Place Earth's atmosphere layers in order from lowest to highest.

• A. 5-1-4-2-3
• B. Exosphere-Thermosphere-Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere
• C. Stratosphere-Troposphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Exosphere
• D. Troposphere-Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Exosphere

Answer: (D)

The main idea is the vertical arrangement of Earth's atmosphere from ground upward. The layer closest to the surface is the troposphere, where weather happens because most atmospheric mass and water vapor are there and convection drives clouds and storms. Above that is the stratosphere, which stays relatively stable and is where the ozone layer sits, absorbing ultraviolet light and warming the layer with that energy. The next layer up is the mesosphere, where temperatures drop with height and where most meteors burn up as they enter the atmosphere. Then comes the thermosphere, a region with extremely thin air that still experiences very high temperatures due to intense solar radiation, and where phenomena like the auroras occur. The outermost region is the exosphere, where atmospheric particles become so sparse that they merge gradually into space. So, from lowest to highest, the order is troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere.