Choose the correct option as we go from ground level to tropopause, the temperature

Unit 2. Understanding the Atmosphere Page 017. Divisions of the atmosphere 018. Characteristics of atmospheric gases 019. How the Sun heats the Earth 020. Differential heating of the atmosphere 2–2. The Tropopause 021. Characteristics of the tropopause 022. Locating the tropopause 2–3. Atmospheric Circulation 023. Thermal and three-cell circulation 024. Forces affecting Earth’s general circulation 025. Earth’s circulation systems 026. Tertiary circulations 2–4. Jet Stream 027. General structure of jet streams 028. Polar front jet (PFJ) stream 029. Subtropical jet (STJ) stream 030. Life cycle of a jet stream 031. Jet stream and migratory pressure system relationships 2–5. Air Masses 032. Air-mass formation 033. Air-mass structure 034. Air-mass modification 035. Geographical distribution of air masses and their effect on weather 036. Influence of the Northern Hemisphere’s oceans on air-mass weather N unit 1, we examined atmospheric physics and how physical properties affect our weather. In this unit, we cover the atmosphere in general. The old saying that "everyone talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it" is becoming increasingly less accurate. As weather journeymen, we can appreciate the advances made in the short history of meteorology as a scientific study. However, we also know the limitations involved in understanding and eventually influencing weather phenomena. Concerning understanding, you might well remember the advice in the book of Proverbs in th...

In One such layer is the tropopause, the boundary between the relatively dry stratosphere and the more meteorologically active layer below. This is often the region of the jet streams. Important information about these kinds of high-speed air currents is obtained with sensors mounted on high-flying commercial aircraft and is routinely… place in • Earth’s atmosphere • In …of the troposphere, called the tropopause, corresponds to the level in which the pattern of decreasing temperature with height ceases. It is replaced by a layer that is essentially isothermal (of equal temperature). In the tropics and subtropics, the tropopause is high, often reaching to about 18 km (11 miles),… • troposphere • In …its upper boundary being the tropopause, about 10–18 km (6–11 miles) above the Earth’s surface. The troposphere is characterized by decreasing temperature with height and is distinguished from the overlying stratosphere by a region of nearly constant temperature in the lower stratosphere. Most of the clouds and weather systems are… • upper-level wind movement •

The stratosphere is a This diagram shows some of the features of the stratosphere. UCAR/Randy Russell The bottom of the stratosphere is around 10 km (6.2 miles or about 33,000 feet) above the ground at middle latitudes. The top of the stratosphere occurs at an altitude of 50 km (31 miles). The height of the bottom of the stratosphere varies with latitude and with the seasons. 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. The lower boundary of the stratosphere is called the tropopause; the upper boundary is called the stratopause. The stratosphere is very dry air, containing little water vapor. Because of this, few clouds are found in this layer. Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are the exception. PSCs (also called nacreous clouds) appear in the lower stratosphere near the poles in winter. Made of ice, they are found at altitudes of 15 to 25 km (9.3 to 15.5 miles) and form only when temperatures at those heights dip below -78° C. They appear to help cause the formation of the infamous holes in the ozone layer by "encouraging" certain chemical reactions that destroy ozone. Due to the lack of vertical convection in the stratosphere, materials that get into the stratosphere can stay there for long times. Such is the case for ozone-destroying chemicals called CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). Large volcanic eruptions and major meteorite impacts can fling ae...