troposphere
the lowest layer of the atmosphere, 6 miles (10 km) high in some areas and as much as 12 miles (20 km) high in others, within which there is a steady drop in temperature with increasing altitude and within which nearly all cloud formations occur and weather conditions manifest themselves.
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Origin of troposphere
1Other words from troposphere
- trop·o·spher·ic [trop-uh-sfer-ik, -sfeer-, troh-puh-], /ˌtrɒp əˈsfɛr ɪk, -ˈsfɪər-, ˌtroʊ pə-/, adjective
Words Nearby troposphere
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use troposphere in a sentence
Jet streams, fast-moving currents of air high in the troposphere, encircle both poles, helping to push weather systems around Earth’s surface.
3 things to know about the record-smashing heat wave baking the Pacific Northwest | Carolyn Gramling | June 29, 2021 | Science NewsUnlike the troposphere, temperatures in this layer increase with elevation.
Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer | Beth Geiger | December 1, 2020 | Science News For StudentsHead to where the upper troposphere bathes the highest peaks.
Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer | Beth Geiger | December 1, 2020 | Science News For StudentsNot surprisingly, the troposphere also is by far the densest layer.
Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer | Beth Geiger | December 1, 2020 | Science News For StudentsTo their surprise, Schill and his team learned that, on average, smoke makes up about one-third of the “background particles” in the troposphere, which extends from the Earth’s surface up to about five to nine miles above it.
Wildfire smoke travels far but never really disappears | Juliet Grable | October 7, 2020 | Popular-Science
Here, well above the troposphere, the air was thin and always clear.
Islands of Space | John W CampbellInvestigators have noted the importance of rain or snow in washing fallout particles from the air in the troposphere.
Atoms, Nature, and Man | Neal O. HinesThe dense reaches of the troposphere—the weather belt where storms are born—dropped below them.
First on the Moon | Jeff SuttonAt last Ken leveled off in the troposphere, at an altitude of five miles.
Fly By Night | Arthur Dekker SavageIn distinction from the stratosphere, the part of the atmosphere lying below it is called the troposphere.
Meteorology | Charles Fitzhugh Talman
British Dictionary definitions for troposphere
/ (ˈtrɒpəˌsfɪə) /
the lowest atmospheric layer, about 18 kilometres (11 miles) thick at the equator to about 6 km (4 miles) at the Poles, in which air temperature decreases normally with height at about 6.5°C per km
Derived forms of troposphere
- tropospheric (ˌtrɒpəˈsfɛrɪk), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for troposphere
[ trō′pə-sfîr′, trŏp′ə- ]
The lowest and densest region of the Earth's atmosphere, extending from the Earth's surface to the tropopause. The troposphere is characterized by temperatures that decrease with increasing altitude. At the top of this region, temperatures are close to -55°C (-67°F). The weather, major wind systems, and cloud formations occur mostly in the troposphere. See also exosphere mesosphere stratosphere thermosphere. See illustration at atmosphere.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for troposphere
[ (troh-puh-sfeer, trop-uh-sfeer) ]
The lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, extending from ground level to an altitude of seven to ten miles.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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