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Consider the following statements:
The average height of the troposphere is higher over the equator and lower over the poles.
  • The temperature at the top of the tropopause is higher over the equator and is lower over the poles.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
    • a)
      1 only
    • b)
      2 only
    • c)
      Both 1 and 2
    • d)
      Neither 1 nor 2
    Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
    Most Upvoted Answer
    Consider the following statements: The average height of the tropo...
    Statement Analysis:
    The question asks us to determine which of the given statements is/are correct regarding the height and temperature variations in the troposphere.

    Statement 1: The average height of the troposphere is higher over the equator and lower over the poles.
    This statement is correct. The troposphere is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere, extending from the surface up to the tropopause. The tropopause is the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. The height of the troposphere varies with latitude, being highest over the equator and lower over the poles.

    Statement 2: The temperature at the top of the tropopause is higher over the equator and is lower over the poles.
    This statement is incorrect. The temperature at the top of the tropopause is generally lower over the equator and higher over the poles. This is because the tropopause marks the transition to the stratosphere, where temperature generally increases with altitude. However, there can be variations in temperature at the tropopause due to factors such as weather systems and atmospheric conditions.

    Explanation:
    The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface, extending from the surface up to the tropopause. It is where weather phenomena occur and is characterized by decreasing temperature with increasing altitude.

    Height Variation:
    The height of the troposphere varies with latitude. It is highest over the equator due to the heating of the Earth's surface by solar radiation. The equator receives more direct sunlight, leading to greater heating and vertical air motion. As a result, the troposphere extends to a higher altitude over the equator.

    Conversely, the height of the troposphere is lower over the poles. The polar regions receive less solar radiation, resulting in cooler temperatures and less vertical air motion. This leads to a lower tropopause height over the poles compared to the equator.

    Therefore, statement 1 is correct.

    Temperature Variation:
    The temperature at the top of the tropopause, which marks the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere, generally decreases with increasing altitude. However, there can be variations in temperature at the tropopause due to factors such as weather systems and atmospheric conditions.

    Over the equator, the temperature at the tropopause is generally lower due to the cooler conditions in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. This is because of the strong convective activity in the tropics, which transports warm air upward, resulting in a cooler tropopause temperature.

    Over the poles, the temperature at the tropopause is generally higher. This is because the polar regions experience colder temperatures in the lower troposphere, resulting in a warmer tropopause temperature compared to the equator.

    Therefore, statement 2 is incorrect.

    Conclusion:
    In conclusion, statement 1 is correct as the average height of the troposphere is higher over the equator and lower over the poles. However, statement 2 is incorrect as the temperature at the top of the tropopause is generally lower over the equator and higher over the poles.
    Free Test
    Community Answer
    Consider the following statements: The average height of the tropo...
    Troposphere:
    • The lowermost layer of the atmosphere is known as the troposphere and is the most important layer because almost all of the weather phenomena (e.g. fog, cloud, dew, frost, rainfall, hailstorm, storms, cloud thunder, lighting, etc.) occur in this layer. Thus, the troposphere is of utmost significance for all the life forms including man in the biosphere ecosystem because these are concentrated in the lowest part of the atmosphere.
    • Temperature decrease with increasing height at the rate of 6.5 degrees per 1000 m (This rate of decrease of temperature is called normal lapse rate). There is seasonal variation in the height of the troposphere. In the other words, the height of the troposphere changes from the equator towards the poles (decreases) and from one season of a year to other season (increases during summer while it decreases during winter). The average height of the troposphere is about 16 km over the equator and 6 km over the poles. The upper limit of the troposphere is called Tropopause which is 1.5 km thick. The height of the tropopause is 17 km over the equator and 9 to 10 km over the poles. Hence statement 1 is correct .
    • The temperature at the top of the tropopause is lowest over the equator (-70 degree celsius) and is relatively high over the poles. Since the temperature decreases upward at the rate of 6.5 degree Celsius per 1000m and hence it is natural that temperature at the height of 17 km over the equator becomes much lower than at the height of 9-10 km over the poles. The word troposphere literally means ‘zone or region of mixing’ whereas the word tropopause means ‘where mixing stops’. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
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    Consider the following statements: The average height of the troposphere is higher over the equator and lower over the poles. The temperature at the top of the tropopause is higher over the equator and is lower over the poles. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?a)1 onlyb)2 onlyc)Both 1 and 2d)Neither 1 nor 2Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
    Question Description
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