It resides between 10 and 50 km above the planet's surface. The air temperature in the stratosphere remains relatively constant up to an altitude of 25 km. Then it increases gradually to 200-220 degrees Kelvin (K) at the lower boundary of the stratopause (~50 km), which is marked by a decrease in temperature. Because the air temperature in the stratosphere increases with altitude, it does not cause convection and has a stabilizing effect on atmospheric conditions in the region. Ozone plays the major role in regulating the thermal regime of the stratosphere, as water vapor content within the layer is very low. Temperature increases with ozone concentration. Solar energy is converted to kinetic energy when ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet radiation, resulting in heating of the stratosphere. .
The ozone layer (27k jpeg) is located at an altitude between 20-30 km. Approximately 90 % of the ozone in the atmosphere resides in the stratosphere. Ozone concentration in the this region is about 10 parts per million by volume as compared to approximately 0.04 parts per million by volume in the troposphere. Ozone absorbs the bulk of solar ultraviolet radiation in wavelengths from 290 nm - 320 nm. These wavelengths are harmful to life because they can be absorbed by the nucleic acid in cells. Increased penetration of ultraviolet radiation to the planet's surface would damage plant life and have harmful environmental consequences. Appreciably large amounts of solar ultraviolet radiation would result in a host of biological effects, such as a dramatic increase in cancers. .
Meteorological conditions strongly affect the distribution of ozone. Most ozone production and destruction occurs in the tropical upper stratosphere, where the largest amounts of ultraviolet radiation are present. Dissociation takes place in lower regions of the stratosphere and occurs at higher latitudes than does production. .
Mesosphere .