(たいりゅうけん)

たいりゅうけん
noun
troposphere
1. troposphere
The lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere, extending from the surface up to roughly ten kilometers (higher at the equator, lower at the poles). It contains most of the atmosphere's mass and nearly all weather phenomena.
(くも)対流圏(たいりゅうけん)にできる。
Clouds form in the troposphere.
対流圏(たいりゅうけん)(あつ)さは場所(ばしょ)によって(こと)なる。
The thickness of the troposphere varies depending on the location.
対流圏(たいりゅうけん)では、(たか)さが()がるにつれて気温(きおん)()がる。
In the troposphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases.
地球(ちきゅう)天気(てんき)現象(げんしょう)のほとんどは、対流圏(たいりゅうけん)(なか)()こっている。
Almost all of the Earth's weather phenomena occur within the troposphere.

Composed of 対流(たいりゅう) (convection) + (けん) (sphere, region). Named for the vigorous vertical convection that takes place in this layer — the rising and falling air currents that drive weather. Reaches up to roughly 10 km over the poles and 17 km over the equator.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 対流圏(たいりゅうけん)(うえ): above the troposphere
  • 対流圏(たいりゅうけん)界面(かいめん): tropopause (boundary with the stratosphere)
  • 対流圏(たいりゅうけん)(ない): inside the troposphere
  • 対流圏(たいりゅうけん)気温(きおん): the temperature of the troposphere

RELATED TERMS:

  • 成層圏(せいそうけん): stratosphere — the next layer up, where the ozone layer is found and temperature rises with altitude
  • 中間圏(ちゅうかんけん): mesosphere — the third layer from the surface
  • 熱圏(ねつけん): thermosphere — the fourth layer, very hot and thin
  • 外気圏(がいきけん): exosphere — the outermost layer, merging with space
  • 大気圏(たいきけん): the atmosphere as a whole

USAGE:
A scientific term used in weather reports, textbooks, and general science writing. Because weather occurs almost entirely in the troposphere, it appears whenever news reports or documentaries discuss weather systems, aircraft cruising altitudes, or atmospheric pollution.