Final answer:
The temperature above 36,000 feet does not increase or decrease exponentially, nor does it remain constant; it is influenced by altitude and atmospheric conditions, with temperature trends potentially reversing in the stratosphere due to ozone absorption of UV radiation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The temperature at altitudes above 36,000 feet does not increase exponentially, nor does it remain constant. Instead, in general, the temperature tends to decrease with altitude in the lower regions of the atmosphere, particularly through the troposphere, which extends to about 7 to 20 km (depending on location and weather conditions) above Earth's surface. Upon reaching the stratosphere, starting at around 20 km above Earth, the temperature trend can reverse, and temperatures may begin to increase with altitude due to the absorption of ultraviolet radiation by the ozone layer.
Therefore, the temperatures at altitudes above 36,000 feet (approximately 11 km), which is within the lower stratosphere, do not decrease exponentially. However, to accurately answer what happens above this altitude, one would need to consider specific conditions because the standard atmospheric model's temperature lapse rate does not apply uniformly across all altitudes and conditions.