- The stratosphere produces ozone, which has the chemical formula O₃. This ozone protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation, absorbing it so that it does not harm life.
- Human-made chemicals, especially chlorofluorocarbons, or, CFCs, float up into the stratosphere, then destroy ozone molecules. This destruction has led to "holes" in the ozone layer.
- Moving up in altitude, the atmospheric layers in order are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. The stratosphere is considered part of the middle atmosphere.
- The troposphere is not the same thickness throughout, which means its top boundary--the lower boundary of the stratosphere--does not lie at one single altitude. The troposphere reaches up to 12 miles (20 km) high.
- Temperature rises with altitude in the stratosphere. At the lower boundary, temperature is about -76 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 C), according to the National Weather Service; at the top, about 5 F (-15 C).
- Nineteen percent of the atmosphere's gases are found in the stratosphere. No vertical movement of gases occurs in the stratosphere.
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