Earth's Spheres
Names Earth's 5 Spheres
Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Geosphere, & Biosphere
Name the 5 layers of Earth's atmosphere in ascending order (from lower altitude to higher altitude).
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
What powers the water cycle?
Heat from the Sun
What are the three ways in which heat can be transferred?
Conduction, Convection, & Radiation
Florida has a more humid climate than California. Which state will see more thunderstorms?
Florida
Name 3 examples that are part of the hydrosphere.
Possible answers: oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, ground water, etc.
Which layer is the hottest?
The Thermosphere
Which two of Earth's spheres are involved in the water cycle?
The Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
The Sun heats the ocean water, which is what fuels hurricanes. This is an example of which type of heat transfer?
Radiation
Weather and climate are different processes. Which one is described by being long-term average conditions in a specific region?
Climate
Name 4 examples that are part of the geosphere.
Possible answers: rocks, dirt, sand, soil, mountains, volcanoes, Earth's crust, etc.
Which atmospheric layer supports life on Earth by providing the gases we breathe and has the water cycle that we depend on?
The Troposphere
What is it called when plants expel the excess water through their leaves into the atmosphere?
Transpiration
During the day, the Sun heats up the land and the oceans on Earth. Land gains and loses heat faster than water. Which direction will the wind be blowing during the day?
Toward the land from the ocean.
In which layer of Earth's atmosphere does weather take place?
Glaciers are known to slide very slowly across the ground over time. This often changes the landscape of the area as the glacier erodes the rock and soil underneath. Which spheres does this scenario describe?
Cryosphere (the glacier)
Geosphere (the rock and soil underneath being eroded)
Which layer helps protect Earth from meteors?
The Mesosphere
True or False: As water cycles through our spheres, the total amount of water in the cycle decreases.
False. The total amount of water in the cycle remains the same.
Describe how wind is formed.
Warm air rises, cool air rushes in to take its place (also called convection, wind is due to an uneven heating of Earth's surface).
What do jet streams and ocean currents do for our planet?
Transport heat through our oceans and atmosphere.
Water in the air condenses into clouds and then rains down to the surface which helps plants grow. Name all of the spheres that are involved in this process.
Atmosphere (the water in the air)
Hydrosphere (water raining down to the surface)
Biosphere (the plants use the water to grow)
Which of the 5 atmospheric layers contains the ozone layer, which protects humans from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun?
The Stratosphere
What are the three main steps of the water cycle? (hint: each step is just one word)
1. Evaporation (liquid water on the surface turns into water vapor in atmosphere)
2. Condensation (water vapor turns into liquid water as clouds)
3. Precipitation (clouds become too heavy, water falls to the surface as rain, sleet, snow, or hail)
We know that conduction is heat transfer through contact. How does conduction affect our weather?
The warm ground heats the air that is touching it.
The Gulf Stream moves warm water from the Gulf of Mexico near Florida northeast toward the United Kingdom. How does this affect the UK's climate?
Their climate is warmer and milder.