Atmosphere Web quest

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Atmosphere Web quest
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1. What are the four main layers of the
atmosphere?

• Troposphere
• Stratosphere
• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere
• Ionosphere
• Exsosphere

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2. Which layer is closest to space?

• Exosphere (upper layer of the thermosphere)

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3. Which layer is the hottest layer?

• Thermosphere (reaching temperatures of 1200 C)

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4. Which layer is the coldest layer?

• Mesosphere

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5. What and where are the ionosphere and
exosphere?

• Thermosphere
• Ionosphere is the lower layer of the
  thermosphere. This is where earths
  communication is located along with the aurora
  borealis.
• Exosphere is the upper layer of the
  thermosphere. Satellites are found in this
  layer.

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6. Draw a picture of the atmosphere.write or
draw a picture of one important fact about each
sphere. (make sure you pay attention to the
spacing of each sphereone sphere is the
smallest.two are about the same in sizeand
one is the largest).
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7. Why is the atmosphere important?

• The atmosphere is an important part of what makes
  Earth livable. It blocks some of the Sun's
  dangerous rays from reaching Earth. It traps
  heat, making Earth a comfortable temperature.

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8. What gases are most common in Earths
atmosphere? Give the percentages.

• nitrogen (78), oxygen (21), and other gases
  (1)

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9. What is the greenhouse effect (describe how
it works)?

• Energy from the Sun that makes its way to the
  Earths surface can have trouble finding its way
  back out to space. This is because of a natural
  process called the greenhouse effect. Without the
  greenhouse effect, Earths temperature would be
  below freezing.

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10. What are the main greenhouse gases?

• Carbon Dioxide
• Water Vapor
• Nitrous oxide
• Methane

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11. Describe how each of the gases contribute to
the greenhouse effect and how do they get into
our atmosphere?

• Carbon Dioxide
• it helps trap heat coming from the Sun in our
  atmosphere through the greenhouse effect. Without
  carbon dioxide in our air, the Earth would be
  very cold .
• Humans, animals, burning things, engines of cars
  and trucks.

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Methane

• Methane is a greenhouse gas. That means it helps
  make Earth warm. But if there was too much
  methane, that could make our planet too warm.
• Cow burps, Farming rice, garbage dumps, Termites,
  and Swamps

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Nitrous Oxide

• Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
  Nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide molecules form
  during combustion in car engines, power plants,
  and factories. They can contribute to smog when
  combined with oxygen molecules and the fumes from
  paint and gasoline (called Volatile Organic
  Compounds). They can also contribute to acid rain
  if mixed with water vapor turning into nitric
  acid. Nitrogen dioxide will break apart in
  sunlight and the free oxygen atoms latch onto
  oxygen molecules forming dangerous ground-level
  ozone.

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12. What is air pollution?

• solid particles and chemicals in the air

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13. Describe 2 types of air pollution found in
out atmosphere?

• Primary and Secondary
• Primary pollution is put directly to the air,
  such as smoke and car exhausts. Secondary
  pollution forms in the air when chemical
  reactions changes primary pollutants. The
  formation of tropospheric ozone is an example of
  secondary air pollution.

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14. When did air pollution begin? (Is this just
a recent development?)

• Air pollution is not new. As far back as the 13
  th century, people started complaining about coal
  dust and soot in the air over London, England.
  Since the beginning of the industrial revolution
  in the late 1700s, we have been changing the
  Earths atmosphere and its chemistry. As industry
  spread across the globe, so did air pollution.

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15. What is primary and secondary air pollution?

• Primary pollution is put directly to the air,
  such as smoke and car exhausts. Secondary
  pollution forms in the air when chemical
  reactions changes primary pollutants. The
  formation of tropospheric ozone is an example of
  secondary air pollution.

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Troposphereic Ozone What two places is
ozone found?

• Troposphere and stratosphere

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What causes troposphereic ozone?

• In the troposphere, ozone is NOT wanted! It can
  actually do a lot of damage.
• Ozone that increases because of certain human
  activities does become a problem at ground level
  and this is what we think of as 'bad' ozone. With
  increasing populations, more automobiles, and
  more industry (power plants and refineries in
  particular), there's more ozone in the lower
  atmosphere. Since 1900, the amount of ozone near
  the Earth's surface has more than doubled.

