shpslogo.jpg (6992 bytes)

Contact Us - Tell A Friend - Make a Donation - Free-Ed.Net Home

1.4  TEMPERATURE VARIATION WITH ALTITUDE

The temperature in the troposphere decreases as an aircraft gains altitude, because the air closest to the earth is warmer and receives the largest amount of the sun's energy. The variation in temperature with altitude is called the temperature lapse rate and is usually expressed in degrees per thousand feet. If observations taken day after day at thousands of locations around the world were averaged, the average temperature lapse rate would be about 2°C or 3 ½°F per thousand feet.


Content Provider: U.S. Army
Publisher: SweetHaven Publishing Services

Copyright © 2005-09, Free-Ed.Net
All rights reserved

Last Updated: January 10, 2009