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Atmospheric Layers

Description
Troposphere
Bottom layer
Temperature decreases with altitude – called the environmental lapse rate
6.5°C per kilometer (average)
3.5°F per 1000 feet (average)
Thickness varies – average height is 12 km
Outer boundary is named the tropopause

Stratosphere
About 12 km to 50 km
Temperature increases at top
Outer boundary is named the stratopause
Mesosphere
About 50 km to 80 km
Temperature decreases
Outer boundary is named the mesopause

Thermosphere
No well-defined upper limit
Fraction of atmosphere’s mass
Gases moving at high speeds  
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