The troposphere of the atmosphere is gradually rising due to climate change

Atmospheric measurements collected by weather balloons over the Northern Hemisphere over the past 40 years show that climate change is pushing the upper boundary of the troposphere - the part of the sky closest to the ground - away steadily rising at a rate of 50 to 60 meters per decade.

The troposphere (orange) is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere and is where nearly all weather phenomena occur. Over the past 40 years, the boundary between the troposphere and the neighboring stratosphere (pink) has increased due to climate change. (Photo: NASA).

The discovery was just published in  Science Advances on November 5.

Associate professor, Dr. Jane Liu, an environmental scientist at the University of Toronto, said that  temperature was the driving force behind this change . The troposphere varies in altitude around the world, reaching as high as 20 km in the tropics and as low as 7 km near the poles. During the year, the upper boundary of the troposphere increases and decreases naturally with the seasons as the air expands because of heat and contracts when it cools. But as greenhouse gases trap more and more heat in the atmosphere, the troposphere is expanding higher up into the atmosphere .

Ms. Liu and her colleagues found that the troposphere rose by about 200 meters between 1980 and 2020. Nearly all weather occurs in the troposphere, but it is unlikely that this change will affect had a big effect on the weather, the researchers said. However, this study is an important reminder of the impact of climate change on our world, Ms. Liu stressed.

Previously, in a numerical study, the scientists performed two modeling experiments by fixing the amount of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and greenhouse gas emissions at 1960 levels. found that, on a global scale, the height of the troposphere will continue to increase at a faster rate from 2000-2080 than before if the amount of ODS were fixed. Instead, if greenhouse gas emissions were fixed, the height of the troposphere would decrease after 2000.

She said: 'We have noticed the signs of global warming around us, when the glaciers receded and sea level rise. And now, we see those signs in the upper troposphere."