There are three distinct characters of temperature stratification of atmosphere around the Earth. Which one among the following is the correct arrangement of the layers (from the Earth's surface upwards)?

The Earth's atmosphere is divided into distinct layers based on temperature stratification and lapse rates [2]. Starting from the Earth's surface and moving upwards, the correct sequence is the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere [3]. The troposphere is the lowermost layer, extending to an average height of 13 km, where temperature generally decreases with altitude [1]. Above the tropopause lies the stratosphere, extending up to 50 km; here, temperatures rise with height due to the absorption of ultraviolet radiation by the ozone layer [4]. Beyond the stratosphere and mesosphere is the thermosphere, which begins at approximately 80 km and extends to 700 km [3]. In the thermosphere, temperatures increase dramatically with altitude. Therefore, the correct arrangement from the surface upwards among the given options is Troposphere—Stratosphere—Thermosphere.

Sources

1. [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: Composition and Structure of Atmosphere > STRUCTURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE > p. 65
2. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Structure of the Atmosphere > p. 7
3. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 20: Earths Atmosphere > 20.2. Structure of The Earth's Atmosphere > p. 274
4. [4] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 20: Earths Atmosphere > Stratosphere (12 to 50 km) > p. 275