99% of atmospheric gases, including water vapor, extend only 30 kilometers (kms) above earth's surface.
Most of our weather, however, occurs within the first 10 to 15 kms.
Composition of Atmosphere
- Nitrogen - 78%
- Oxygen - 21%
- Water Vapor – 0 to 4%
- Carbon Dioxide - .037%
- Other gases make up the rest
Temperature Inversion
- An increase in air temperature with height often called simply an inversion.
- Radiosonde – an instrument that measures the vertical profile of air temperature in the atmosphere (sometimes exceeding 100,000 ft)