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Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Identify the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere and their key features. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 13-15

Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. In the troposphere, what generally happens to air temperature as altitude increases: temperature decreases, or temperature boils?
In the troposphere, what g… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
2. What global deflection of moving air and ocean currents is caused by Earth’s rotation (to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern): the Coriolis effect or the Doppler effect?
What global deflection of … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
3. Which lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere (from the surface to about 8–15 km) contains most clouds and weather: the troposphere or the thermosphere?
8 · 15 km · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
4. What happens to air pressure as you climb higher up a mountain (increasing altitude): air pressure decreases, or air pressure doubles?
What happens to air pressu… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
5. How does planting trees (afforestation and reforestation) affect atmospheric carbon dioxide: growing trees absorb CO₂ via photosynthesis, or they release coal?
How does planting trees (a… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
6. What harmful solar radiation does the stratospheric ozone layer (O₃) absorb to protect living organisms on Earth: ultraviolet (UV) radiation or radio waves?
What harmful solar radiati… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
7. Where on Earth do glowing auroras (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) occur when solar particles interact with atmospheric gases: in the thermosphere / ionosphere near the poles, or on the ocean floor?
Where on Earth do glowing … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
8. Why is the natural greenhouse effect important for life on Earth: it keeps Earth’s average surface temperature warm enough for liquid water, or it blocks all sunlight?
Why is the natural greenho… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
9. Which noble gas is the third most abundant gas in dry air (about 0.93%): argon or neon?
0.93% · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
10. What do we call the day-to-day state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time, whereas the 30-year average pattern is climate: weather or geology?
30 · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
11. What happens to ocean pH when seawater absorbs excess atmospheric carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid: ocean acidification (pH decreases), or water turns into oil?
What happens to ocean pH w… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
12. What steady tropical winds blow toward the Equator from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and southeast in the Southern Hemisphere: the trade winds or the polar vortex?
What steady tropical winds… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 13-15

Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. In the troposphere, what generally happens to air temperature as altitude increases: temperature decreases, or temperature boils?
Temperature decreases
The troposphere is warmed mainly from the ground up, so temperature drops by about 6.5 °C per kilometre of altitude.
2. What global deflection of moving air and ocean currents is caused by Earth’s rotation (to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern): the Coriolis effect or the Doppler effect?
Coriolis effect
Earth’s rotation deflects winds and currents via the Coriolis effect.
3. Which lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere (from the surface to about 8–15 km) contains most clouds and weather: the troposphere or the thermosphere?
Troposphere
Almost all water vapour, clouds and weather occur in the troposphere.
4. What happens to air pressure as you climb higher up a mountain (increasing altitude): air pressure decreases, or air pressure doubles?
Air pressure decreases
At higher altitudes there is less overlying air column above you, so atmospheric pressure is lower.
5. How does planting trees (afforestation and reforestation) affect atmospheric carbon dioxide: growing trees absorb CO₂ via photosynthesis, or they release coal?
Growing trees absorb CO₂ via photosynthesis
Forests act as carbon sinks by fixing atmospheric carbon into biomass.
6. What harmful solar radiation does the stratospheric ozone layer (O₃) absorb to protect living organisms on Earth: ultraviolet (UV) radiation or radio waves?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Stratospheric ozone absorbs most high-energy UV-B and UV-C radiation from the Sun.
7. Where on Earth do glowing auroras (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) occur when solar particles interact with atmospheric gases: in the thermosphere / ionosphere near the poles, or on the ocean floor?
In the thermosphere / ionosphere near the poles
Charged solar-wind particles excite oxygen and nitrogen high in the polar thermosphere.
8. Why is the natural greenhouse effect important for life on Earth: it keeps Earth’s average surface temperature warm enough for liquid water, or it blocks all sunlight?
It keeps Earth’s average surface temperature warm enough for liquid water
Without natural greenhouse gases, Earth’s average temperature would be below freezing (around −18 °C).
9. Which noble gas is the third most abundant gas in dry air (about 0.93%): argon or neon?
Argon
Argon makes up about 0.93% of dry air.
10. What do we call the day-to-day state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time, whereas the 30-year average pattern is climate: weather or geology?
Weather
Weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions; climate describes long-term averages.
11. What happens to ocean pH when seawater absorbs excess atmospheric carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid: ocean acidification (pH decreases), or water turns into oil?
Ocean acidification (pH decreases)
Dissolved CO₂ forms carbonic acid, lowering ocean pH and making it harder for corals to build skeletons.
12. What steady tropical winds blow toward the Equator from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and southeast in the Southern Hemisphere: the trade winds or the polar vortex?
Trade winds
The trade winds are prevailing tropical easterlies in the lower portion of the Hadley cell.

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 13-15

Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. In the troposphere, what generally happens to air temperature as altitude increases: temperature decreases, or temperature boils?
In the troposphere, what g… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
2. What global deflection of moving air and ocean currents is caused by Earth’s rotation (to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern): the Coriolis effect or the Doppler effect?
What global deflection of … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
3. Which lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere (from the surface to about 8–15 km) contains most clouds and weather: the troposphere or the thermosphere?
8 · 15 km · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
4. What happens to air pressure as you climb higher up a mountain (increasing altitude): air pressure decreases, or air pressure doubles?
What happens to air pressu… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
5. How does planting trees (afforestation and reforestation) affect atmospheric carbon dioxide: growing trees absorb CO₂ via photosynthesis, or they release coal?
How does planting trees (a… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
6. What harmful solar radiation does the stratospheric ozone layer (O₃) absorb to protect living organisms on Earth: ultraviolet (UV) radiation or radio waves?
What harmful solar radiati… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
7. Where on Earth do glowing auroras (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) occur when solar particles interact with atmospheric gases: in the thermosphere / ionosphere near the poles, or on the ocean floor?
Where on Earth do glowing … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
8. Why is the natural greenhouse effect important for life on Earth: it keeps Earth’s average surface temperature warm enough for liquid water, or it blocks all sunlight?
Why is the natural greenho… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
9. Which noble gas is the third most abundant gas in dry air (about 0.93%): argon or neon?
0.93% · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
10. What do we call the day-to-day state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time, whereas the 30-year average pattern is climate: weather or geology?
30 · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
11. What happens to ocean pH when seawater absorbs excess atmospheric carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid: ocean acidification (pH decreases), or water turns into oil?
What happens to ocean pH w… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
12. What steady tropical winds blow toward the Equator from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and southeast in the Southern Hemisphere: the trade winds or the polar vortex?
What steady tropical winds… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 13-15

Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. In the troposphere, what generally happens to air temperature as altitude increases: temperature decreases, or temperature boils?
Temperature decreases
The troposphere is warmed mainly from the ground up, so temperature drops by about 6.5 °C per kilometre of altitude.
2. What global deflection of moving air and ocean currents is caused by Earth’s rotation (to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern): the Coriolis effect or the Doppler effect?
Coriolis effect
Earth’s rotation deflects winds and currents via the Coriolis effect.
3. Which lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere (from the surface to about 8–15 km) contains most clouds and weather: the troposphere or the thermosphere?
Troposphere
Almost all water vapour, clouds and weather occur in the troposphere.
4. What happens to air pressure as you climb higher up a mountain (increasing altitude): air pressure decreases, or air pressure doubles?
Air pressure decreases
At higher altitudes there is less overlying air column above you, so atmospheric pressure is lower.
5. How does planting trees (afforestation and reforestation) affect atmospheric carbon dioxide: growing trees absorb CO₂ via photosynthesis, or they release coal?
Growing trees absorb CO₂ via photosynthesis
Forests act as carbon sinks by fixing atmospheric carbon into biomass.
6. What harmful solar radiation does the stratospheric ozone layer (O₃) absorb to protect living organisms on Earth: ultraviolet (UV) radiation or radio waves?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Stratospheric ozone absorbs most high-energy UV-B and UV-C radiation from the Sun.
7. Where on Earth do glowing auroras (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) occur when solar particles interact with atmospheric gases: in the thermosphere / ionosphere near the poles, or on the ocean floor?
In the thermosphere / ionosphere near the poles
Charged solar-wind particles excite oxygen and nitrogen high in the polar thermosphere.
8. Why is the natural greenhouse effect important for life on Earth: it keeps Earth’s average surface temperature warm enough for liquid water, or it blocks all sunlight?
It keeps Earth’s average surface temperature warm enough for liquid water
Without natural greenhouse gases, Earth’s average temperature would be below freezing (around −18 °C).
9. Which noble gas is the third most abundant gas in dry air (about 0.93%): argon or neon?
Argon
Argon makes up about 0.93% of dry air.
10. What do we call the day-to-day state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time, whereas the 30-year average pattern is climate: weather or geology?
Weather
Weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions; climate describes long-term averages.
11. What happens to ocean pH when seawater absorbs excess atmospheric carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid: ocean acidification (pH decreases), or water turns into oil?
Ocean acidification (pH decreases)
Dissolved CO₂ forms carbonic acid, lowering ocean pH and making it harder for corals to build skeletons.
12. What steady tropical winds blow toward the Equator from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and southeast in the Southern Hemisphere: the trade winds or the polar vortex?
Trade winds
The trade winds are prevailing tropical easterlies in the lower portion of the Hadley cell.

12 questions · Seed 44 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification