"Everett M. Greene" wrote in message
...
Does the lapse rate equation hold in all cases? I was recently
wondering what kind of temperature would be reached at 35 Kft
over Arctic Canada in January. It seemed that the lapse rate
equation would lead you to expect temperatures that would be
causing nitrogen and carbon dioxide to be condensing which
doesn't seem likely.

As you pass through the tropopause at approx 36,000 and -56 C the
temperature rises in the stratosphere as solar radiation is bounced back up
through the stratosphere by ozone (O3).

As you get right on the fringes of the atmosphere the temperature rise is
enormous.

The main issue in the troposphere is that well known greenhouse gas water
vapour. The adiabatic lapse rate is entirely dependent on the amount of
water in the air and you can calculate that using the wet and dry bulb
thermometers.