Why does temperature change with elevation?

Question

Why does temperature change with elevation?

Answer 1

Normally, temperature decreases with height from the earth's surface.The main reason is that the atmosphere is not heated by the direct sunlight but by the reflected radiation from the surface.In other words, the atmosphere is heated from the bottom.

The direct solar radiation is a short-wave radiation which the atmosphere can not absorb whereas the reflected radiation from the surface is a long-wave radiation which the atmosphere readily absorbs mostly by conduction.That is why temperature changes(rather decreases) with elevation.

Answer 2

the higher you go the thinner the air becomes.the colder the air gets to feeling.thats why places in high elevated areas are cold..........the higher you go the faster things will freeze.

Answer 3

thats what we usually call as Environmental lapse rate (ELR) or rate of temperature decreament . completely The environmental lapse rate (ELR), is the negative of the actual change of temperature with altitude of the stationary atmosphere at a specific time and specific location. The ELR at a given place varies from day to day and even during each day. As an average the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines an international standard atmosphere with a temperature lapse rate of 6.49 °C/1000 m (3.56 °F or 1.98 °C/1000 ft) from sea level to 11 km (36,090 ft). From 11 km (36,090 ft or 6.8 mi) up to 20 km (65,620 ft or 12.4 mi), the constant temperature is -56.5 °C (-69.7 °F), which is the lowest assumed temperature in ISA.

it's all actually can easily to be explained by the equation of ideal gas:

PV = nRT

you can see that pressure and temperature are dependent each other.. if the pressure increase the temperature will decrease.. thats because on low temperature particle of air will have more dense.. so higher the place.. colder its temperature.. and lower the pressure.. hmm.. why do i become confuse now..?