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FACTORS CONTROLLING, THE DISTRIBUTION OF TEMPERATURE□ Altitude◇ The temperature
decreases with increasing height from the earth's surface at an average rate of
6.5°C per kilometre because of the following reasons:-
• The major source of atmospheric heat is the earth's surface from where heat is transferred to the atmosphere through the processes of
conduction, radiation and convection. Thus, the portion of the atmosphere coming in direct contact with the earth's surface gets more heat from the ground surface than the portion lying above because as we ascend higher in the atmosphere the amount of heat to be transported above decreases and hence temperature decreases aloft.
• The layers of air are
denser near the earth's s 's surface and become lighter with increasing altitudes. The lower layer of air contains more water vapour and dust particles than the layers above and hence it absorbs larger amount of heat radiated from the earth's surface than the upper air layers.
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