The Sky Is Rising

Posted by michael on Wednesday January 22, 2003 @01:25AM from the look-out-above dept.

Makarand writes "The height of the tropopause, the boundary layer between the troposphere and stratosphere and the roof of the Earth's lower atmosphere, has risen by an average of around 650 feet globally over the last 22 years according to this article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation and warm the troposphere. The resulting tropospheric expansion is moving the tropopause upward. Also, the ozone depleted stratosphere is losing its ability to absorb sunlight causing it to cool and contract pulling the tropopause upward."

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Re:How do you locate the tropopause? by GodsMadClown · 2003-01-22 06:10 · Score: 3, Informative

The tropopause is the boundary level, between the troposphere and stratosphere, at which temperature no longer falls as you rise in altitude.

As you move beyond the tropopause, into the stratosphere, atmospheric temperature will rise because the stratosphere contains more ozone. Ozone absorbs a significant portion of the UV light from the sun, adding energy to warm the atmosphere. Because atmosphere at these altitudes is much less dense, it doesn't take nearly as much energy to make changes in temperature. Because temperature rises with altitude, the stratospheric air is stable, with little vertical mixing.