Name___________________________
Date________________ Per._________
The Atmosphere:
1. The ___________ of ________ surrounding the Earth
2. __________________of chemicals (elements and compounds) called AIR
3. _____________Earth from _____________
___________
4. Helps ____________ ______________on the planet.
5. Divided into _____________ based on _________________ changes with increasing altitude
Composition of the Atmosphere:
Nitrogen:
6. Nitrogen makes up about ________ of Earth’s atmosphere
and is maintained through the ______________ cycle.
7. Nitrogen is removed from the air mainly by the action of
nitrogen-fixing _________________.
8. ______________releases nitrogen back into the atmosphere.
Oxygen:
9. Oxygen makes up about
of Earth’s atmosphere.
10. Land and ocean plants produce large quantities of oxygen in a process called photosynthesis.
11. Oxygen makes up about _______ of Earth’s atmosphere.
12. Land and ocean plants produce large quantities of _______________ in a process called
_______________________.
13. Bacteria and plants
to the air as part of their life processes.
Animals, bacteria, and plants________________ ______________from the air as part of their life
processes.
Water Vapor:
14. As water evaporates from oceans, lakes, streams, and soil, it enters air as the invisible gas
____________ ____________.
15. Plants and animals give off water vapor: plants during _______________; animals by
___________________.
16. As water vapor enters the atmosphere, it is removed by the processes of ________________ and
___________________ in the ________________ or _____________ cycle.
17. The ______________ is a measure of the water vapor in the air.
17. The _____________ of water vapor in the atmosphere __________ depending on factors such as
____________ of ________, _________________ and _______________.
19. ________________humidity changes with _________________.
Ozone:
20. ________________is a gas molecule that is made up of _________ _______________ atoms.
21. Ozone in the upper stratosphere forms the __________ ____________, which absorbs much of the
harmful __________________ _____________from the sun.
22. Without the ozone layer, living organisms would be severely
_______________ by the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
23. Unfortunately, a number of human activities ______________ the
ozone layer.
24. __hloro___luoro___arbons (CFCs) (originally used in aerosols & refrigerants & styrofoam
manufacturing) break apart ozone molecules creating a “__________” in the ozone layer.
25. What do you think about the hole in the ozone layer after watching the video clips?
26. Many _____________and _________________ particulates are in the atmosphere
27. ____________, _______________, and _________________ eruptions and ________ spray all add
natural, tiny solid particles to the atmosphere.
Air Pressure:
28. Atmospheric _______________ is the __________ per unit _______ that is exerted on a
_____________ by the ____________ of the atmosphere.
29. _______________holds the gases of the atmosphere near Earth’s surface. As a result, the air
molecules are _________________ together and ____________ force on Earth’s surface.
Atmospheric Pressure is measured with a _____________________.
Atmospheric pressure is exerted _________________ in all ________________—up, down, and
sideways-- and results from _________________ of gas particles.
At higher ____________ or ____________ air molecules are farther apart and exert _____ __________
on each other (and you).
Layers of the Atmosphere:
Troposphere: (“change”)
________________layer , (0-____ km = 0_____ miles),___________layer; decreases
going up (_____° at bottom to -_____° at
top), ______________ occurs here; clouds
form at _________, __________ vapor &
________, All ___________, Hot Air
_______________, airplanes, __________
_____________& smallest layer
Stratosphere: (“Layer”)
Second layer (18-________ km = 28______ miles), _______________ layer
(@20-30km) blocks ______ rays, Temp. goes ________ as you go up (-____° bottom to _____° at top),
_________ & Dry,
_____________ balloons, Some jet ___________ and ___________at _____________.
Mesosphere: (“middle”)
____________ layer , (50 - _____ km= 53-______ miles), ___________ burn up, ____________ layer
(____° at bottom to -______°C at top)
Ionosphere:
At _________________ & in both Meso- & Thermo- spheres, 96-_______+ km, __________ energy
removes _____________, Four ____________ of __________ and electrons, Causes _____________
Borealis&Australis, Bounces __________waves (esp. AM)
Thermosphere:(“Heat”)
______________ layer (80 – ~ ________ km = 82-________ mi), K.E. of particles equal to
___________°C!, Aurorae , ______________and ___________ Stations
“PAUSES”
Breaks ______________ layers, Delineated by changes in
_____________________direction (starts rising or falling here)
All layers and pause heights _________ based on ______________
and _______________
Exosphere: (“EXIT”)
_____________ layer (Above ~ _________ km)
Some consider this _______________ the atmosphere
Blends with the complete _______________ of space (No limit)
Temperature _____________ again
How Temperature Changes in the Layers:
Temperature trends _________________from layer to layer
These shifts are the ________________ between layers
Silly Way to Remember Layers of the Atmosphere:
E
T
M
S
T
Temperature Inversions:


Warm air ____________
Cold air _______________
 ____________air during the winter, or from ocean influences, gets trapped _____________
warmer air passing over ___________ = temperature___________________
What was the early atmosphere like?
 4.4 billion years ago:
– Formed by _____________ eruptions and ______________impacts
– Mostly ___________ __________, ____________vapor, and some nitrogen
– No known ________
 Tiny __________ plants (________bacteria, _________plankton, and algae)
appear:
– _________________ carbon dioxide to _________________
– Over millions of years: carbon dioxide ________ and ___________ rises
 Evidence:
1. _________________
 ____________ need carbon dioxide and animals need ___________
 Earliest fossils = ______________only (so there was carbon dioxide)
 Animal fossils ___________ appear in rocks (so oxygen was in the
air at that time)
2. _____________Ice ___________
 Some glaciers (frozen rivers of ice) have existed for ___________ of
years.
 When the glacier freezes, it traps _________ of the current
___________________.
 We can sample the glaciers (______ ________) and measure the
abundance of __________ trapped inside.
 Ice cores show us that:
– ____________ice contains no _________, but plenty of carbon
dioxide and nitrogen
– As ice gets ___________, the carbon dioxide ________ and oxygen
__________
Is Earth’s atmosphere unique?
 It has huge amounts of _________ vapor
 The _______________is just right
 Contains huge amounts of _______________