So on a planet with a small gas envolope of say, 20,000 km, could you have a situation where life only exists above the envolope, on the mountains that poke through it? Is this theoretically possible?
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2$\begingroup$ What do you mean by a gas envelope? The uppermost layers of Earth's atmosphere extend many times 20,000km into space. And how do you think it would be possible for a planet to have mountains over 20,000 km high? $\endgroup$– M. A. GoldingCommented Jun 8 at 1:17
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1$\begingroup$ We have no example of life that can survive in a hydrogen or helium atmosphere. We have no example of life that can survive on Neptune. Does it matter if it's theoretically possible? We're not Physics, Biology, or Medical Sciences. Our goal is to help you create and consistently use the rules of an imaginary world of your own creation. $\endgroup$– JBHCommented Jun 8 at 2:56
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$\begingroup$ Is there magic involved, or some sort of technology to hold onto that atmosphere? If it's pure gravity, then.... the mountains seem impossible. Can you clarify a bit about how it all works. $\endgroup$– Escaped dental patient.Commented Jun 8 at 7:34
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2 Answers
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Life existing at altitude rather than lower in the atmosphere certainly has parallels in Earth's biosphere. Firstly in the case of Alpine ecosystems that often contain species that cannot survive at lower levels. The other comes from our own atmosphere Radiodurans survive up at the Kármán line right on the edge of space and free floating microbes occur at every lower level of our atmosphere. The issue I see with your scenario is that at any altitude that might support something we would recognise as a visible, or even a microbial, lifeform that atmosphere is going to be fairly pure hydrogen with trace helium. Atmospheric scouring of the surface is going to limit topography as well, the lower atmosphere is going to act like ocean waves only at higher speeds, this will add nutrient particle load to the atmosphere which is useful at lower altitudes but unless there are some major upwellings life in the upper layers at Earthlike pressures is a nonstarter sorry.
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Absoloutely
Life tends to prefer certain conditions. I would assume conditions on top of a mountain are different from that on the surface. So, your lifeforms can only live in those conditions present at higher altitudes, and the conditions at lower altitudes(pressure, temperature, whatever) are not suitable for them, or for life in general. That's pretty much the only justification you need.
