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The Sky Is Rising

Posted by michael on 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."

1 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. More Hail & Larger Rain Drops? by ThOr101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wouldn't this also have an effect on hail, lightning and snow flakes? If these items are affected by travel within the storm, wouldn't a larger area of vertical travel cause hail to be more likely, lightning to be stronger (more convection space) and snow flakes to be larger?

    All our weather happens in the tropopause yes, but doesn't it extend down into the troposphere where it hits the earth making the troposphere that much larger?

    Also, if the tropopause is rising, does that mean the stratosphere is shrinking or rising? Is the whole atmosphere being pushed out? Is the jet stream rising with it?

    Suppose this could mean higher expenses for air carriers, as they would need to climb to higher altitudes to get to the calmer stratosphere?