Why do we need the stratosphere

Because of this, few clouds are found in this layer; almost all clouds occur in the lower, more humid troposphere. Polar stratospheric clouds PSCs are the exception. PSCs appear in the lower stratosphere near the poles in winter.

They are found at altitudes of 15 to 25 km 9. They appear to help cause the formation of the infamous holes in the ozone layer by "encouraging" certain chemical reactions that destroy ozone. PSCs are also called nacreous clouds. Air is roughly a thousand times thinner at the top of the stratosphere than it is at sea level.

Because of this, jet aircraft and weather balloons reach their maximum operational altitudes within the stratosphere. Due to the lack of vertical convection in the stratosphere, materials that get into the stratosphere can stay there for long times.

Such is the case for the ozone-destroying chemicals called CFCs chlorofluorocarbons. Large volcanic eruptions and major meteorite impacts can fling aerosol particles up into the stratosphere where they may linger for months or years, sometimes altering Earth's global climate. Rocket launches inject exhaust gases into the stratosphere, producing uncertain consequences.

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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler format. They are distinguished by a unique atomic number. The elements are organized by their atomic number in the periodic table, which highlights elements with similar properties. Water is an example of a compound, a mixture of two or more elements, and is created when two hydrogen atoms bond to an oxygen atom.

Use these resources to examine the properties and uses of elements and compounds. An atmosphere is the layers of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body. These gases are found in layers troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere defined by unique features such as temperature and pressure.

The atmosphere protects life on earth by shielding it from incoming ultraviolet UV radiation, keeping the planet warm through insulation, and preventing extremes between day and night temperatures. The sun heats layers of the atmosphere causing it to convect driving air movement and weather patterns around the world. Teach your students about the Earth's atmosphere with the resources in this collection.

Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Figure 4: Anomalies in geopotential height for January-March Kidston et al. Nature Geoscience, 8, I plan to use that in my thesis…. Very interesting indeed thanks Simon, it really makes last winters bitterly cold BFTE a lot easier to understand.

Very many thanks indeed. Like Like. Is this due to in part the major SSW, are the repercussions still being felt? Will they disappear in time and normal service resumes? You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account.

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