Layers of the Atmosphere Read and Respond

What are the five layers of Earth's atmosphere?

• exosphere, temperature, gases, cumulonimbus clouds, and weather

• exosphere, thermopause, mesopause, stratopause, and tropopause

• exosphere, thermal characteristics, chemical composition, movement, and density

• exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere

How is each layer of Earth's atmosphere identified?

• by differences in thermal characteristics and chemical composition but similarities in movement and density

• by similarities in thermal characteristics and chemical composition but differences in movement and density

• by differences in thermal characteristics, chemical composition, movement, and density

• by similarities in thermal characteristics, chemical composition, movement, and density

A change in density causes a change in temperature in Earth's atmosphere. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

• The high temperature indicates the amount of the energy absorbed by the molecules but with so few in this layer, the total number of molecules is not enough to heat our skin.

• As the density of the gases in this layer decrease with height, the air becomes thinner. Therefore, the temperature in the troposphere also decreases with height in response.

• The gases in the mesosphere are now thick enough to slow down meteors hurtling into the atmosphere, where they burn up, leaving fiery trails in the night sky.

• This increase in temperature with height means warmer air is located above cooler air. This prevents 'convection' as there is no upward vertical movement of the gases.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Based on the text, what can you infer about thermal characteristics?

• A higher density means a higher temperature.

• A lower density means a higher temperature.

• A higher height means a higher temperature.

• A lower height means a higher temperature.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

What is the main idea of this text?

• The layers of Earth's atmosphere are grouped by similarities in thermal characteristics, chemical composition, movement, and density.

• The thermosphere can reach very high temperatures, but people would be very cold in this layer because of how thin it is.

• The troposphere is known as the lower atmosphere, with varying heights, and almost all weather happens in this layer.

• The middle atmosphere is made up of the mesosphere and stratosphere, and the boundary between the two is the stratopause.