tropopause Hear it!

tropopause Definition

tropo·pause (trō′pə pôz′, träp′ə-)

noun

an atmospheric transition zone or shell located between the troposphere and the stratosphere at an altitude of c. 10 to 20 km (c. 6 to 12 mi), in which temperatures and atmospheric stability begin to increase with increasing altitude

Etymology: tropo(sphere) + pause

tropopause Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • define: Can either use a large gradient or a critical value of PV to define the tropopause; it depends what you are looking at!
  • call: The upper boundary of the troposphere is called the tropopause.

Adjective modifier

  • tropical: In addition, these clouds play a key role in the transport of air and water vapor across the tropical tropopause.
  • extratropical: July 2004 Research Theme: This project deals with transport processes near the extratropical tropopause.

Modifies a noun

  • region: The two main areas of focus are tropical lower stratosphere, and the midlatitude tropopause region.
  • pressure: Low tropopause pressures are evident over the same region as for the reported low ozone anomalies.
  • temperature: The amount of water vapor in the stratosphere is thought to be fundamentally dependent on tropical tropopause temperatures through a freeze-drying mechanism.