Stratosphere

Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles):

• The stratosphere is the second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. It lies above the troposphere and is separated from it by the tropopause.  
• It contains the ozone layer.
• The stratosphere defines a layer in which temperatures rise with increasing altitude. This rise in temperature is caused by the absorption of ultraviolet radiation (UV) radiation from the Sun by the ozone layer, which restricts turbulence and mixing. Although the temperature may be −60 °C at the tropopause, the top of the stratosphere is much warmer, and may be near 0 °C. 
• The stratosphere is almost completely free of clouds and other forms of weather. 
• This is the highest layer that can be accessed by jet-powered aircraft.
• Bacterial life survives in the stratosphere and some bird species have been reported to fly at the lower levels of the stratosphere.

<< Troposphere                                                                 Mesosphere >>

Troposphere

Troposphere: 0 to 12 km (0 to 7 miles):

• It is the layer where most of Earth's weather takes place. 
• Most conventional aviation activity takes place in the troposphere, and it is the only layer that can be accessed by propeller-driven aircraft. 
• The temperature usually declines with increasing altitude in the troposphere. 
• The troposphere contains roughly 80% of the mass of Earth's atmosphere. Fifty percent of the total mass of the atmosphere is located in the lower 5.6 km (18,000 ft) of the troposphere. 
• The troposphere is denser than the other layers because a larger atmospheric weight sits on top of the troposphere making it very compressed.  
• It is primarily composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) with only small concentrations of other trace gases. 
• Nearly all water vapor or moisture is found in the troposphere.

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Atmospheric Layers

Atmospheric Layers are also called as Layers of Atmosphere.

The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night.

The atmosphere of Earth  is divided into 5 atmospheric layers as follows:

• Exosphere: >700 km (>440 miles)
• Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km (50 to 440 miles)
• Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km (31 to 50 miles)
• Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles)
• Troposphere: 0 to 12 km (0 to 7 miles)

Click Here to read about each Atmospheric Layer