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Is the ozone found in the troposphere bad for
us (explain)?

• Smog can damage lung tissues, impair an athlete's
  performance, create more frequent attacks for
  individuals with asthma, cause eye irritation,
  chest pain, coughing, nausea, headaches and chest
  congestion. It can even worsen heart disease,
  bronchitis, and emphysema.

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Whats the common name for troposphereic ozone?

• SMOG

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17. What are the global effects of air
pollution? Explain why the two are a concern.

• Climate Change
• Warm near the equator and cold at the poles, our
  planet is able to support a variety of living
  things because of its diverse regional climates.
  The average of all these regions makes up Earth's
  global climate. Climate has cooled and warmed
  throughout Earth history for various reasons.
  Rapid warming like we see today is unusual in the
  history of our planet. The scientific consensus
  is that climate is warming as a result of the
  addition of heat-trapping greenhouse gases which
  are increasing dramatically in the atmosphere as
  a result of human activities.

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Human Health

• People have no choice but to breathe the air
  around them. When it is polluted, they breathe in
  ozone, particles and harmful gases that can hurt
  their lungs, heart, and overall health. Air
  pollution can cause coughing, burning eyes, and
  breathing problems. Fortunately, people usually
  start to feel better as soon as the air quality
  improves, but not always.
• Increase breathing problems in individuals with
  asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.

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Ozone Hole Explain why this is a concern.

• Ozone in the stratosphere protects us from
  ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. The ozone
  layer is sort of like sunscreen for planet Earth.
  It absorbs most of the incoming UV "light" before
  it reaches the ground.
• This is causing health problems cancer
• Warming the Earth

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What is causing the hole?

• Various chemicals that humans release into the
  atmosphere help cause the hole

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When did scientist discover the ozone hole?

• 1970
• Hole was found over the poles (in the winter)

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19. What is Global Warming?

• Warming of the Earths climate.

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20. What is the effect of global warming?

• Earths climate is warming. During the 20th
  Century Earths average temperature rose 0.6
  Celsius (1.1F). Scientists are finding that the
  change in temperature has been causing other
  aspects of our planet to change

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21. How has earths temperature changed over the
last century?

• During the 20th Century Earths average
  temperature rose 0.6 Celsius (1.1F).

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22. List the effects of climate change due to
global warming (that we are seeing now).

• Sea Level Rising
• Arctic sea ice is melting
• Glacier and permafrost is melting
• Sea surface temperature are warming
• Heavier rainfall causing flooding in many regions
• Extreme drought
• Ecosystems are changing
• Hurricanes more frequent and strength
• More frequent heat waves
• Warmer temperatures are affecting human health
• Seawater is becoming more acidic

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23. What do they predict will happen in the
future due to global warming and climate change?

• There will be more global warming is in our
  future according to the results of computer
  models summarized by the IPCC. For the next two
  decades warming of about 0.2 Celsius is
  projected. If we continue to emit as many, or
  more, greenhouse gases, this will cause more
  warming during the 21st Century than we saw in
  the 20th Century. During the 21st Century,
  various computer models predict that Earths
  average temperature will rise between 1.8 and
  4.0 Celsius (3.2 and 7.2 F) depending largely
  on how humans change the ways they live on the
  planet.

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24. What is acid rain, and explain the effect it
has on our environment.

• Acid rain is a general term used to describe
  different kinds of acidic air pollution. Although
  some acidic air pollutants return directly back
  to Earth, a lot of it returns in rain, snow,
  sleet, hail, mist or fog, which is why we call it
  acid rain
• Acid rain can have harmful impacts on the
  ecosystems in the environment. It acidifies the
  soil and water where it falls, damaging or
  killing plants and animals. Surface water
  acidification can lead to a decline in, and loss
  of, fish populations and other aquatic species
  including frogs, snails and crayfish. Acid rain
  affects trees, usually by weakening them through
  damage to their leaves.