Question

Which of the following statements explains why temperature increases with altitude in the thermosphere?

A) The air particles in the thermosphere absorb high-energy radiation from the Sun.
B) Earth's lower atmosphere is heated indirectly by longer-wavelength terrestrial re-radiation.
C) The ozone layer is located within the thermosphere, and it absorbs high-energy solar radiation.
D) Earth's lower atmosphere is heated directly by incoming short-wavelength solar radiation.

Answer 1

A) The air particles in the thermosphere absorb high-energy radiation from the Sun.

Step-by-step explanation:

The thermosphere is the outer layer of the Earth's atmosphere just above the mesosphere and lower than the exosphere.

The thermosphere is close to space and its particles are ionized by UV rays and as a result, they are exposed to a very high level of energy solar radiation by atoms of Nitrogen and Oxygen which makes their temperature to be as high as 1700°C.