Deck 8: Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Question 1

Mars' atmosphere is mostly composed of carbon dioxide,therefore the greenhouse effect makes the average temperature 35 degrees warmer than it would be without its atmosphere.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The best way to look for life on other planets is to search for absorption from nitrogen and methane in their atmospheres in the infrared region of the spectrum.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

If the carbon dioxide in Earth rocks were suddenly released into its atmosphere,Earth could quite possibly undergo a runaway greenhouse effect.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

We do not expect Mercury to have an atmosphere at all because

A) it is small.
B) it has a high temperature.
C) it is bombarded by intense solar radiation.
D) All of the above

Question 5

All the terrestrial planets have atmospheres as dense as or denser than Earth's.

Question 6

When the Martian summer occurs and the daytime temperature is 20°C,water on the surface melts and forms small pools of liquid.

Question 7

Winds are generated on Earth because the Sun unevenly heats a rotating planet.

Question 8

Which of the following processes did NOT contribute to Earth's secondary atmosphere?

A) Volcanism
B) Accretion
C) Oxidation
D) Impacts

Question 9

In the absence of a greenhouse effect,water would still be liquid on the surface of Earth.

Question 10

Venus rotates so rapidly that the dominant form of convection is powered hurricanes moving east to west in its atmosphere.

Question 11

Over the past 50 years,the average temperature of the Earth has risen by approximately 1°C.

Question 12

Why did the terrestrial planets lose their primary atmospheres?

A) Their low gravities couldn't hold them.
B) The solar wind blew them away.
C) Their high surface temperatures made them chemically react with rock.
D) The centrifugal force from their fast rotation rates made them fly off.

Question 13

Hurricanes are powered by the heat of vaporization of water.

Question 14

Each halogen atom,such as chlorine,florine,and bromine,in the Earth's atmosphere catalyzes the destruction of ozone for a long time ranging from decades to centuries.

Question 15

Venus' atmospheric clouds are so thick that the surface of the planet is rarely seen when observing it in visible light.

Question 16

The major component of the air we breathe today was deposited on Earth via cometary impacts.

Question 17

The fraction of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere has always remained at about the same as it is today.

Question 18

The nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere came from

A) ammonia delivered by comet impacts.
B) photosynthesis in algae and plants.
C) oxidation.
D) impacts.

Question 19

Charged particles can easily move across magnetic field lines,but not along them.

Question 20

The planet-wide flow of air from the warm equator to the colder poles is called Hadley circulation.

Question 21

It took approximately __________ years for oxygen to become a large component of the Earth's atmosphere.

A) 3,000
B) 1 million
C) 3 billion
D) 1 billion

Question 22

__________ in our atmosphere is a direct consequence of the emergence of life.

A) Carbon dioxide
B) Water vapor
C) Nitrogen
D) Oxygen

Question 23

The Earth releases the energy it receives from the Sun by emitting __________ radiation.

A) infrared
B) visible
C) ultraviolet
D) radio

Question 24

Without the ozone layer,life on Earth would be in danger from increased levels of __________ radiation.

A) ultraviolet
B) X-ray
C) gamma ray
D) infrared

Question 25

The presence of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor in a planet's atmosphere is direct evidence of

A) high surface temperatures as the planet formed.
B) volcanic activity.
C) cometary impacts.
D) the presence of liquid water early in the planet's history.

Question 26

The amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere has been increasing over the last 50 years because of

A) global warming.
B) the growth of the ozone hole.
C) the burning of fossil fuels.
D) increased energy output from the Sun.

Question 27

A gas eventually will escape from a planet's atmosphere if the average velocity of the atoms exceeds 1/6 times the escape velocity of the planet.If the average velocity of water vapor in Venus' atmosphere is 0.9 km/s,would it eventually escape? Venus' mass is and its radius is 6,050 km.

A) Water vapor would escape because 1/6 times the escape velocity is 0.51 km/s.
B) Water vapor would not escape because 1/6 times the escape velocity is 1.7 km/s.
C) Water vapor would escape because 1/6 times the escape velocity is 0.42 km/s.
D) Water vapor would not escape because 1/6 times the escape velocity is 2.6 km/s.

Question 28

The major difference in the composition of Earth's atmosphere compared to the atmospheres of Venus and Mars is a direct consequence of

A) life on the planet.
B) a geologically active interior.
C) a moderate greenhouse effect.
D) the presence of liquid water.

