Ozone blanket: The ozone blanket comprises a high concentration of ozone about 18-26 km above the stratosphere.
Life on Earth is supported by our atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of thin gas layers. From top to bottom, these gases make up the five layers of the atmosphere.
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Exosphere and
- Ionosphere
The stratosphere is the second highest layer of the atmosphere, stretching up to about 50 kilometres above the earth's surface and perfect for flying aircraft.
Characteristics of Stratosphere:
- Height: It rises to a height of 10 to 50 kilometres. From the earth's surface. However, the average height is 40 kilometres. The stratosphere begins at about 8 kilometres at the poles. As a result, it is closest to the poles.
- Temperature Inversion: The stratosphere's lower levels are cooler, and as we climb higher, the upper layers grow hotter. The temperature falls with the increase in height. Temperature inversion is the drop in temperature in the stratosphere as we ascend.
- Suitable for flying aircraft: There are no weather disturbances in the stratosphere, such as thunderstorms, clouds, or turbulence. As previously stated, this is due to the lack of any conventional current flow. As a result, this layer is appropriate for operating jet aircraft. The planes always fly above 10 kilometres in altitude.
- Region of ozone formation: The stratosphere is where 90 percent of the ozone is created. Ozone is a gas that is created when the sun's rays interact with oxygen in the stratosphere.
Ozone is vital because it absorbs the sun's harmful UV radiation. Ultraviolet rays kill human cells and threaten all life on the planet. As a result, life on Earth is supported by the stratosphere.
From that, we can deduce that the stratosphere, the second most essential layer, is critical for human existence as well as for jet aircraft.
The ozone blanket in the upper atmosphere is also known as stratospheric ozone.