in the next layer, the mesosphere, because there is no ozone layer there for protection + the amount of air in this layer decreases.