From the Greek word tropos, meaning turning, troposphere is the zone of moisture-laden storms between the surface and the stratosphere above. Because ice crystals must form before precipitation can begin, the troposphere rises to 10–12 mi (16–19 km) over the equator but grades downward to 5–6 mi (8–9 km) over the poles. It is marked by a sharp drop in temperature vertically, averaging 3.5 degrees per 1,000 ft (305 m) because of exponentially decreasing density of air molecules. Actual "lapse" rates vary enormously, ranging from inversions, where temperatures rise and trap pollutants, to steep lapse rates with warm surface air topped by very cold polar air; the latter produces dangerous storms.
Environmental Encyclopedia
Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.
Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:
Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.
troposphere
oxford
views updated
troposphere The layer of the atmosphere between the Earth's surface and the tropopause, within which the air temperature on average decreases with height at a rate of about 6.5°C/km, though variations that sometimes occur include inversions (temperature increase with height within some limited layer). Most of the atmospheric turbulence and weather features occur in this layer, which contains almost all the atmospheric water vapour and most of the aerosols in suspension in the atmosphere (although there is also an important aerosol layer at about 22 km). See also ATMOSPHERIC STRUCTURE.
A Dictionary of Earth SciencesAILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY
Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.
Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:
Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.
troposphere
oxford
views updated
troposphere The layer of the atmosphere between the Earth's surface and the tropopause, within which the air temperature on average decreases with height at a rate of about 6.5°C/km, though variations that sometimes occur include inversions (temperature increase with height within some limited layer). Most of the atmospheric turbulence and weather features occur in this layer, which contains almost all the atmospheric water vapour and most of the aerosols in suspension in the atmosphere (although there is also an important aerosol layer at about 22 km).
A Dictionary of EcologyMICHAEL ALLABY
Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.
Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:
Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.
troposphere
oxford
views updated
trop·o·sphere / ˈträpəˌsfi(ə)r; ˈtrō-/ •
n. the lowest region of the atmosphere, extending from the earth's surface to a height of about 6–10 km (the lower boundary of the stratosphere).DERIVATIVES: trop·o·spher·ic / ˌträpəˈsfi(ə)rik; -ˈsferik; ˌtrō-/ adj.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.
Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:
Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.
troposphere
oxford
views updated
troposphere The lowest level of the earth's atmosphere, extending from the earth's surface to a height of about 10 km (its thickness varies from 7 km at the poles to 28 km at the equator). Within the troposphere temperature falls with increasing height, although temperature inversions can occur.
A Dictionary of Biology
Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list.
Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites:
Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates.
In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list.
