21st Century Astronomy Chapter 09

Convection in the _________ causes weather on Earth. Choose one: A. mesosphere B. troposphere C. stratosphere D. ionosphere

B. troposphere

Less massive molecules tend to escape from an atmosphere more often than more massive ones because Choose one: A. the gravitational force on them is less. B. they are more buoyant. C. they are moving faster. D. they are smaller and thus experience fewer collisions on their way out.

C. they are moving faster.

The ozone layer protects life on Earth from Choose one:A. charged particles trapped in Earth's magnetic field. B. high-energy particles from the solar wind. C. ultraviolet radiation. D. micrometeorites.

C. ultraviolet radiation.

The atmosphere of Mars is often pink-orange because Choose one: A. Mars has no oceans to reflect blue light to the sky. B. the atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide. C. winds lift dust into the atmosphere. D. the Sun is at a low angle in the sky.

C. winds lift dust into the atmosphere.

Place in chronological order the following steps in the formation and evolution of Earth's atmosphere.

1. Hydrogen and helium are captured from the protoplanetary disk 2. Hydrogen and helium are lost from the atmosphere 3. Volcanoes, comets, and asteroids increase the inventory of volatile matter 4. Life releases CO2 from the subsurface into the atmosphere 5. Plant life converts CO2 to oxygen 6. Oxygen enables the growth of new life-forms

Place in chronological order the following steps in the formation and evolution of Earth's atmosphere:

1. Hydrogen and helium are capured from the phytoplanetary disk 2. Hydrogen and helium are lost from the atmosphere 3. Volcanoes, coments, and asteroids increase the inventory of volatile matter 4. Life releases CO2 from the surface into the atmosphere 5. Plant life converts CO2 to oxygen 6. Oxygen enables the growth of new life-forms

Whether a planet has an atmosphere or not depends on a number of factors: mass, temperature, composition of the crust, volcanic activity, and complex evolutionary processes. Rank the planets according to how well they retain their atmospheres, using the following criteria: • The planet that still maintains its primary atmosphere, ranks first. • The planet that lost its primary atmosphere but retains a dense secondary atmosphere, ranks second. • The planet that lost its primary atmosphere and retains a tenuous secondary atmosphere, ranks third. • The planet that retained neither its primary nor secondary atmospheres, ranks last.

1. Jupiter (most successful) 2. Venus 3. Mars 4. Mercury (Least successful)

The AstroTour illustrates what the surface temperatures of Venus, Earth, and Mars would be without atmospheres, and it also shows the current value for each planet, with their actual atmospheres. Place the planets in order based on the discrepancy between their surface temperatures with and without their atmospheres.

1. Mars (Least difference) 2. Earth 3. Vens (most difference)

The oxygen molecules in Earth's atmosphere Choose one: A. arose when the secondary atmosphere formed. B. are the result of life. C. were part of the primary atmosphere. D. are being rapidly depleted by the burning of fossil fuels.

B. are the result of life.

Venus is hot and Mars is cold primarily because Choose one: A. Venus has a much thicker atmosphere. B. the atmosphere of Venus is dominated by CO2, but the atmosphere of Mars is not. C. Venus has stronger winds. D. Venus is closer to the Sun.

A. Venus has a much thicker atmosphere.

Over the last 800,000 years, Earth's temperature has closely tracked Choose one: A. carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. B. solar luminosity. C. the size of the ozone hole. D. oxygen levels in the atmosphere.

A. carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Auroras are the result of Choose one: A. the interaction of particles from the Sun and Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field. B. destruction of stratospheric ozone, which leaves a hole. C. the interaction of Earth's magnetic field with Earth's atmosphere. D. upper-atmosphere lightning strikes.

A. the interaction of particles from the Sun and Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field.

Why does Mercury have so little gas in its atmosphere? Choose one or more: A.Its mass is small. B.Its escape velocity is low. C.It has a high temperature. D.It is close to the Sun. E.It has no moons.

A.Its mass is small. B.Its escape velocity is low. C.It has a high temperature. D.It is close to the Sun.

The words weather and climate Choose one or more: A.refer to very different size scales. B.refer to very different time scales. C.mean essentially the same thing.

A.refer to very different size scales. B.refer to very different time scales.

Over the past 800,000 years, ice-core data indicate which of the following are correlated? Choose one or more: A.temperature B.the size of the ozone hole C.CH4 levels D.CO2 levels

A.temperature C.CH4 levels D.CO2 levels

Studying climate on other planets is important to understanding climate on Earth because Choose one or more: A.underlying physical processes are the same on every planet. B.other planets offer a range of extremes to which Earth can be compared. C.other planets can be used to test atmospheric models. D.comparing climates on other planets helps scientists understand which factors are important.

ALL A.underlying physical processes are the same on every planet. B.other planets offer a range of extremes to which Earth can be compared. C.other planets can be used to test atmospheric models. D.comparing climates on other planets helps scientists understand which factors are important.

The main greenhouse gases in the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets are Choose one: A. hydrogen and helium B. carbon dioxide and water vapor C. methane and ammonia D. oxygen and nitrogen

B. carbon dioxide and water vapor

The following chemicals either have been or are now part of terrestrial planet atmospheres. Determine whether each is found in either a planet's primary or secondary atmosphere.

Primary Atmosphere: Helium, Hydrogen Secondary Atmosphere: Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen Oxygen, Water