The stratosphere /strtsfr/ is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above

the troposphere, and below themesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher
up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface,
which is cooler higher up and warmer farther down. The border of the troposphere and stratosphere,
the tropopause, is marked by where this inversion begins, which in terms of atmospheric
thermodynamicsis the equilibrium level. At moderate latitudes the stratosphere is situated between
about 1013 km (33,00043,000 ft; 6.28.1 mi) and 50 km (160,000 ft; 31 mi) altitude above the
surface, while at the poles it starts at about 8 km (26,000 ft; 5.0 mi) altitude, and near the equator it
may start at altitudes as high as 18 km (59,000 ft; 11 mi).
Contents
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1Ozone and temperature

2Aircraft flight
3Circulation and mixing
4Life
o 4.1Bacteria
o 4.2Birds
5Discovery
6See also
7References
8External links

Ozone and temperature[edit]

Within this layer, temperature increases as altitude increases (see temperature inversion); the top of
the stratosphere has a temperature of about 270 K(3C or 26.6F), just slightly below the freezing
point of water.[3] The stratosphere is layered in temperature because ozone (O3) here absorbs high
energyultraviolet (UVB and UVC) radiation from the Sun and is broken down into the allotropes of
atomic oxygen (O1) and common molecular oxygen (O2). The mid stratosphere has less UV light
passing through it; O and O2 are able to combine, and this is where the majority of natural ozone is
produced. It is when these two forms of oxygen recombine to form ozone that they release the heat
found in the stratosphere. The lower stratosphere receives very low amounts of UVC; thus atomic
oxygen is not found here and ozone is not formed (with heat as the byproduct).[verification needed] This
vertical stratification, with warmer layers above and cooler layers below, makes the
stratosphere dynamically stable: there is no regular convection and associated turbulence in this part
of the atmosphere. The top of the stratosphere is called the stratopause, above which the
temperature decreases with height.
Methane (CH4), while not a direct cause of ozone destruction in the stratosphere, does lead to the
formation of compounds that destroy ozone. Monatomic oxygen (O) in the upper stratosphere reacts

with methane (CH4) to form a hydroxyl radical (OH). This hydroxyl radical is then able to interact
with non-soluble compounds like chlorofluorocarbons, and UV light breaks off chlorine radicals (Cl).
These chlorine radicals break off an oxygen atom from the ozone molecule, creating an oxygen
molecule (O2) and a hypochloryl radical (ClO). The hypochloryl radical then reacts with an atomic
oxygen creating another oxygen molecule and another chlorine radical, thereby preventing the
reaction of monatomic oxygen with O2 to create natural ozone.

Aircraft flight[edit]
Commercial airliners typically cruise at altitudes of 912 km (30,00039,000 ft) in temperate latitudes
(in the lower reaches of the stratosphere).[4] This optimizes fuel burn, mostly due to the low
temperatures encountered near the tropopause and low air density, reducing parasitic drag on the
airframe. (Stated another way, it allows the airliner to fly faster for the same amount of drag.) It also
allows them to stay above hard weather (extreme turbulence).
Concorde would cruise at mach 2 at about 18,000 m (59,000 ft), and the SR-71 would cruise at
mach 3 at 26,000 m (85,000 ft), all still in the stratosphere.
Because the temperature in the tropopause and lower stratosphere remains constant (or slightly
decreases) with increasing altitude, very little convective turbulence occurs at these altitudes.
Though most turbulence at this altitude is caused by variations in the jet stream and other local wind
shears, areas of significant convective activity (thunderstorms) in the troposphere below may
produce convective overshoot.
Although a few gliders have achieved great altitudes in the powerful thermals in thunderstorms,[citation
needed]

this is dangerous. Most high altitude flights by gliders use lee waves from mountain ranges and

were used to set the current record of 15,447 m (50,679 ft).

On October 24, 2014, Alan Eustace became the record holder for reaching the altitude record for a
manned balloon at 135,890 ft (41,419 m). Mr Eustace also broke the world records for vertical speed
reached with a peak velocity of 1,321 km/h (822 mph) and total freefall distance of 123,414 ft
(37,617 m) - lasting four minutes and 27 seconds.[5]