Troposphere

troposphere

Within layers of the atmosphere we have the lowest which is where we live and which is known by the name of troposphere. They extend from the earth's surface to the beginning of the stratosphere, this being the layer where the ozone layer is found. The troposphere includes the air we breathe and all the meteorological and climatic processes on the planet. For this reason, it has become one of the most important layers of the Earth's atmosphere.

In this article we are going to tell you about all the characteristics and importance of the troposphere.

Key features

layers of the atmosphere

When we go down the street and we feel the wind in our faces or we observe the clouds in the sky, the birds fly, all these components belong to the troposphere. It is characterized mainly by a decrease in its temperature as the height increases. Each time we go up in height we decrease the temperature because the solar radiation that falls on the ground no longer acts as a temperature regulator. For every thousand feet of temperature it extends 6.5 degrees.

The air in the troposphere becomes less dense as altitude increases. This is the reason why mountaineers often use bottled oxygen to breathe. This layer is approximately 8-14 kilometers thick depending on the area where we are. It is thinner in the North Pole and South Pole areas and its widest part can be found in the Equator.

The layer immediately above the troposphere is the stratosphere. The boundary between these two layers is known by the name of tropopause. In the stratosphere is the ozone layer which protects us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun and protects our skin. The air is denser and the troposphere than any other layer of the atmosphere. In fact, it is known that the troposphere represents 80% of the mass of the entire atmosphere. When the top of a cloud during a storm flattens into an anvil shape, it is usually because the updrafts in the storm have already reached the tropopause. In the tropopause, the ambient air is warmer than the storm and therefore stops rising.

The composition of the air in this layer it is composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. The remaining 1% is made up of argon, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is known to have increased in proportion over the years due to human emissions. The lower part of the troposphere, this being the area closest to the earth's surface, is called the boundary layer.

Differences between the stratosphere and the troposphere

First of all, point out that the atmosphere has different layers. The lowest is the troposphere and just above it is the stratosphere. Due to different factors, they must be classified as different layers. And it is that each one has different characteristics and climatic variables. The air pressure, temperature, temperature gradient, wind speed, and wind direction they are different in both cameras.

The boundary of the tracts will be and the troposphere is called a tropopause and it is not a constant zone. It is usually found at distances of 8-14 kilometers from sea level and is an isotherm. This means that it is an area where the temperature is stable. Weather patterns as we know it sun occur in the troposphere as the air near the ground is warmer than the air at higher altitudes. This occurs because the soil absorbs the sun's heat from radiating. With this negative temperature gradient with respect to altitude, the hot air is able to rise and create a convection current. These convection currents are what produce the wind and cloud regimes.

On the contrary, in the stratosphere the ozone layer is in charge of absorbing sunlight from day to day heat down. Here the temperature increases with altitude. The stratosphere are approximately 50 kilometers high. Taking into account that warm air quality humidity tends to rise and cold air descends, winds and precipitation clouds form in the troposphere and not in the stratosphere. In this layer, conditions are more stable since the air pressure is much lower and the warm air prevents the formation of convection currents. There is practically no turbulence and the winds are stable. It blows in a stable and horizontal direction and therefore commercial aircraft fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid this turbulence.

The troposphere contains around the 75% of the gases in the atmosphere, while the stratosphere has only 19%.

Importance of the troposphere

air in the troposphere

This layer has become the most important on the entire planet as it is very sensitive to the processes that occur at this level. The dynamics of the oceans and the water cycle, photosynthesis of plants, respiration of animals and human activities occur in the troposphere. Further, It is the layer of the atmosphere where the climate occurs.

The atmospheric pressure in the upper part is almost a fifth of that in the lower part. That is, if the troposphere we would all die of altitude sickness in a matter of days. Most of the greenhouse effect is due to water vapor that accumulates in the lower half of the atmosphere. Without this layer, the greenhouse effect would be much less and the oceans would eventually freeze. Although lately there is much talk of the greenhouse effect as something negative, it is a process that planet earth needs to allow life as we know it.

One of the great problems that we have today derived from human activity is the contamination of the troposphere. The smog that forms during human daily activities and around cities it is the most obvious form of air pollutionand. There are different types of contamination whether they are visible or not. However, all types of air pollution contribute to increased greenhouse effect and global warming. Any substance that humans pour into the atmosphere and that has harmful effects on living beings in an environment is considered a pollutant.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the troposphere and its main characteristics.


A comment, leave yours

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.

  1.   Eduardo Cifuentes placeholder image said

    Very interesting.