Mesosphere

This article is about the atmospheric mesosphere. For the Earth's mantle, see Mesosphere (mantle).
Space Shuttle Endeavour appears to straddle the stratosphere and mesosphere in this photo. The troposphere, which contains clouds, appears orange in this photo.[1]
Earth atmosphere diagram showing the exosphere and other layers. The layers are to scale. From Earth's surface to the top of the stratosphere (50 km or 31 mi) is just under 1.2% of Earth's radius.

The mesosphere (/ˈmɛsoʊsfɪər/; from Greek mesos "middle" and sphaira "ball") is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere that is directly above the stratopause and directly below the mesopause. In the mesosphere temperature decreases as the altitude increases. The upper boundary of the mesosphere is the mesopause, which can be the coldest naturally occurring place on Earth with temperatures below 130 K (−226 °F; −143 °C). The exact upper and lower boundaries of the mesosphere vary with latitude and with season, but the lower boundary of the mesosphere is usually located at heights of about 50 kilometres (160,000 ft; 31 mi) above the Earth's surface and the mesopause is usually at heights near 100 kilometres (62 mi), except at middle and high latitudes in summer where it descends to heights of about 85 kilometres (53 mi).

The stratosphere, mesosphere and lowest part of the thermosphere are collectively referred to as the "middle atmosphere", which spans heights from approximately 10 kilometres (33,000 ft) to 100 kilometres (62 mi). The mesopause, at an altitude of 80–90 km (50–56 mi), separates the mesosphere from the thermosphere—the second-outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere. This is also around the same altitude as the turbopause, below which different chemical species are well mixed due to turbulent eddies. Above this level the atmosphere becomes non-uniform; the scale heights of different chemical species differ by their molecular masses.

Temperature

Within the mesosphere, temperature decreases with increasing height. This is due to decreasing solar heating and increasing cooling by CO2 radiative emission. The top of the mesosphere, called the mesopause, is the coldest part of Earth's atmosphere.[2] Temperatures in the upper mesosphere fall as low as −100 °C (173 K; −148 °F),[3] varying according to latitude and season.

Dynamic features

The main dynamic features in this region are strong zonal (East-West) winds, atmospheric tides, internal atmospheric gravity waves (commonly called "gravity waves") and planetary waves. Most of these tides and waves are excited in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, and propagate upward to the mesosphere. In the mesosphere, gravity-wave amplitudes can become so large that the waves become unstable and dissipate. This dissipation deposits momentum into the mesosphere and largely drives global circulation.

Noctilucent clouds are located in the mesosphere. The upper mesosphere is also the region of the ionosphere known as the D layer. The D layer is only present during the day, when some ionization occurs with nitric oxide being ionized by Lyman series-alpha hydrogen radiation. The ionization is so weak that when night falls, and the source of ionization is removed, the free electron and ion form back into a neutral molecule. The mesosphere is also known as the "Ignorosphere" because it is poorly studied compared to the stratosphere (which can be accessed with high-altitude balloons) and the thermosphere (in which satellites can orbit).[4]

A 5 km (3.1 mi) deep sodium layer is located between 80–105 km (50–65 mi). Made of unbound, non-ionized atoms of sodium, the sodium layer radiates weakly to contribute to the airglow.

Millions of meteors enter the atmosphere, an average of 40 tons per year.[5]

Uncertainties

The mesosphere lies above the maximum altitude for aircraft and nearly all balloons, and below the minimum altitude for orbital spacecraft. Above the 53.0 km balloon altitude record,[6] the mesosphere has only been accessed through the use of sounding rockets. As a result, it is the most poorly understood part of the atmosphere. The presence of red sprites and blue jets (electrical discharges or lightning within the lower mesosphere), noctilucent clouds and density shears within the poorly understood layer are of current scientific interest.

References

  1. ↑ "ISS022-E-062672 caption". NASA. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  2. ↑ IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version:  (2006–) "mesosphere".
  3. ↑ Mesosphere (Wayback Machine Archive), Atmosphere, Climate & Environment Information ProgGFKDamme (UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), retrieved 2011-11-14
  4. ↑ "Upper atmosphere may hold clues in Columbia mystery". 2003-02-06.
  5. ↑ Leinert C.; Gruen E. (1990). "Interplanetary Dust". Physics and Chemistry in Space (R. Schwenn and E. Marsch eds.). Springer-Verlag. pp. 204-275
  6. ↑ "Research on Balloon to Float over 50km Altitude". Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA. Retrieved 2011-09-29.

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