Question map
The lowest temperature is observed/ recorded in which one of the following layers of the atmosphere?
Explanation
The Earth's atmosphere is divided into layers based on temperature gradients. The mesosphere, extending from approximately 50 km to 85 km above the surface, is identified as the coldest layer of the atmosphere. In this layer, temperature decreases with increasing altitude, reaching its minimum at the mesopause. Temperatures in the mesosphere can drop to as low as -80°C to -90°C. In contrast, the troposphere's upper limit (tropopause) averages around -57°C, and the stratosphere experiences a temperature increase with height due to UV absorption by the ozone layer. While the thermosphere contains highly energetic particles, the actual lowest recorded temperatures occur at the boundary of the mesosphere. Therefore, the mesosphere is the layer where the lowest temperatures are consistently observed.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 20: Earths Atmosphere > 20.2. Structure of The Earth's Atmosphere > p. 274
- [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Structure of the Atmosphere > p. 7