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Troposphere
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Diagram of Earth's atmosphere layers-troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere-showing how temperature and air pressure change with increasing altitude, with key features like the ozone layer and pressure percentages at various heights. Diagram showing the layers of Earth's atmosphere from the surface upward: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere, with labeled altitudes, weather balloons, airplanes, clouds, auroras, meteors, and satellites for scale.
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troposphere
troposphere

Troposphere

atmospheric region
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Troposphere, lowest region of the atmosphere, bounded by the Earth beneath and the stratosphere above, with its upper boundary being the tropopause, about 10–18 km (6–11 miles) above the Earth’s surface.

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The troposphere is characterized by decreasing temperature with height and is distinguished from the overlying stratosphere by a region of nearly constant temperature in the lower stratosphere. Most of the clouds and weather systems are contained within the troposphere.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.