Atmospheres
Greenhouse Effect
Venus
Mars
100

Reasons why the terrestrial planets lost their primary atmospheres of Hydrogen and Helium.

What are too hot and too small? High temps near sun cause light molecules to reach escape velocity. Small masses mean not enough gravity to hang on to light gases. Also why the moon and Mercury lost secondary atmospheres.

100

Primary component of Venus' atmosphere and a greenhouse gas.

What is Carbon dioxide? Venus' atmosphere also contains a lot of water vapor, because too hot for liquid water. Water vapor is also a greenhouse gas.

100
Adjectives to describe Venus' atmosphere.
What are hot, dense, massive, toxic, CO2, sulfuric acid clouds?
100
Reason Mars' atmosphere is thin.
What is less gravity and Earth or Venus? Not able to hold on to as much gas. Cold because small amounts of greenhouse gasses.
200

How trapped gases, like carbon dioxide, were released from the interior of the early earth.

What are volcanoes?

200

An energy balance between visible light received from the sun and ______ determines a planet surface temperature.

What is infrared light radiated as heat?

200
Adjectives to describe the surface conditions on Venus?
What are dim, hazy, high pressure, sulfurous, hot?
200
Reason Mars surface has high levels of Ultraviolet Radiation.
What is no oxygen/ozone in atmosphere to protect?
300

Source of water and light gases in secondary atmospheres.

What are comets and asteroids from outer solar system? Impacts brought volatiles from outer disk to surface on terrestrial planets.

300

This is absorbed by greenhouse gases like water and CO2 in the atmosphere.

What is Infrared Radiation?

300
Process that transfers heat in Venus' atmosphere, keeping it at a constant temperature.
What is convection? Hot air rises, cool sinks, constant mixing keeps temp the same day and night.
300
Reason Mars is red.
What is rocks are rusted? Rocks pulled oxygen from air and rusted. Now no oxygen in atmosphere.
400

Causes ammonia and other gases to break down, creating a nitrogen rich atmosphere.

What is ultraviolet light from the sun?

400

What Venus and Earth would be like without the greenhouse effect.

What is colder? Venus would be about 400 degrees colder. Earth about 30.

400
Reason Venus does not have seasons.
What is its axis is not tilted like earth's?
400
Two reasons that temperatures vary a lot on Mars.
What are thin atmosphere and extreme seasons? Tilt and thin atmosphere (less air to regulate temperature) make seasons more extreme.
500

Reason Earth's atmosphere contains oxygen.

What is life? Plants use CO2 and make oxygen.

500

Infrared heat trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is re-emitted and goes here.

What is the planet surface and space? Absorbed IR light doesn't stay in the atmosphere but most is absorbed by the planet making it hotter and some is also radiated out into space.

500

This property of Venus means that there are only very slow winds on the surface.

What is slow rotation? Also, the rotation is opposite from other planets.

500
Caused by large temperature variations on Mars especially seasonal changes.
What are dust storms? Cover planet, change look of surface and sky.
M
e
n
u