Exercises: The atmosphere

Air is made up of approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases (argon, carbon dioxide, water vapour, etc.). Order these components from highest to lowest proportion and represent the data using a simple bar chart.

You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.

The diagram shows the layers of the atmosphere (not drawn to scale).

1. a) Which layer is labelled with "?"?
2. b) In which layer do clouds form and storms occur?
3. c) Which gas forms an area in the layer labelled with "?" that absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun?

State two functions of the atmosphere that make life on Earth possible, and briefly explain one of them.

As you climb a mountain, the temperature drops, even though you are closer to the Sun. Explain which layer of the atmosphere this temperature drop corresponds to and reason why the peak of a high mountain is cold.

What is the ozone layer, which layer of the atmosphere is it located in, and why is its depletion a concern?

The Moon has virtually no atmosphere. State two consequences of this fact related to the functions that the atmosphere performs on Earth.

A rocky exoplanet similar to Earth has been discovered that receives comparable stellar radiation, but whose atmospheric analysis indicates that it lacks an ozone layer in its middle region and does not retain water vapour in its lower layers. Reasonably justify which protective and regulating functions fulfilled by Earth's troposphere and stratosphere would be absent on that planet, and predict two critical consequences for the viability of life on its surface.

A classmate claims that it is absurd to attribute global warming to carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$), since making up only 0.04 % of the air, nitrogen (78 %) and oxygen (21 %) must be the real culprits responsible for trapping heat. Refute their position by explaining the differential behavior of these gases toward solar radiation and terrestrial infrared radiation, and predict what would happen to the planet's average temperature if $\text{CO}_2$ and the other greenhouse gases were to disappear entirely.

A weather balloon records the following temperatures as it rises: 15 °C at the surface, −50 °C at an altitude of 10 km, 0 °C at 45 km, and −80 °C at 70 km. State which layers of the atmosphere it passes through in each section and explain the change in trend observed in the data.