tropopause
noun
tro·po·pause ˈtrō-pə-ˌpȯz 
ˈträ-
: the region at the top of the troposphere
also : a comparable layer of a celestial body
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Thunderstorms flatten out at the tropopause, or top of the troposphere, the lowest level of Earth’s atmosphere, since a lid of warm air suppresses continued upward development. 
Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2022 When strong storms reach the tropopause, their tops flatten out, giving them an anvil-like appearance. Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 7 July 2021 Above-anvil cirrus plumes form when especially intense updrafts puncture the tropopause and airflow draws cirrus cloud tops into the stratosphere. Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 7 July 2021 This calmness, though, helped doomed all those species 250 million years ago: Explosive volcanic eruptions in Siberia punched through the tropopause and deposited great burps of carbon into the stratosphere. Matt Simon, Wired, 6 July 2020 Heat and humidity are high enough to allow the clouds to form and the tropopause—the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere—is about 10 miles up, giving large storms plenty of room to form. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 14 Aug. 2019 Jet streams travel in the tropopause—the area between the troposphere and the stratosphere—at heights of about 8 to 15 kilometers (5 to 9 miles). Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 8 Mar. 2019 Reader Vivian Mendenhall pointed out that the tropopause is between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 19 May 2018 The tropopause fluctuates between about 6 and 11 miles above the earth’s surface (at an altitude north of 30,000 feet), where an abrupt change in air temperature occurs. Tyler Moss, CNT, 17 July 2017 See More
Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2022 When strong storms reach the tropopause, their tops flatten out, giving them an anvil-like appearance. Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 7 July 2021 Above-anvil cirrus plumes form when especially intense updrafts puncture the tropopause and airflow draws cirrus cloud tops into the stratosphere. Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 7 July 2021 This calmness, though, helped doomed all those species 250 million years ago: Explosive volcanic eruptions in Siberia punched through the tropopause and deposited great burps of carbon into the stratosphere. Matt Simon, Wired, 6 July 2020 Heat and humidity are high enough to allow the clouds to form and the tropopause—the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere—is about 10 miles up, giving large storms plenty of room to form. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 14 Aug. 2019 Jet streams travel in the tropopause—the area between the troposphere and the stratosphere—at heights of about 8 to 15 kilometers (5 to 9 miles). Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 8 Mar. 2019 Reader Vivian Mendenhall pointed out that the tropopause is between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 19 May 2018 The tropopause fluctuates between about 6 and 11 miles above the earth’s surface (at an altitude north of 30,000 feet), where an abrupt change in air temperature occurs. Tyler Moss, CNT, 17 July 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
tropo- (in troposphere) + pause entry 1
First Known Use
1918, in the meaning defined above