Atmosphere and Climate

How does Earth's Atmosphere make life on this planet possible?

• It provides everything needed for living things to survive.

• It provides air and protects us from oxygen and sunlight.

• It provides air and protects us from the Sun's harmful rays.

• It provides precipitation in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

What is the atmosphere made of?

• mostly oxygen and carbon dioxide, with smaller amounts of other gases

• mostly nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other gases

• an equal mix of different types of gases

• argon, carbon dioxide, and helium

Read this sentence: Gravity pulls a blanket of gas molecules down toward Earth, creating high ______________ near the surface. Which term belongs in the blank?

• ozone

• greenhouse effects

• solar radiation

• air pressure

Which statement about layers of the atmosphere is not true?

• The troposphere is higher above Earth's surface than the exosphere.

• The stratosphere is higher above Earth's surface than the troposphere.

• Weather happens in the troposphere.

• The stratosphere protects Earth from ultraviolet rays.

What would most likely happen if Earth's surface did not act like a greenhouse?

• The heat Earth receives from the Sun would be lost into space, and Earth would get much cooler.

• The heat Earth receives from the Sun would be trapped near the surface, and Earth would get much hotter.

• Some places on Earth would get colder, and other places would get hotter.

• Nothing would be different than it is now.

If Spain almost always has clear, hot summers and cloudy, cold winters, which statement is most likely true?

• Spain is in a tropical climate zone.

• Spain is in a temperate climate zone.

• Spain has a tropical climate in summer and a polar climate in winter.

• Spain's weather includes hot and cold climates.

What do wind and the water cycle have in common?

• They both only happen in the atmosphere.

• They both only happen on Earth's surface.

• They both depend on heating and cooling.

• They both depend on freezing and melting.

Today's lunch is related to your overall diet in the same way that today's weather is related to________________.

• precipitation

• the atmosphere

• climate

• the water cycle

Choose the correct terms to best fill in the blanks.

Burning fuels such as coal and oil gives off ____1______ and increases the amount of _____2_____ that the atmosphere traps. These changes may help explain what is causing ______3______.

• 1: molecules, 2: light, 3: weather

• 1: gases, 2: heat, 3: global warming

• 1: heat, 2: temperature, 3: the greenhouse effect

• 1: carbon dioxide, 2: climate, 3: climate change

Which effect does not seem to be caused by global warming?

• Many glaciers have partly or completely melted.

• Some areas that used to have good soil for farming no longer do.

• More strong storms have occurred in recent years.

• More ice is forming in polar zones.