Earth's Sky

There is an Upper and Lower Sky above Solid Earth.

Upper Sky

The Upper Sky (Stratosphere) is between 7 to 28 miles (12 & 48 kilometers) above solid Earth.  The Upper Sky has developed a protective shield called Ozone that is composed of three atoms of Oxygen (O3).  This Ozone shield protects Earth from harmful high energy radiation produced by the Sun that could kill most of life on Earth.  Most of the Ozone protective shield occurs between 14 to 28 miles (24 and 48 kilometers).  Above the Upper portion of the Upper Sky, beyond the 28-mile distance is Outer Space.

Lower Sky

The Lower Sky (Troposphere) is closest to solid Earth and it is where we live. The Lower Sky is approximately 7 miles high (12 kilometers), from the Earth’s surface at sea level.  Land tends to heat quickly during the day and cool rapidly at night as Earth rotates to the East.  The Earth’s surface absorbs the Sun’s radiation during the day and radiates the warm air back into the Lower Sky as the Sun disappears to the West. The absorbed radiation from the Sun by the Earth’s surface is radiated back into the Lower Sky, mixes with the colder air above and creates air movement patterns that we experience on the Earth’s surface as Weather.

The Lid

Between the Upper and Lower Sky is a temperature imbalance called the Lid.  The Lid is the upper boundary of the Lower Sky that tends to trap weather and pollutants where we live from the much colder Upper Sky.  So, motor vehicle emissions, airplane exhaust, forest fire smoke and whatever else that is released into the Lower Sky generally stays here where we live for long periods of time.

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