Earth's Sphere Interactions

The interaction between the cryosphere and hydrosphere can have an impact on Earth’s oceans. Which of the following is an example of an interaction between the cryosphere and hydrosphere?

• evaporation of water from oceans at the equator

• release of fresh water into ocean water as icebergs melt

• decomposition of organic matter at the bottom of oceans

• release of large amounts of salt from icebergs into a ocean

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

In the morning, over the cold mountain lake, a light fog will form. What two spheres are interacting to allow the fog to form?

• hydrosphere and atmosphere

• cryosphere and atmosphere

• atmosphere and biosphere

• geosphere and biosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

Plants use essential elements such as water, carbon, and nitrogen from the soil. Which two spheres are interacting?

• biosphere and atmosphere

• biosphere and geosphere

• hydrosphere and atmosphere

• atmosphere and geosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Our weather in the United States can range from sunny and warm in the summer to snowy and cold in the winter. In which layer of the atmosphere does weather occur?

• troposphere

• stratosphere

• mesosphere

• thermosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Carbon dioxide is a trace gas in Earth’s atmosphere. Although present in only small amounts, carbon dioxide has an influence on Earth’s atmosphere. Which of the following describes the influence of carbon dioxide?

• Carbon dioxide influences the mass of the atmosphere.

• Carbon dioxide influences the height of the atmosphere.

• Carbon dioxide influences the heating of the atmosphere.

• Carbon dioxide influences the density of the atmosphere.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

All the spheres in the system interconnect and overlap. No sphere works on its own. Consider this diagram below.

In what way do the geosphere and the hydrosphere interact?

• The atmosphere provides the geosphere with heat and energy needed for rock breakdown and erosion.

• Evaporation from the hydrosphere provides the medium for cloud and rain formation in the atmosphere.

• Warm ocean currents cause major weather events, impacting animals and their surroundings.

• Water provides the moisture and medium for weathering and erosion of rocks.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Florida's unique sandy soil and subtropical climate are ideal for growing orange trees. Which of these parts of the Earth system are interacting when Florida’s orange trees grow?

• biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere

• geosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere

• biosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere

• cryosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The greenhouse effect is the process by which energy from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere.

Which method of energy transfer is primarily responsible for energy being lost from Earth into space?

• solidification

• convection

• conduction

• radiation

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Heat can be transferred from one place to another by three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.

In which atmospheric action can we see evidence of conduction?

• radiation from the sun heats the surface of the Earth

• the surface of the Earth heats the air that contacts it

• cold air pushes warm air upward creating a current

• air increases in density and sinks back toward the Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

The upward movement of warm air and the downward movement of cool air occur in the troposphere.

What kind of heat transfer does this process describe?

• radiation

• conduction

• convection

• evaporation

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6