stratosphere
American Heritage Dictionary:
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strat·o·sphere
(străt'ə-sfîr') 
n.
n.
- The region of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.
- An extremely high or the highest point or degree on a ranked scale: business expenses in the stratosphere.
[French stratosphère : Latin strātus, a spreading out; see stratus + -sphère, sphere (from Old French espere; see sphere).]
Wiley Book of Astronomy:
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stratosphere
The region of Earth's atmosphere immediately above the troposphere that extends roughly from 15 to 50 km above the planet's surface. Its temperature increases with altitude from about 240 to 270 K (roughly the freezing point of water). It includes the ozone layer. The stratosphere is separated from the mesosphere by the stratopause.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
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stratosphere
Layer of the atmosphere that is located above the troposphere. The stratosphere extends from a lower boundary of about 11 mi (17 km) altitude to an upper boundary (the stratopause) at about 30 mi (50 km). The ozone layer is a part of the stratosphere.
For more information on stratosphere, visit Britannica.com.
McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia:
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Stratosphere
The atmospheric layer that is immediately above the troposphere and contains most of the Earth's ozone. Here temperature increases upward because of absorption of solar ultraviolet light by ozone. Since ozone is created in sunlight from oxygen, a by-product of photosynthesis, the stratosphere exists because of life on Earth. In turn, the ozone layer allows life to thrive by absorbing harmful solar ultraviolet radiation. The mixing ratio of ozone is largest (10 parts per million by volume) near an altitude of 30 km (18 mi) over the Equator. The distribution of ozone is controlled by solar radiation, temperature, wind, reactive trace chemicals, and volcanic aerosols. See also Atmosphere; Troposphere.
The heating that results from absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone causes temperatures generally to increase from the bottom of the stratosphere (tropopause) to the top (stratopause) near 50 km (30 mi), reaching 280 K (45°F) over the summer pole. This temperature inversion limits vertical mixing, so that air typically spends months to years in the stratosphere. See also Tropopause.
The lower stratosphere contains a layer of small liquid droplets. Typically less than 1 micrometer in diameter, they are made primarily of sulfuric acid and water. Occasional large volcanic eruptions maintain this aerosol layer by injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, which is converted to sulfuric acid and incorporated into droplets. Enhanced aerosol amounts from an eruption can last several years. By reflecting sunlight, the aerosol layer can alter the climate at the Earth's surface. By absorbing upwelling infrared radiation from the Earth's surface, the aerosol layer can warm the stratosphere. The aerosols also provide surfaces for a special set of chemical reactions that affect the ozone layer. Liquid droplets and frozen particles generally convert chlorine-bearing compounds to forms that can destroy ozone. They also tend to take up nitric acid and water and to fall slowly, thereby removing nitrogen and water from the stratosphere. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) in June 1991 is believed to have disturbed the Earth system for several years, raising stratospheric temperatures by more than 1 K (1.8°F) and reducing global surface temperatures by about 0.5 K (0.9°F). See also Aerosol.
Ozone production is balanced by losses due to reactions with chemicals in the nitrogen, chlorine, hydrogen, and bromine families. Reaction rates are governed by temperature, which depends on amounts of radiatively important species such as carbon dioxide. Human activities are increasing the amounts of these molecules and are thereby affecting the ozone layer. Evidence for anthropogenic ozone loss has been found in the Antarctic lower stratosphere. Near polar stratospheric clouds, chlorine and bromine compounds are converted to species that, when the Sun comes up in the southern spring, are broken apart by ultraviolet radiation and rapidly destroy ozone. This sudden loss of ozone is known as the anthropogenic Antarctic ozone hole. See also Stratospheric ozone.
Oxford Dictionary of the US Military:
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stratosphere
[ܒstræṭǝܖsfir]
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
Oxford Dictionary of Geography:
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stratosphere
A layer of the earth's atmosphere, above the troposphere, 50 km in depth. Within the stratosphere, temperatures remain constant until the ‘ceiling’ of the stratosphere, the stratopause, is reached.
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| Toward the Stratosphere |
The stratosphere — the region of the earth's atmosphere that is above the troposhere, but below the mesosphere — is about ten to thirty miles (16 to 50 kilometers) above the planet's surface. The air there is thin and dry, cold and clear. The ozone layer, which serves to filter the sun's ultraviolet rays, is located in the stratosphere. On May 27, 1931, Paul Kipfer and Auguste Piccard became the first humans to reach the stratosphere, when the balloon in which they were flying reached a height of almost 10 miles into the sky. The two explorers rode in an air-tight, pressurized cabin, and were able to measure cosmic rays. Today, airplanes usually cruise in the lower reaches of the stratosphere, at an altitude of some 29,000-39,000 feet (nine-twelve kilometers).
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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, May 27, 2011
stratosphere (străt'əsfēr), second lowest layer of the earth's atmosphere. The level from which it extends outward varies with latitude; it begins c.51/2 mi (9 km) above the poles, c.6 or 7 mi (c.10 or 11 km) in the middle latitudes, and c.10 mi (16 km) at the equator, and extends outward c.20 mi (32 km). It is a zone of dry, thin air, cold and clear, with a horizontal temperature gradient, that, in its lower level, is the reverse of that near the earth's surface. In polar regions the temperature is −40°F to −50°F (−40°C to −46°C), but near the equator it ranges from −80°F to below −100°F (−62°C to below −74°C); in the middle latitudes it remains steady at about −67°F (−55°C).
The stratified variations in temperature were deduced from the behavior of sound waves transmitted through the atmosphere, which travel faster in warm air than in cold air. Weather balloons carrying electronic equipment are launched to ascertain conditions in the stratosphere; information on this atmospheric layer is also acquired from earth-orbiting satellites.
Within the stratosphere at altitudes of 12 to 30 mi (19-48 km) is the ozone layer. Its capacity to intercept most of the sun's ultraviolet rays is fundamental to the maintenance of life on the earth. Without this filtering effect, the sun's full radiation would destroy animal tissue, but sufficient ultraviolet radiation reaches the earth to support the activation of vitamin D in humans. Elevated temperatures found in the ozone layer result from its absorption of radiant energy.
Measurements of Antarctica's ozone layer have registered a consistent seasonal "hole," or thinning, in the layer above the South Pole since 1985, and since then similar thinnings have been found over other areas of the world. There is evidence that the ozone is being broken down by chlorine atoms that are released when sunlight breaks up substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Montreal Protocol and its amendments now ban these substances and have set time limits on the production of others that may also affect the ozone layer.
AMG AllGame Guide:
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Stratosphere
- Platform: IBM PC Compatible
- Release Date: January 07, 1997
- Genre: Strategy
- Style: Action Strategy
Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Science:
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stratosphere
(strat-uh-sfeer)
The region of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere. The stratosphere begins at an altitude of seven to ten miles and extends to approximately thirty miles.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Aviation:
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stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere extending from the tropopause to a height of about 30 miles (50 km). The layer is characterized by a vertical isotherm (equal temperature) in the lower atmosphere followed by a temperature that increases with the height. This increase is most noticeable where the average temperature is just below 0°C. Ozone is present in a small quantity in the stratosphere.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'stratosphere'
- Earth’s Atmosphere and Topographic Features - stratosphere: layer of atmosphere from tropopause to inner edge of mesosphere, characterized by little change in temperature with increased altitude, extending from 10 to 30 miles (16 to 48 km) above Earth’s surface
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Stratosphere
For other uses, see Stratosphere (disambiguation).
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010) |
The stratosphere (/ˈstrætəsfɪər/) is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler higher up and warmer farther down. The border of the troposphere and stratosphere, the tropopause, is marked by where this inversion begins, which in terms of atmospheric thermodynamics is the equilibrium level. The stratosphere is situated between about 10 km (6 mi) and 50 km (30 mi) altitude above the surface at moderate latitudes, while at the poles it starts at about 8 km (5 mi) altitude.
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Ozone and temperature
Within this layer, temperature increases as altitude increases (see temperature inversion); the top of the stratosphere has a temperature of about 270 K (−3°C or 29.6°F), just slightly below the freezing point of water.[1] The stratosphere is layered in temperature because ozone (O3) here absorbs high energy UVB and UVC energy waves from the Sun and is broken down into atomic oxygen (O) and diatomic oxygen (O2). Atomic oxygen is found prevalent in the upper stratosphere due to the bombardment of UV light and the destruction of both ozone and diatomic oxygen. The mid stratosphere has less UV light passing through it, O and O2 are able to combine, and is where the majority of natural ozone is produced. It is when these two forms of oxygen recombine to form ozone that they release the heat found in the stratosphere. The lower stratosphere receives very low amounts of UVC, thus atomic oxygen is not found here and ozone is not formed (with heat as the byproduct)[verification needed]. This vertical stratification, with warmer layers above and cooler layers below, makes the stratosphere dynamically stable: there is no regular convection and associated turbulence in this part of the atmosphere. The top of the stratosphere is called the stratopause, above which the temperature decreases with height.