Question 29

The greenhouse effect raises Earth's surface temperature by roughly

A) 3.5 K.
B) 35 K.
C) 350 K.
D) 3,500 K.

Question 30

If it were not for the greenhouse effect on Earth,

A) there would be no liquid water.
B) life as we know it would not have developed.
C) it would be much colder.
D) All of the above

Question 31

If plant life were to die on Earth,

A) the atmosphere would become denser.
B) oxygen would disappear from the atmosphere.
C) the atmosphere would become too sparse.
D) nitrogen would disappear from the atmosphere.

Question 32

If you found absorption arising from __________ in the spectrum of a planet,you would know that it probably contains some form of life.

A) oxygen
B) methane
C) water vapor
D) Any of the above

Question 33

According to the Ideal Gas law,if you blow up a balloon,seal it,and lower its temperature,the balloon will

A) contract.
B) expand.
C) remain the same size.
D) explode.

Question 34

Which molecule moves with the fastest average speed in the Earth's atmosphere in thermal equilibrium?

A) Water, (atomic mass = 18)
B) Carbon dioxide, (atomic mass = 44)
C) Nitrogen, (atomic mass = 28)
D) Oxygen, (atomic mass = 32)

Question 35

If an average hydrogen atom in Earth's atmosphere has a velocity of 2.5 km/s,what would be the average velocity of an molecule in the Earth's atmosphere? Note that the atomic mass of an oxygen atom is 16 times that of a hydrogen atom.

A) 0.16 km/s
B) 2.5 km/s
C) 0.62 km/s
D) 0.44 km/s

Question 36

If water vapor was released from Venus' surface due to tectonic activity into its upper atmosphere,what would most likely happen to it?

A) The water vapor would relieve the greenhouse effect and decrease Venus' surface temperature.
B) Water droplets would condense rain down,and form lakes on Venus' surface.
C) The water vapor would chemically react with carbon dioxide and form acid rain.
D) UV light would break apart the water molecules,and the hydrogen would be lost into space.

Question 37

Based solely on mass,which of the following terrestrial planets would you expect to retain a secondary atmosphere?

A) Mercury
B) Venus
C) Mars
D) The Moon

Question 38

All weather and wind on Earth are a result of convection in the

A) troposphere.
B) stratosphere.
C) mesosphere.
D) ionosphere.

Question 39

The main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of the terrestrial planets are

A) oxygen and nitrogen.
B) methane and ozone.
C) carbon dioxide and water vapor.
D) hydrogen and helium.

Question 40

Earth has roughly __________ times more atmospheric pressure than Mars and __________ times less than Venus.

A) 10;100
B) 100;100
C) 10;10
D) 100;10

Question 41

Earth's sky is blue because

A) blue light from the sun is scattered by molecules in the atmosphere.
B) of reflected light from the oceans.
C) red light is scattered by molecules in the atmosphere.
D) molecules that make up the Earth's atmosphere radiate preferentially at blue wavelengths.

Question 42

The first atmospheres of the terrestrial planets formed from hydrogen and helium.Why? What happened to this gas?

Question 43

The two layers of Earth's atmosphere that have temperature gradients that allow convection to occur are

A) the troposphere and the thermosphere.
B) the mesosphere and the stratosphere.
C) the thermosphere and the stratosphere.
D) the troposphere and the mesosphere.

Question 44

Carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere have been rising by about 4 percent per decade due to the use of fossil fuels.If this trend continues,what could happen to Earth?

Question 45

Venus's surface temperature is fairly uniform from the equator to the poles because

A) Venus rotates very rapidly,which causes strong zonal winds.
B) Venus is covered by a thick cloud layer that absorbs most of the sunlight that falls on it.
C) the carbon dioxide in Venus' atmosphere efficiently emits infrared radiation.
D) Venus rotates slowly so Coriolis forces do not disrupt Hadley circulation.

Question 46

What is the main driver that causes Hadley circulation in a planet's atmosphere to break up into zonal winds?

A) The planet's rapid rotation
B) Heating from the solar wind
C) Hurricanes developing along the planet's equator
D) Convection driven by solar heating

Question 47

Heating from __________ causes the top of the Earth's stratosphere to be warmer than the bottom.

