Question

The graph below shows how temperatures in the atmosphere change with altitude. What happens to the air temperature as altitude rises in the stratosphere? a) The temperature constantly gets colder as you go further up in the stratosphere. b) The temperature does not change at all as you go further up in the stratosphere. c) The temperature constantly gets warmer as you go further up in the stratosphere.

Answer 1

As altitude increases in the stratosphere, due to the absorption of ultraviolet radiation by the ozone layer, the temperature actually increases rather than decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phenomenon of temperature change in the stratosphere is due to the ozone layer that lies within it. The ozone layer is crucial because it absorbs the Sun's dangerous ultraviolet radiation. This absorption of ultraviolet light releases heat, causing the temperature in the stratosphere to rise with increasing altitude.

So, in essence, as you ascend higher into the stratosphere, the temperature is not constantly getting colder or staying the same, but rather it gets warmer. This is contrary to what happens in the troposphere, the layer immediately below the stratosphere, where temperature decreases rapidly with higher altitudes.

Learn more about Temperature change in the stratosphere