alleryThe troposphere is thickest at the equator and thinnest at the poles, measuring about:
A9 km at the equator and 17 km at the poles
B50 km at the equator and 17 km at the poles
C17 km at the equator and 9 km at the poles
D17 km at the equator and 50 km at the poles
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. 17 km at the equator and 9 km at the poles
1. The troposphere does not have a uniform depth over the whole Earth.
2. Stronger heating at the equator makes the air expand upwards, so the layer is deepest there at about 17 km.
3. At the poles the weaker heating leaves it shallower, about 9 km.
4. So the thickness runs from roughly 17 km down to 9 km moving from equator to pole.
5. The figure of 50 km marks the top of the stratosphere, not the troposphere.
_Source: NECTA ACSEE 2023 Geography 113/1, Question 6: Position, Behaviours and Structure of the Earth_
Keep practising Position, Behaviours and Structure of the Earth
Browse all Position, Behaviours and Structure of the Earth questions for ACSEE (Form 6), or explore more Geography topics.
Related questions
Work out the temperature dropThe atmosphere, true or falseAtmosphere bingoOrder the atmospheric layersClimb the atmosphereThe troposphere is the only layer supporting life largely because it holds about:The environmental lapse rate describes how, in the troposphere, temperature:The lowest layer of the atmosphere is the: