tropopausen.
/ˈtrɒpəpɔːz/, U.S. /ˈtroʊpəˌpɔz/, /ˈtroʊpəˌpɑz/, /ˈtrɑpəˌpɔz/, /ˈtrɑpəˌpɑz/ Meteorology.
The upper boundary of the troposphere, separating it from the stratosphere, at which air temperature stops decreasing with increasing height.The height of the earth's tropopause, which varies seasonally, ranges between about 14–18 km over the equator and 5–8 km over the poles.
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the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > [noun] > specific regions of > boundaries between regions
tropopause1919
stratopause1946
mesopause1950
turbopause1951
magnetopause1963
plasmapause1966
1919 Geophysical Mem. (Meteorol. Office) No. 13. 59 The terms ‘tropopause’ and ‘lapse-limit’ have been suggested to denote the plane of cessation of the vertical temperature gradient.
1947 Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc. 28 255 There exists normally..a fairly narrow zone of extremely strong west wind circulation (jet stream), reaching its maximum intensity and sharpness at the tropopause level.
1982 New Scientist 17 June 788/1 Venus's tropopause..is much higher than that of the Earth,..some 70 kilometres above the Venusian surface.
2008 Guardian 14 Aug. 41/5 Eventually the thundercloud pushes so high it hits the tropopause, and its top pancakes out into an anvil-shaped head.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1919