8 Atmosphere
ENCOUNTER THE PHENOMENON
Write the Encounter the Phenomenon question for this module.
Why do the atmosphere have clouds?
Use the “What I Know” column to list the things you know about the Encounter the Phenomenon
question. Then list the questions you have about the Encounter the Phenomenon question in the
“What I Want to Find Out” column. As you read the module, fill in the “What I Learned” column.
K W L
What I Know What I Want to Find Out What I Learned
I know that the I learned the
Why are the 5
earth’s atmosphere functions of the 5
layers important
consists of 5 layers of the
and what are
different layers atmosphere and
their qualities?
including why they are
troposphere, important
stratosphere,
mesosphere,
thermosphere
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Atmosphere
1 Atmospheric Basics
REVIEW Recall the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
atmosphere A layer of gas that surrounds the Earth.
atmosphere
NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to define each term.
troposphere troposphere Contains most of the mass of the atmosphere.
stratosphere Weather occurs in the troposphere.
mesosphere
stratosphere The layer of the Earth’s atmosphere above
thermosphere
the troposphere.
exosphere
radiation mesosphere About 50 km to 85 km above Earth’s surface. In the
conduction mesosphere, air temperature decreases with altitude.
convection
thermosphere This layer is hotter than the others because it
greenhouse effect absorbs most of the high-energy radiation.
exosphere The outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
radiation Energy that moves from one place to another in a wave
conduction The process by which heat or electricity is directly
transmitted through the material of a substance.
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convection Causes the hotter substance to move up, colder
substance due to temperature and density differences.
greenhouse effect The process through which heat is
trapped near Earth’s surface by
substances.
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1 Atmospheric Basics (continued)
Organize information about the components of the atmosphere using
the prompts provided. Use Figure 1 and other information from your
book for guidance.
The majority of air is made up of Nitrogen ( 78 %)
and Oxygen ( 21 %). Water vapor and
Carbon Dioxide are two important gases that
Vary in amount but are critical in determining the amount
of Energy the atmosphere absorbs. Heat is
either absorbed or released when water changes States .
Three solids in the atmosphere are Dust, pollen , , and
Salt . A gas that controls the amount of ultraviolet light
that enters the atmosphere is Ozone , a molecule made of
three Oxygen atoms. Other gases that are present in the
atmosphere include Argon, neon , helium ,
Krypton, and xenon , and .
Draw a sketch showing the relative positions of Earth’s atmospheric
layers, beginning with the layer closest to Earth’s surface.
Get It? Infer How is conduction related to cold air temperatures at
the poles, which are covered with ice and snow?
Conduction cools the air at the poles by transferring
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heat from the air to the cold ice and snow. This keeps
the air temperatures low, as ice and snow absorb the
heat through direct contact.
Get It? Model How could you make a model to show the process
of convection? What materials would you use? What would each
component of your model represent?
Glass container (Representing the atmosphere)
Water (Represents air)
Color (To show movement)
Small candle (Representing the Earth)
Ice (To show polar regions or cold regions)
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1 Atmospheric Basics (continued)
Summarize the three methods of energy transfer from the Sun to
Earth’s atmosphere by completing the following concept map.
Movement
of energy
Radiation Convection
Conduction
Involves the
Energy travels movement of air or
through space liquid, where warm
as waves, material rises and
cooler material sinks
Occurs
when molecules
collide
Analyze what happens to the Sun’s energy when it reaches Earth’s
atmosphere. Fill in the table with how sunlight is reflected or
absorbed, and the percentage of sunlight that goes each way.
Incoming Absorbed
Re ected by Absorbed by
solar by Earth’s the atmosphere
the atmosphere
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radiation surface
Percent 30% 50% 20%
Get It? Synthesize What would conditions be like if the greenhouse
effect did not exist? Mention Earth systems in your answer.
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1 Atmospheric Basics (continued)
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Rank the gases in the atmosphere in order from most abundant to least abundant.
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Helium, Hydrogen.
2. Name the four types of particles found in the atmosphere.
Dust, pollen, salt, and ash.
3. Compare and contrast the five layers that make up the atmosphere.
Troposphere: Closest to the Earth, where weather happens, temperature decreases with height.
• Stratosphere: Contains the ozone layer, temperature increases with height.
• Mesosphere: Coldest layer, temperature decreases with height.
• Thermosphere: Very thin air, temperatures rise with height.
• Exosphere: Outermost layer, merges with space, very few particles.
4. Explain why temperature increases with height in the stratosphere.
The ozone layer absorbs UV rays from the Sun,
which warms this layer as the height increases.
5. Describe how solar radiation reaches Earth, and is absorbed and emitted by Earth’s
atmosphere and surface.
Solar radiation comes in the form of visible light, UV, and infrared
waves. Some is absorbed by the atmosphere and Earth’s surface,
while some is re ected back into space.
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6. Predict whether a pot of water heated from the top would boil more quickly than a
pot of water heated from the bottom. Explain your answer.
Water heated from the bottom will boil faster because heat rises
and warms the water more e ciently
7. In the troposphere, temperature decreases with height at an average rate of
6.5°C/km. If the temperature at 2.5 km altitude is 7.0°C, what is the temperature
at 5.5 km altitude?
In the troposphere, the temperature drops about 6.5°C for every
kilometer of height. For example, if the temperature at 2.5 km is
7°C, at 5.5 km, the temperature will be colder.
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