MINDMAPS FOR UPSCPET 2026 · VISUAL REVISION
Atmospheric layers and temperature trends
Follow the vertical profile from the ground upward
Earth's atmosphere by altitude
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1 · Troposphere
- Lowest layer; contains most atmospheric water vapour and everyday weather.
- Temperature generally falls with height.
- Its upper boundary, the tropopause, varies in height with location and season.
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2 · Stratosphere
- Contains the ozone-rich region that absorbs much solar ultraviolet radiation.
- Temperature generally rises with height because of this absorption.
- This temperature structure suppresses strong vertical mixing.
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3 · Mesosphere
- Temperature falls again with increasing height.
- Its upper boundary, the mesopause, is the coldest atmospheric region.
- Many meteors ablate as they interact with atmospheric particles here.
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4 · Thermosphere
- Absorption of high-energy solar radiation raises kinetic temperature.
- Very thin air means high temperature does not imply ordinary intense felt heat.
- It overlaps much of the ionosphere; the two are defined by different properties.
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5 · Exosphere
- Outermost, extremely rarefied atmospheric region.
- Particles are widely separated and collisions are infrequent.
- There is a gradual transition into space, not a solid upper wall.
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