Methane, (CH4) while not a direct cause of ozone destruction in the stratosphere, does lead to the formation of compounds that destroy ozone. Monoatomic oxygen (O) in the upper stratosphere reacts with methane (CH4) to form a hydroxyl radical (OH·). This hydroxyl radical is then able to interact with non-soluble compounds like chlorofluorocarbons, and UV light break off chlorine radicals (Cl·). These chlorine radicals break off an oxygen atom from the ozone molecule, creating an oxygen molecule (O2) and a hypochlorite radical (ClO·). The hypochlorite radical then reacts with an atomic oxygen creating another oxygen molecule and another chlorine radical, thereby preventing the reaction of a monoatomic oxygen with O2 to create natural ozone.
Aircraft flight
Commercial airliners typically cruise at altitudes of 9–12 km (30,000–39,000 ft) in temperate latitudes (in the lower reaches of the stratosphere).[2] This optimizes fuel burn, mostly thanks to the low temperatures encountered near the tropopause and low air density, reducing parasitic drag on the airframe. It also allows them to stay above hard weather (extreme turbulence).
Because the temperature in the tropopause and lower stratosphere remains constant (or slightly increases) with increasing altitude, very little convective turbulence occurs at these altitudes. Though most turbulence at this altitude is caused by variations in the jet stream and other local wind shears, areas of significant convective activity (thunderstorms) in the troposphere below may produce convective overshoot.
Although a few gliders have achieved great altitudes in the powerful thermals in thunderstorms, this is dangerous. Most high altitude flights by gliders use lee waves from mountain ranges and were used to set the current record of 15,447 m (50,679 ft).
Circulation and mixing
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This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
The stratosphere is a region of intense interactions among radiative, dynamical, and chemical processes, in which the horizontal mixing of gaseous components proceeds much more rapidly than in vertical mixing.
An interesting feature of stratospheric circulation is the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the tropical latitudes, which is driven by gravity waves that are convectively generated in the troposphere. The QBO induces a secondary circulation that is important for the global stratospheric transport of tracers, such as ozone or water vapor.
In northern hemispheric winter, sudden stratospheric warmings, caused by the absorption of Rossby waves in the stratosphere, can often be observed.
Life
Bacterial life survives in the stratosphere, making it a part of the biosphere.[3] Also, some bird species have been reported to fly at the lower levels of the stratosphere. On November 29, 1975, a Rüppell's Vulture was reportedly ingested into a jet engine 11,552 m (37,900 ft) above the Ivory Coast, and Bar-headed geese routinely overfly Mount Everest's summit, which is 8,848 m (29,029 ft).[4][5]
See also
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Look up stratosphere in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Léon Teisserenc de Bort and Richard Assmann (the discoverers of the stratosphere)
- Paris Gun (first artificial object to reach stratosphere)
- SR-71 Blackbird
- Concorde
- Lockheed U-2
- RQ-4 Global Hawk
- Service ceiling
- Le Grand Saut
References
- ^ Seinfeld, J. H., and S. N. Pandis, (2006), Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change 2nd ed, Wiley, New Jersey
- ^ "Altitude of a Commercial Jet". Hypertextbook.com. http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/DanielCheng.shtml. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ S. Shivaji et al, "Isolation of three novel bacterial strains, Janibacter hoylei sp. nov., Bacillus isronensis sp. nov. and Bacillus aryabhattai sp. nov. from cryotubes used for collecting air from upper atmosphere.", Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2009.
- ^ "Audubon: Birds". Audubonmagazine.org. http://audubonmagazine.org/birds/birds0011.html. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ Thomas Alerstam, David A. Christie, Astrid Ulfstrand. Bird Migration (1990). Page 276.
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Translations:
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Stratosphere
Dansk (Danish)
n. - stratosfære
Nederlands (Dutch)
stratosfeer
Français (French)
n. - stratosphère
Deutsch (German)
n. - Stratosphäre
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (μετεωρ.) στρατόσφαιρα
Italiano (Italian)
stratosfera
Português (Portuguese)
n. - estratosfera (f)
Español (Spanish)
n. - estratosfera
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - stratosfär
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
同温层, 最高阶段, 最上层
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 同溫層, 最高階段, 最上層
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) الطبقه العليا من الغلاف الجوي
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - סטרטוספירה - שכבת אטמוספירה המגיעה עד 05 ק"מ מפני הארץ
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Wiley Book of Astronomy
Copyright © 2004 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
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McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of the US Military
The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Geography
A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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AMG AllGame Guide
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Science
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Aviation
An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation.. Copyright © 2005 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Stratosphere.
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