Weather on Earth Test Review

What is Earth’s atmosphere?

• The layer of gases (air) surrounding Earth.

• The layer of water surrounding Earth.

• The layer of rocks surrounding Earth.

• The layer of fire surrounding Earth.

Describe how the amount of air changes as you travel up through Earth’s atmosphere.

• The air gets thicker as the distance from Earth’s surface increases.

• The air gets thinner as the distance from Earth’s surface increases.

• The amount of air remains constant throughout Earth’s atmosphere.

• The amount of air increases as the distance from Earth’s surface increases.

How high above Earth’s surface does the troposphere reach?

• 9 to 20 kilometers (9,000 to 20,000 meters)

• 1 to 5 kilometers (1,000 to 5,000 meters)

• 50 to 100 kilometers (50,000 to 100,000 meters)

• 200 to 500 kilometers (200,000 to 500,000 meters)

What kinds of activities occur in the troposphere?

• Clouds form, wind blows, lightning strikes, planes fly, weather balloons pass, storms, etc.

• Volcanoes erupt, earthquakes occur, mountains form, rivers flow, etc.

• Plants grow, animals live, humans breathe, oceans move, etc.

• Stars twinkle, planets orbit, galaxies collide, comets pass, etc.

What layer of the atmosphere do you think is of greatest interest to meteorologists? Why?

• The troposphere. That is where the clouds, wind, storms and weather happens.

• The stratosphere. That is where the ozone layer is located.

• The mesosphere. That is where meteors burn up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.

• The thermosphere. That is where the auroras occur.

How do humans rely on Earth’s atmosphere?

• Earth’s atmosphere keeps the temperature within a narrow range so that it is just right for human life on Earth.

• Earth’s atmosphere provides humans with food and water.

• Earth’s atmosphere protects humans from harmful radiation.

• Earth’s atmosphere allows humans to communicate with each other.

How is Earth’s atmosphere like an ocean?

• The ocean has levels of depth and so does the atmosphere. Both the ocean and atmosphere are most dense at the bottom layer. The difference is ocean is a liquid; atmosphere is a gas.

• The ocean and atmosphere are both made up of the same gases.

• The ocean and atmosphere both have tides.

• The ocean and atmosphere both have marine life.