2006-06-19 05:51:30 · 5 answers · asked by kmuralinh 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
It's true that there isn't much air up high to hold heat and pass it on to you. But you'd be surprised at how short a distance you have to go to feel a big difference in temperature. Mountains that are only several thousand feet tall have permanent ice caps. The heat from the sun goes straight through the atmosphere. Much of the UV and other radiations are filtered but the longer waves go straight through until they get stopped and absorbed by the ground. The majority of the heat is then reflected back up from the ground to fill a very small layer. Try going to the top of a very tall building on a hot day, the temperature change should be noticeable there too.
2006-06-19 08:33:00 · answer #1 · answered by vmmhg 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The temperature of the air molecules at that altitude is actually much higher than those near the surface of the earth, but there are very few of them that the "temperature" you are refering to is actually the total energy in the system, ie. a pocket of sky around the plane, is much lower than a similar sized pocket at sea level.
2006-06-19 05:57:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's mostly due to the relative volume/compression of gas, but also some amount heat released by the Earth's surface.
2006-06-19 06:49:26 · answer #3 · answered by Wally 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it takes an atmosphere to retain the heat.
2006-06-19 05:55:36 · answer #4 · answered by yes_its_me 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fluid dynamics.
2006-06-19 05:55:47 · answer #5 · answered by frofus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