The Troposphere

The troposphere is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The air is very well mixed and the temperature decreases with altitude.

Air in the troposphere is heated from the ground up. The surface of the Earth absorbs energy and heats up faster than the air does. The heat is spread through the troposphere because the air is slightly unstable.

Weather occurs in the Earth's troposphere.

This is an image of the clouds in the Earth's troposphere.
Click on image for full size (96K GIF)
Image from: International Cloud Atlas, Vol. II

MILAGRO Campaign - studying air pollution around Mexico City

Movie showing when gases will rise and mix and when they won't

Tropospheric Ozone, The Polluter content and activities from Project LEARN

Last modified September 3, 2004 by Jennifer Bergman.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer