Which atmospheric layer lies directly above the troposphere?

• A. Mesosphere
• B. Thermosphere
• C. Exosphere
• D. Stratosphere

Answer: (D)

The layer directly above the troposphere is the stratosphere. The troposphere contains most of our weather and clouds, and as you rise through it, temperature generally falls with height until you reach the boundary called the tropopause. Above that boundary, in the stratosphere, temperature starts to rise with altitude because ozone in that layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. That absorption creates a temperature inversion, which makes the stratosphere unusually stable and limits vertical mixing.

This layer roughly extends from about 10–15 km up to about 50 km above the Earth. Above the stratosphere lie the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.