The name of the atmospheric layer closest to the Earth’s surface is troposphere. Not only is the troposphere the layer nearest to the Earth’s surface, the troposphere also holds most of the mass that exists within the total atmosphere.

Remember, there are five total layers. After the troposphere, there’s the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the layer that’s furthest away from the earth, the exosphere.

Returning to the troposphere, you might note the importance of water vapor when it comes to this layer. Most of the water vapor that exists in the atmosphere resides in the troposphere. When the water vapor mixes with the dust and ash that are also hanging around the troposphere, clouds are formed. You could say that most of the clouds that you see in the sky are created in the troposphere.

You could connect clouds to weather. Most of the weather that you notice and feel takes place within the troposphere. It is considered to be the wettest layer. Most of the other four layers that I mentioned in the second paragraph are quite dry.

Another interesting fact about the troposphere has to do with temperature. If you like warm weather, you’ll probably want to hang around the bottom of the troposphere. If you have a soft spot for cold weather, you might want to make your way up to the top of the troposphere, where the weather is much frostier. The temperature difference in the troposphere is why some mountaintops are snowy during the hotter summer months.