Stratosphere

The stratosphere is the second largest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, located between the troposphere and the mesosphere.

It is located 50 km above the surface and is home to the ozone layer.

The meaning of the word comes from the Latin stratum , which means layer.

Characteristics of Stratosphere

It concentrates 19% of the gases in the atmosphere, it is the second closest layer to Earth.

As a characteristic, it has little water vapor in its composition and almost no clouds.

Air movement in the stratosphere occurs horizontally.

In addition, the interaction between the stratosphere and the troposphere influences the distribution of gases in the atmosphere.

It is rich in ozone gas and poor in oxygen gas.

Supersonic planes and weather balloons fly in stratosphere space.

There is also an intermediate layer between the stratosphere and the mesosphere called the stratopause.

Ozone layer

The ozone layer is a gaseous covering found in the stratosphere.

It is extremely important for life on Earth as it absorbs ultraviolet gases emitted by the Sun.

In the 1980s, scientists managed to prove that continuous emission of gases by industry destroyed ozone molecules in the stratosphere.

As a way to prevent the collapse of the ozone layer, the international community signed the Montreal Protocol in 1987 , a document aimed at reducing the emission of gases that led to its destruction.

In addition to human interference, natural phenomena such as volcanoes can also destabilize the ozone layer.

Atmosphere layers

The Earth’s atmosphere is also made up of the following layers of gases:

• Troposphere : Layer of the atmosphere where we live.
• Mesosphere : Starts at the end of the stratopause and goes up to 85 km altitude from the Earth’s surface.
• Thermosphere : Largest layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
• Ionosphere : Layer characterized by containing charges of ions and electrons.
• Exosphere : Highest and last layer of the Earth’s atmosphere from the surface.