If you traveled from the Earth's surface to the top of the stratosphere, how would temperatures change?

As you ascend from the Earth's surface into the stratosphere, temperature changes reflect the structure of the atmosphere and its thermal layers. In the troposphere, which is the lowest layer of the atmosphere, temperatures typically decrease as altitude increases due to the loss of heat from the Earth's surface. However, once you enter the stratosphere, the temperature trend changes; specifically, temperatures begin to rise with increasing altitude.

This temperature increase in the stratosphere is primarily due to the presence of ozone, which absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. This absorption of UV radiation leads to the heating of the stratosphere, creating a temperature inversion where the air warms with height. Thus, as you move up in this layer, temperatures do indeed rise instead of falling, leading to the correct understanding that there is a drop in temperature up to the lower stratosphere and then a rise within it.

This pattern is essential for understanding atmospheric phenomena, including weather and climate dynamics, as well as the overall stability and behavior of air masses in different atmospheric layers.