What is the stratosphere?

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the stratosphere has steady or increasing temperature with height, caused by sunlight absorption by ozone

What is the stratosphere?

The stratosphere is the next major atmospheric layer above the troposphere, covering the altitudes from about 8 to 30 miles high. Air temperature slowly increases with height in the stratosphere, in contrast with the troposphere where the temperature rapidly decreases with height. This unusual temperature structure is caused by absorption of sunlight by the ozone layer. All weather stops at the top of the troposphere (called the tropopause), and the stratosphere is essentially cloud-free. If you see a tall thunderstorm with an anvil cloud, it is likely that the anvil cloud is "bumping up against" the bottom of the stratosphere.

Interesting facts:

AIRPLANES NOT ALLOWED Very few airplanes can fly as high as the stratosphere because the air is so thin that there is not enough lift to keep the aircraft supported. Some spy planes do fly in the lower stratosphere, however, such as the U-2 and the SR-71.

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