Question

A jet airplane takes off and flies through the troposphere toward the stratosphere. How does the temperature outside the jet change?

A) It increases steadily.

B) It decreases and then increases.

C) It increases and then decreases.

D) It decreases steadily.

Answer 1

The temperature outside a jet airplane decreases as it ascends through the troposphere, reaching the coldest point at the tropopause, and then increases again in the stratosphere.

Step-by-step explanation:

As a jet airplane ascends from the troposphere and moves towards the stratosphere, the temperature outside the jet changes in a specific pattern. In the troposphere, the temperature decreases rapidly with increasing elevation, reaching values near 50 °C below freezing at its upper boundary. This boundary, where the troposphere ends and the stratosphere begins, is called the tropopause and is the coldest part of the atmosphere. Once the airplane enters the stratosphere, the temperature starts to increase again due to the absorption of UV radiation by ozone in the stratosphere.

Given these facts, the correct answer to the question of how the temperature outside the jet changes is B) It decreases and then increases.