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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. What happens to the density of air when it is heated at constant pressure: warm air expands and becomes less dense (so it rises), or it becomes heavier than rock?
What happens to the densit… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
2. Why are low-lying coral atoll nations particularly vulnerable to global warming: thermal expansion of seawater and melting ice sheets raise sea levels, or mountains grow taller?
Why are low-lying coral at… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
3. Which gas makes up about 21% of Earth’s atmosphere and is essential for aerobic respiration: oxygen or helium?
21% · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
4. 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
5. Which layer of the atmosphere lies directly above the troposphere and contains the protective ozone layer: the stratosphere or the exosphere?
Which layer of the atmosph… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. Which three gases are the main greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere: water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane, or nitrogen, oxygen and argon?
Which three gases are the … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
10. Which outermost fringe of the atmosphere gradually merges into outer space: the exosphere or the troposphere?
Which outermost fringe of … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
11. 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
12. 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

12 questions · Seed 53 · 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. What happens to the density of air when it is heated at constant pressure: warm air expands and becomes less dense (so it rises), or it becomes heavier than rock?
Warm air expands and becomes less dense (so it rises)
Heating increases molecular spacing, lowering density and driving thermal convection.
2. Why are low-lying coral atoll nations particularly vulnerable to global warming: thermal expansion of seawater and melting ice sheets raise sea levels, or mountains grow taller?
Thermal expansion of seawater and melting ice sheets raise sea levels
Warming oceans expand and land ice melts, raising global mean sea level.
3. Which gas makes up about 21% of Earth’s atmosphere and is essential for aerobic respiration: oxygen or helium?
Oxygen
Oxygen makes up roughly 21% of the atmosphere.
4. 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.
5. Which layer of the atmosphere lies directly above the troposphere and contains the protective ozone layer: the stratosphere or the exosphere?
Stratosphere
The stratosphere extends from the tropopause to about 50 km altitude and houses the ozone layer.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Which three gases are the main greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere: water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane, or nitrogen, oxygen and argon?
Water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane
Triatomic and polyatomic gases like H₂O, CO₂ and CH₄ absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.
10. Which outermost fringe of the atmosphere gradually merges into outer space: the exosphere or the troposphere?
Exosphere
The exosphere is the uppermost atmospheric layer where gas molecules are extremely sparse.
11. 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.
12. 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.

12 questions · Seed 53 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 13-15

Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. What happens to the density of air when it is heated at constant pressure: warm air expands and becomes less dense (so it rises), or it becomes heavier than rock?
What happens to the densit… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
2. Why are low-lying coral atoll nations particularly vulnerable to global warming: thermal expansion of seawater and melting ice sheets raise sea levels, or mountains grow taller?
Why are low-lying coral at… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
3. Which gas makes up about 21% of Earth’s atmosphere and is essential for aerobic respiration: oxygen or helium?
21% · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
4. 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
5. Which layer of the atmosphere lies directly above the troposphere and contains the protective ozone layer: the stratosphere or the exosphere?
Which layer of the atmosph… · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. Which three gases are the main greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere: water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane, or nitrogen, oxygen and argon?
Which three gases are the … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
10. Which outermost fringe of the atmosphere gradually merges into outer space: the exosphere or the troposphere?
Which outermost fringe of … · Earth’s atmosphere & climate
11. 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
12. 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

12 questions · Seed 53 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 13-15

Earth’s atmosphere & climate

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. What happens to the density of air when it is heated at constant pressure: warm air expands and becomes less dense (so it rises), or it becomes heavier than rock?
Warm air expands and becomes less dense (so it rises)
Heating increases molecular spacing, lowering density and driving thermal convection.
2. Why are low-lying coral atoll nations particularly vulnerable to global warming: thermal expansion of seawater and melting ice sheets raise sea levels, or mountains grow taller?
Thermal expansion of seawater and melting ice sheets raise sea levels
Warming oceans expand and land ice melts, raising global mean sea level.
3. Which gas makes up about 21% of Earth’s atmosphere and is essential for aerobic respiration: oxygen or helium?
Oxygen
Oxygen makes up roughly 21% of the atmosphere.
4. 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.
5. Which layer of the atmosphere lies directly above the troposphere and contains the protective ozone layer: the stratosphere or the exosphere?
Stratosphere
The stratosphere extends from the tropopause to about 50 km altitude and houses the ozone layer.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Which three gases are the main greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere: water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane, or nitrogen, oxygen and argon?
Water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane
Triatomic and polyatomic gases like H₂O, CO₂ and CH₄ absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.
10. Which outermost fringe of the atmosphere gradually merges into outer space: the exosphere or the troposphere?
Exosphere
The exosphere is the uppermost atmospheric layer where gas molecules are extremely sparse.
11. 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.
12. 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.

12 questions · Seed 53 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification