Q. With reference to the height of the Tropopause, consider the following statements:
- The height of the Tropopause is highest at poles and lowest at equator
- Higher is the temperature of the lower layers, lower is the altitude of Tropopause
Select the correct option from the codes given below:
Answer:
Neither 1 nor 2 is correct
Notes: Tropopause refers to the altitude at which the normal lapse-rate ceases to function. This means that the fall in the temperature is stalled. This layer separates the troposphere from the stratosphere (the second layer of the atmosphere). This layer is usually quiet and no major movement of air takes place in it. Its height at tropic of cancer and that of Capricorn is roughly 10 to 15 km, highest at the equator 18 km and at the poles it is about 8 km above the earth. In India, the tropopause is generally at a height of around 16 km. The height of the Tropopause depends upon the following:
- Temperature of the lower layers
- Cyclonic activities
Thus we cannot say that Tropopause is a hard lined boundary. The higher is the temperature of the lower layers, the higher is the height of this layer, the layer is lower where there is a cyclone below it, but higher where there is an anticyclone. Please note that the tops of cumulus-nimbus clouds often float in his region.