Atmosphere Layers & Thermal Inversion

Distinguish between celestial bodies based on their atmospheric compositions. Two of these items will not be used.

 

Examine the compositions carefully; other questions will ask you about relative quantities of these gases, but you won't have access to the image at that time.

a

b

Luna

Earth

Mars

Sol

Answer explanation

Luna, the moon, and Sol, the sun, do not have atmospheres.

Mars does have an atmosphere, but as you can see, it's not hospitable to life.

Distinguish between whether a gas is major (>1%) or a trace (<1%) gas in Earth's atmosphere.

Groups:

(a) Major Gases in Earth's Atmosphere

,

(b) Trace Gases in Earth's Atmosphere

• Nitrogen

• Carbon Dioxide

• Oxygen

• Ozone

• Argon

• Water Vapor

Answer explanation

Match the layers of the atmosphere to their location using the diagram. Point and practice verbally with your partner while you wait to move on.

• 3

• troposphere where humans live and weather happens

• 4

• stratosphere above our heads, home of the good ozone

• 1

• exosphere like an exoskeleton, very very thin

• 2

• thermosphere under the exosphere, gets very hot

• 5

• mesosphere in the very middle

Label the graph about layers of the atmosphere. While you wait, with a partner or alone, DESCRIBE the overall trends that you notice, using phrases like "the ? is "as ? (increases, decreases), ? (increases, decreases)" and coming up with connections between them. Know that by the end of this unit, you must have these 4 layers memorized in order, and know why they are distinct layers.

a

b

c

d

imperial y-axis

metric y-axis

imperial x-axis

metric x-axis

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Match the numerical statement to a point on the graph.

1 - the coldest point 'on' Earth

2 - densest layer

3 - planes can make it up here with the ozone

4 - this decrease in warmth is because the atmosphere is thinning

5 - this increase in warmth is because UV rays have a lot of energy

a

b

c

d

e

4

2

1

5

3

In which layers of the atmosphere does temperature decrease as altitude increases? Check all that are true.

• Troposphere

• Stratosphere

• Mesosphere

• Thermosphere

Sequence the layers of the atmosphere, starting from the layer closest to space.

• stratosphere

• thermosphere

• exosphere

• mesosphere

• troposphere

Answer explanation

Hmmmm.... did you start from Earth or from space?

Sequence the layers of the atmosphere based on their features, starting from the layer closest to Earth

• because density is decreasing by this point, the temperature of this layer decreases rapidly

• planes fly at the very bottom of this layer; weather balloons and jets can get midway or high up within this layer

• molecules here get very, very excited due to incoming insolation; produces lots of heat and the aurora borealis

• when thermal inversion happens, pollutants are trapped here

• on the border of space; location of the Hubble Telescope

Answer explanation

Hmmmm.... did you start from Earth or from space?

Earlier, this assignment/I said that the ? was a very hot layer.

Can you see that in this graph, or reason out what's happening? Name the layer and discuss with a partner.

Answer explanation

This graph 'cuts off'; notice how the line for thermosphere goes off into the unknown?

Here's an image that shows how hot the thermosphere gets, relative to the rest of the atmosphere. Within a few kilometers, it gets hotter than any part of the tropo, strato, or mesospheres.

DESCRIBE the trends in Earth's atmosphere.

• The mesopause is the coldest point within the atmosphere.

• The thermosphere has the warmest temperatures until the troposphere.

• The stratopause is the coldest point within the atmosphere.

• The troposphere has the warmest temperatures until the thermosphere.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6