Consider the way a refrigerator works: a gas (refrigerant) is compressed and it gets hot, this passes through the hot coils at the back of the fridge to cool down. The cool compressed gas is then allowed to expand suddenly through a nozzle in the freezer, and the gas gets very cold, which makes the freezer cold. The gas then returns to the compressor for re-compression and completes the cycle.
Assume you had an insulated floppy balloon of air (as in a gondola balloon) at sea level at 20 degrees centigrade, at the same pressure as the surrounding air. You then carry the big floppy balloon to the top of Everest. The air pressure in the atmosphere decreases the higher you go up because less air is pushing down on you the higher you go up. Because the air pressure is lower, and the air in the balloon expands (it was a very floppy gondola balloon, and can expand freely). As we saw with the refrigerator, when a gas expands, it gets cold! Hence the air in the balloon will be much colder than at sea level, as is all the air around it.
See also: http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_altitude
I think it maybe because at a high altitude your exposed to higher radiation, because (if in a plane) you are above the clouds. Clouds help block some radiation from passing down to earth, by absorbing the radiation into the water molecules. (I think that's it any way :S)
There is a direct correlation in as much that the atmosphere absorbs some radiation but it's not as straight forward as that. Firstly the term radiation is not specific and can refer to any wavelength across the electromagnetic spectrum and can also refer to ionising particle radiation. Secondly there are other factors at play that effect the amount of radiation of differing sorts penetrating the atmosphere. Solar winds particularly during a period of sunspot activity tend too shield the earth from cosmic radiation. Those same solar winds carry ionising radiation which is usually deflected by the earth's magnetosphere, but will still penetrate the atmosphere to some degree especially when particularly active. Then there is the ozone layer and ionosphere to trap radiation as well. With out going into too much detail just remember the further you go from the earth's surface the less of a barrier there is and if it was not for those barriers you wouldn't be here to ask the question.
Pressure does not increase with altitude. It is the opposite; pressure decreases with altitude. The reason for this is that there is less atmosphere to exert pressure as you increase in altitude.
It does not. For the lower atmosphere as you go up in altitude the air gets cooler.
Radiation is more intense at high altitudes and near the Earth's poles because there is less atmospheric absorption. This results in less shielding, and therefore a more intense radiation.
At higher altitudes there is less atmosphere to absorb certain radiations, especially UV rays.
Due to higher altitudes temperature decreases, so only we feel colder in mountains than low lands
high altitudes
Cirrus clouds are comprised of ice crystals so they are found at high altitudes.
Cirrus- thin and wispy, occur at high altitudes. Stratus- sheetlike and layered, occur at lower altitudes. Cumulus- white and fluffy with flat bottoms, occur at various altitudes.
exist at the earth's surface and at high altitudes
because there is low pressure at higher altitudes
The high altitudes cause it to be colder.
No, though higher altitudes will be at the freezing point more often.
Colder climates in higher altitudes.
NO!!!! t5he higher you got the colder it gets, so it preserves the milk
just high altitudes
Because it's cold up there. The atmosphere gets colder at high altitudes so the snow doesn't melt as quickly as lower altitudes. But why is it colder? Because the atmosphere is less dense than at sea level. This explains why the air is colder. But why is the GROUND colder? I presume because at sea level, there is an equilibrium (approx) maintained between the ground and the air, while higher up, the air is less dense and so the sun's radiation that arrives to the ground (mountain) is absorbed by the Earth and that ground remains cold enough to support snow. Is this correct, anyone?
It is cold at very high elevations. Most rain originates as snow at high elevation, which then melts before reaching the ground.
Due to higher altitudes temperature decreases, so only we feel colder in mountains than low lands
One difference n the life style of people living in high altitudes instead of low altitudes is weight. People living in high altitudes are typically not over weight. They also have less heart disease
Cirrocumulus cloud is a clous that often appears at high altitudes.
Jet airplanes fly at high altitudes because it is more fuel efficient. Flying at higher altitudes uses less fuel than flying at lower altitudes.