Afterglow of the troposphere (orange), the stratosphere (blue) and the mesosphere (dark), at which atmospheric entry of objects begins, as in this case of a spacecraft reentry that leaves contrails.

The ozone layer in the stratosphere blocks harmful UV radiation from reaching the surface of the Earth. A gamma-ray burst would deplete the ozone layer, allowing UV radiation through.

Aircraft typically cruise at the stratosphere to avoid turbulence rampant in the troposphere. The blue beam in this image is the ozone layer, beaming further to the mesosphere. The ozone heats the stratosphere, making conditions stable. The stratosphere is also the altitude limit of jets and weather balloons, as air is roughly a thousand times thinner there than at the troposphere.

Lightning extending above the troposphere into the stratosphere as blue jet and reaching into the mesosphere as red sprite

A picture of Earth's troposphere with its different cloud types of low to high altitudes casting shadows. Sunlight is reflected off the ocean, after it was filtered into a reddish light by passing through much of the troposphere at sunset. The above lying stratosphere can be seen at the horizon as a band of its characteristic glow of blue scattered sunlight.

A picture of Earth's atmosphere as viewed from an airplane, traveling over the Arctic.

Meridional Flow: The meridional flow pattern of 23 October 2003 shows amplified troughs and ridges in the 500 hPa height pattern.