Atmospheric Temperature

The temperature of the atmosphere varies with the distance from the equator (latitude) and height above the surface (altitude). It also changes in time, varying from season to season, from day to night and irregularly due to passing weather systems. If these variations are averaged out on a global basis, a pattern of average temperatures emerges for the atmosphere. The vertical temperature profile (the way temperature changes with height) divides the atmosphere into four layers: the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the thermosphere.