Question

If the thermosphere is the atmospheric layer with the highest temperature, why is it that the coldest point of the atmosphere (the mesopause) is immediately next to it? How does it shift from the hottest to coldest point so suddenly?

Answer 1

It does that to conform with the sun/ moon i think

Answer 2

er I'm not sure what that means ~ could you elaborate? thanks.

Answer 3

http://www.answers.com/Q/Why_is_the_coldest_layer_of_the_atmosphere_next_to_the_hottest_layer_of_the_atmosphere

Answer 4

Thanks for the link, but I still don't understand. It says that the thermosphere has a high temperature because it is not dense and receives the most insolation. However, to my understanding the mesosphere is similarly not dense, and receives a high amount of insolation ...? So what is it in the mesophere that causes colder temperature?

Answer 5

sorry i am not too good with elaborating most people i know are like me lol so it never had to do much of it

Answer 6

The menosphere has increasingly thinner air, which as you know, absorbs less radiation and leads to an increasingly decreasing temperature the higher it goes. This is the normal way temperature changes.

The thermosphere has even fewer air molecules than the mesosphere, and so because of this, only the higher energy ultraviolet and x-ray radiation from the sun is absorbed, resulting in a higher recorded temperature.

The thermosphere is technically hotter, but it is actually colder than the menosphere.
From what I know, this is because instruments measure the individual molecules in the air, which are incredibly hot. Yet there isn't actually enough molecules to transfer sufficient energy to warm, say, a living body up.

Therefore, the thermosphere is considered hotter than the menosphere when referring to temperature of the air (molecules).