This drawing shows the different layers of the atmosphere. The ground is shown in brown at the bottom of the picture. The altitude in kilometers is given on the right hand scale and is approximate. (Click for a larger image.) © UC Regents

The Different Levels of the Atmosphere are:

Troposphere: This is the lowest atmospheric layer and is about seven miles (11 km) thick. Most clouds and weather are found in the troposphere. The troposphere is thinner at the poles (averaging about 8km thick) and thicker at the equator (averaging about 16km thick). The temperature decreases with altitude.

Stratosphere: The stratosphere is found from about 7 to 30 miles (11-48 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. In this region of the atmosphere is the ozone layer, which absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. The temperature increases slightly with altitude in the stratosphere. The highest temperature in this region is about 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius.

Mesosphere: The mesosphere is above the stratosphere. Here the atmosphere is very rarefied, that is, thin, and the temperature is decreasing with altitude, about –130 Fahrenheit (-90 Celsius) at the top.

Thermosphere: The thermosphere starts at about 55 kilometers. The temperature is quite hot; here temperature is not measured using a thermometer, but by looking at the motion and speed of the rarefied gases in this region, which are very energetic but would not affect a thermometer. Temperatures in this region may be as high as thousands of degrees.

Exosphere: The exosphere is the region beyond the thermosphere.

Ionosphere: The ionosphere overlaps the other atmospheric layers, from above the Earth. The air is ionized by the Sun’s ultraviolet light. These ionized layers affect the transmittance and reflectance of radio waves. Different ioniosphere layers are the D, E (Heaviside-Kennelly), and F (Appleton) regions.