Earth's Atmosphere--Section 22.1 Assignment

The Earth’s Atmosphere

This assignment was written to help you understand concepts of the Earth’s atmosphere while reviewing the skills you’ll need to use while taking the SAT9 exam. Write your answers in complete sentences on a separate piece of paper.  The more detailed your answers, the better.  Good luck!

Step 1:  READ Section 22.1 or find the answers to these questions on the internet!
Step 2:  Answer the following questions, in complete sentences!!!

 
1)  Read the section on the carbon cycle on pg. 37.  Draw a picture & explain how plants & animals are involved in the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle.  What would happen if plants died out?

 2)  Give an example where photosynthesis had a hard time taking place due to a nuclear winter.  What happened?  What types of species went extinct?

 3)  Define atmosphere.

 4)  Draw a pie graph that shows the percentage of the most abundant elements in the atmosphere.

 5)  Describe the process of photosynthesis.

 6)  How do natural processes of the Earth maintain chemical balance of oxygen in the atmosphere?  How does this relate to the carbon cycle?

 7) Explain why the oxygen content remains at about 21% of the Earth’s atmosphere.  How does this relate to the carbon cycle?

 8)  Define transpiration.

 9)  Does the process of transpiration increase or decrease the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere?

 10) What is the definition of ozone?  What is it’s chemical formula for ozone?

 11)  What does the ozone layer do?  Why is it important to humans?

 12)  What are CFC’s (chloroflorocarbons) and what do they do?

 13)  What are 4 sources of particulates in the atmosphere?

 14)  Using Fig. 7 on page 552 to help you, draw & label a cross-section of the layers of the atmosphere. 

 15)  What layer of the atmosphere would the weather most likely occur?

 16)  Why does the troposphere get cooler with increasing altitude?

 17) Why is there an increase in temperature in the upper stratosphere?  What does this have to do with the ozone layer?

 18)  How are auroras formed?  What atmospheric layer is the ionosphere in?

 19) What is a temperature inversion and how can the trapped pollutants affect people who live in the area?

 20) Give an example of a well-known temperature inversion.

 

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