upper atmosphere

noun

, Meteorology.

1. the portion of the atmosphere above the troposphere.

upper atmosphere

noun

1. meteorol that part of the atmosphere above the troposphere

upper atmosphere

1. The part of the atmosphere above the troposphere. The upper atmosphere includes the mesosphere, the ionosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere. Temperatures in the upper atmosphere decrease with increasing altitude except in the thermosphere, where temperatures increase significantly with altitude, because the few molecules present receive intense solar radiation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of upper atmosphere¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Well, my company has come up with some very practical and cost-effective ways of deliberately putting particles into the upper atmosphere.

From Freakonomics

In the upper atmosphere, a trough or dip in the jet stream, is approaching, increasing the dynamic uplift over the Mid-Atlantic.

From Washington Post

Figuring out the overall effect of rocket launches on the atmosphere will require detailed modelling, to account for these complex processes and the persistence of these pollutants in the upper atmosphere.

From Popular-Science

Over the last year or so, a colossal facility high in the mountains of southwest China picked up two showers of particles each produced by a single high-energy beam of light—a gamma ray—slamming into the upper atmosphere.

From Popular-Science

This high above the Earth, it was still susceptible to drag from the thin wisps of our planet's upper atmosphere.

From Ars Technica

Second, the upper atmosphere of Eisberg was pretty much pure hydrogen, which is somewhat easier to ionize than oxygen or nitrogen.

From Project Gutenberg

Clear and dry though the air is, the blue of the skies is pale owing to a light dust haze in the upper atmosphere.

From Project Gutenberg

Or had the Throgs tried to blast the Terran ship in the upper atmosphere, crippling it, making this a forced landing?

From Project Gutenberg

As the cooling progressed, however, the steam that was in the upper atmosphere began to condense and to fall in rain.

From Project Gutenberg

The mists had rolled away from the ground, and only the upper atmosphere remained fog-charged.

From Project Gutenberg