Troposphere facts for kids
The troposphere is the lowest part of Earth's atmosphere. It contains about 75% of the atmosphere's mass and 99% of its water vapor and aerosols. Its height is about 15 km. It is taller in the tropics (20 km) and shorter at the poles (7 km).
The troposphere is where Earth's weather like rain, snow, thunder, or storms occur. Clouds can form up to a height of 10–15 km. The troposphere is where people live, because it reaches down to ground level. The next layer up is called the stratosphere. Between the two layers there is the tropopause.
In the troposphere, the temperature goes down as the altitude increases. This is different from the stratosphere. This also means that the troposphere is quite unstable: gases can easily rise up or fall down. Hence the troposphere is well mixed. This vigorous atmospheric convection also causes the general atmospheric circulation.
Images for kids
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[[Space Shuttle
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A view of Earth's troposphere from an airplane.
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This image shows the temperature trend in the Middle Troposphere as measured by a series of satellite-based instruments between January 1979 and December 2005. The middle troposphere is centered around 5 kilometers above the surface. Oranges and yellows dominate the troposphere image, indicating that the air nearest the Earth's surface warmed during the period.Source: [1]
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Meridional Flow pattern of October 23, 2003. Note the amplified troughs and ridges in this 500 hPa height pattern.
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Atmospheric circulation shown with three large cells.
