•Earth's surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9 miles). Almost all weather is in this region. The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends to 50 kilometers (31 miles) high.
Estimated Temperature:
•as one climbs higher, the temperature drops from an average around 62°F (17°C) to -60°F (-51°C) at the tropopause.
Events/Activities happening in that layer:
•The cycle, which occurs in the troposphere, begins as the sun evaporates large amounts of water from the earth's surface and the moisture is transported to other regions by the wind. As air rises, expands, and cools, water vapor condenses and clouds develop.
Stratosphere
Estimated Distance from the ground:
•The Stratosphere extends around 31 miles (50 km) down to anywhere from 4 to 12 miles (6 to 20 km) above the Earth's surface. This layer holds 19 percent of the atmosphere's gases
Estimated Temperature:
•Temperature increases from an average -60°F (-51°C) tropopause to a maximum of about 5°F (-15°C) top of the stratosphere.
Events/Activities happening in that layer:
• ozone layer within the stratosphere absorbs harmful ultraviolet rays of sunlight. Mesosphere. As the mesosphere extends upward above the stratosphere, temperatures decrease.
Mesosphere
Estimated Distance from the ground:
•The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere. It extends from about 50 to 85 km (31 to 53 miles) above our planet.
Estimated Temperature:
• It extends from about 50 to 85 km (31 to 53 miles) above our planet. Temperature decreases with height throughout the mesosphere. The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F),
Events/Activities happening in that layer:
•Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. A type of lightning called sprites sometimes appears in the mesosphere above thunderstorms.
Thermosphere
Estimated Distance from the ground:
•the thermosphere begins a distance of approximately 53-56 miles above the earth's surface and extends to between 311 and 621 miles from the earth, where the exosphere extends into space.
Estimated Temperature:
• 200° C (360° F) hotter in the daytime than at night, and roughly 500° C (900° F) hotter when the Sun is very active.Temperatures in the upper thermosphere range about 500° C (932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher.
Events/Activities happening in that layer:
• ultraviolet radiation causes photoionization/photodissociation of molecules, creating ions; the thermosphere thus constitutes the larger part of the ionosphere.
Exosphere
Estimated Distance from the ground:
•the exosphere begins at a distance of 311 to 621 miles from the earth's surface, and ends at approximately 6200 miles from the earth's surface.
Estimated Temperature:
•temperature range of the exosphere can reach up to 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius)
Events/Activities happening in that layer:
• The air in the exosphere is extremely thin - in many ways it is almost the same as the airless void of outer space.
