Question

The zone which separates the troposphere from stratosphere is______________.
A) Mesosphere
B) Mesopause
C) Tropopause
D) Stratopause

Answer 1

Hint: The atmosphere is stratified, which corresponds to how the temperature of the atmosphere changes with height. We can learn a lot about how the atmosphere functions by studying how temperature changes with height. While weather occurs in the lower atmosphere, intriguing phenomena such as the magnificent aurora occur higher above.

Complete answer:
The tropopause is the troposphere's upper limit and thus the Stratosphere's boundary.
The tropopause is the atmospheric elevation rising from the Earth's planetary surface where the air ceases to cool as it rises in height and becomes dry and devoid of water vapour. The tropopause separates the troposphere from the stratosphere and is the region of the atmosphere where the environmental lapse rate (ELR) abruptly changes from positive to negative in the troposphere.

Because of the lower tropopause height above the cold air and the jetstream associated with polar frontal systems, stratospheric air may be pulled into the warm air troposphere in some circumstances due to variations in tropopause heights, especially in mid-latitude polar frontal systems. By way of the jet stream, the airflow effect may “draw” stratospheric air from above into the warm air below.

Therefore the correct answer is ‘C’.

Note: The tropopause's location is important to flight crews because it represents the altitude at which temperature remains constant as altitude increases, which is an important component in performance and fuel calculations. It also shows where jet streams are located, as well as the intense winds and turbulence that come with them.