In which atmospheric layer does temperature generally decrease with altitude and host the coldest temperatures?

In which atmospheric layer does temperature generally decrease with altitude and host the coldest temperatures?

• A. Stratosphere
• B. Thermosphere
• C. Mesosphere
• D. Troposphere

Answer: (C)

Temperature behavior with altitude is not the same in every atmospheric layer, and the mesosphere is the layer where temperature declines as you rise and where the coldest temperatures in the atmosphere are found. As you climb through the mesosphere, there’s less energy input from the Sun and the air is very thin, so heat is not retained effectively. This causes temperatures to drop with height, reaching roughly -90 to -100 degrees Celsius near the top of the mesosphere. In contrast, the stratosphere warms with altitude because ozone absorbs UV radiation, so it does not fit the pattern of cooling with height. The troposphere cools with altitude but does not reach the extreme cold of the mesosphere, and the thermosphere can have very high temperatures due to solar heating, though the air is so thin that those temperatures don’t feel warm. So the layer where temperature generally decreases with altitude and hosts the coldest temperatures is the mesosphere.

Temperature behavior with altitude is not the same in every atmospheric layer, and the mesosphere is the layer where temperature declines as you rise and where the coldest temperatures in the atmosphere are found. As you climb through the mesosphere, there’s less energy input from the Sun and the air is very thin, so heat is not retained effectively. This causes temperatures to drop with height, reaching roughly -90 to -100 degrees Celsius near the top of the mesosphere. In contrast, the stratosphere warms with altitude because ozone absorbs UV radiation, so it does not fit the pattern of cooling with height. The troposphere cools with altitude but does not reach the extreme cold of the mesosphere, and the thermosphere can have very high temperatures due to solar heating, though the air is so thin that those temperatures don’t feel warm. So the layer where temperature generally decreases with altitude and hosts the coldest temperatures is the mesosphere.