What is the order of atmospheric layers from bottom to top?

What is the order of atmospheric layers from bottom to top?

• A. Stratosphere, Troposphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
• B. Troposphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Thermosphere
• C. Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
• D. Thermosphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Troposphere

Answer: (C)

Understanding how atmospheric layers are arranged by altitude and how temperature changes with height helps. The lowest layer is the troposphere, where weather happens and temperature generally falls as you go up. Above it sits the stratosphere, in which temperature rises with altitude due to the ozone layer absorbing UV radiation. Then comes the mesosphere, where temperature drops again with height. At the top is the thermosphere, where temperature rises with altitude once more because of direct solar heating, even though the air is extremely thin. The correct bottom-to-top order is: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere. The other sequences mix these layers in an order that doesn’t match how their temperatures change with height.

Understanding how atmospheric layers are arranged by altitude and how temperature changes with height helps. The lowest layer is the troposphere, where weather happens and temperature generally falls as you go up. Above it sits the stratosphere, in which temperature rises with altitude due to the ozone layer absorbing UV radiation. Then comes the mesosphere, where temperature drops again with height. At the top is the thermosphere, where temperature rises with altitude once more because of direct solar heating, even though the air is extremely thin. The correct bottom-to-top order is: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere. The other sequences mix these layers in an order that doesn’t match how their temperatures change with height.