Description:

✅ Troposphere

Why?

The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending up to 8–15 km (depending on latitude).

It contains ~75% of the atmosphere's mass and most water vapor, making it where clouds, rain, storms, and weather occur.

Temperature decreases with altitude in this layer.

Other Layers (for comparison):

❌ Stratosphere – Above the troposphere; contains the ozone layer (weather is rare here).
❌ Mesosphere – Middle layer where meteors burn up (too high for weather).

Here’s a fun fact about the troposphere:

🌪️ The troposphere is where all the "action" happens—thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and even the beautiful clouds you see daily form here! The word "troposphere" comes from the Greek "tropos" (meaning "turning" or "mixing"), which makes sense because this layer is constantly churning due to weather systems and convection.

💨 Bonus Fact: The higher you go in the troposphere, the colder it gets (about 6.5°C drop per kilometer). That’s why mountaintops are snowy even near the equator!

✈️ Why Do Planes Fly in the Stratosphere?

The stratosphere (just above the troposphere) has calmer, stable air with minimal turbulence because weather events (like storms) don’t reach here.

Less air resistance = better fuel efficiency for jets!

Fun twist: The stratosphere gets warmer with altitude because of the ozone layer absorbing UV radiation.

🎈 How High Do Weather Balloons Go?

They soar into the upper stratosphere (~30–40 km up)!

At peak altitude, they burst (due to low pressure) and parachute back to Earth.

Some carry cameras or sensors to study space weather—near the mesosphere!

🌌 Edge of Space? The Kármán Line!

At 100 km up (where the mesosphere ends), space officially begins!

This imaginary boundary is where aircraft wings stop working (too little air), and satellites take over.