Asked by yo

Which statement explains what happens to air temperature as elevation increases and why?

As elevation increases, air pressure increases, molecules spread out, and air temperature cools.
As elevation increases, air pressure increases, molecules compress, and air temperature rises.
As elevation increases, air pressure decreases, molecules spread out, and air temperature cools.
As elevation increases, air pressure decreases, molecules compress, and air temperature rises.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Correct answer: "As elevation increases, air pressure decreases, molecules spread out, and air temperature cools."

Why: As you go higher there is less overlying air so pressure and air density fall. Rising air expands because of the lower pressure; that expansion uses internal energy and the air cools (adiabatic cooling). In the troposphere this produces an average temperature decrease of about 6.5°C per kilometer.