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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Diagram showing the five primary layers of the Earth's atmosphere: exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere. The layers are to scale. From Earth's surface to the top of the stratosphere (50 km) is just under 1% of Earth's radius.
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A view of Earth's troposphere from an airplane.
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A zonal flow regime. Note the dominant west-to-east flow as shown in the 500 hPa height pattern.
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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.