A) higher-energy particles in the solar wind
B) convection
C) the ozone layer absorbing UV light
D) charged particles trapped by magnetic fields

Question 48

If the average molecule in Venus' atmosphere has a velocity of 0.6 km/s,what would the velocity be for a hydrogen atom in Venus' atmosphere?

Question 49

A gas eventually will escape from a planet's atmosphere if the average velocity of the gas' atoms exceeds 1/6 times the escape velocity of the planet.If the average velocity of water vapor in Venus' atmosphere is 0.5 km/s,what would be the average velocity of a single hydrogen atom? If Venus' escape velocity is 11 km/s,will hydrogen atoms eventually escape?

Question 50

Which of the following does NOT contribute to more extreme seasonal variations on Mars compared to Earth?

A) Its orbital eccentricity is larger.
B) Its spin axis is tilted more with respect to its orbital plane.
C) Its atmosphere is much lower in density.
D) All of the above contribute to Martian seasons being more extreme than seasons on Earth.

Question 51

Auroras are

A) gases fluorescing in the atmosphere.
B) the magnetosphere of Earth hitting its atmosphere.
C) the ozone layer being destroyed.
D) a product of the atmospheric greenhouse effect.

Question 52

Given the thickness and composition of Venus' atmosphere,by how much would you expect its average surface temperature to change between day and night?

A) Almost no change at all
B) By tens of K (like Earth)
C) By hundreds of K (like Mercury)
D) The answer depends on where Venus is in its orbit (closer to or farther from the Sun).

Question 53

Runaway convection in the Earth's atmosphere can lead to

A) storms.
B) lightening.
C) aurorae.
D) acid rain.

Question 54

Where is most of Earth's supply of carbon dioxide today?

Question 55

Which of the following contributes most to the large difference in the average daytime and nighttime temperatures on the Moon?

A) The lack of a hydrosphere
B) The lack of a magnetosphere
C) The lack of an atmosphere
D) The lack of geologic activity

Question 56

Hurricanes are powered by

A) Hadley circulation.
B) the Coriolis effect.
C) the heat of vaporization of water.
D) electrical conductivity of water.

Question 57

The shape of the Earth's magnetosphere is modified by

A) the Moon's tidal force.
B) the solar wind.
C) Earth's own gravity.
D) asymmetries in the shape of Earth's core.

Question 58

Humans cannot survive on the surface of Mars for long periods of time because

A) there is not enough oxygen in the atmosphere.
B) the range in temperature between day and night is too large.
C) the flux of ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface is too high.
D) All of the above are valid reasons.

Question 59

In the Southern hemisphere,hurricanes __________ compared to hurricanes in the Northern hemisphere due to the Coriolis effect.

A) rotate in the opposite direction
B) cause more damage
C) move from east to west
D) have larger wind speeds

Question 60

What is unique about Venus' rotation?

A) Venus rotates very rapidly,once every nine hours.
B) Venus rotates in the opposite direction compared to the direction it orbits the Sun.
C) Venus' rotational axis is tipped by 90 degrees relative to its orbital axis.
D) All of the above are unique characteristics of Venus' rotation.

Question 61

You take a sealed plastic bag of snacks on an airline flight where the atmospheric pressure is reduced to 0.8 bar,but the cabin is heated so the temperature is approximately the same as when you sealed the bag.What will happen to the volume of the bag? By how much will it have changed?

Question 62

Suppose you go out hiking in the snow on a mountain top on a cold winter day when the temperature outside is 0°C and the pressure is 0.75 bar.If you brought along a package of potato chips that was sealed at sea level when the temperature was 24°C,what would have happened to the volume of the bag of chips? By how much will the volume have changed?

Question 63

Earth's atmosphere is a (seemingly)enormous blanket roughly 250 km thick.What percentage of Earth's radius (6,400 km)does this represent? How does it compare to the average depth of the oceans (3 km)?

Question 64

Most of Earth's present-day atmosphere comes from a combination of what three sources?

Question 65

In the stratosphere of the Earth's atmosphere,how does the temperature vary with altitude and what causes this variation?

Question 66

The global winds on Earth are the result of a combination of what three things?

Question 67

If sunlight cannot penetrate Venus' cloud layer efficiently,why does the temperature remain so high?

Question 68

If there are kilograms of air above every square meter of the surface of Earth,and Earth is modeled as a sphere of radius meters,what is the mass of Earth's atmosphere and what fraction of the total mass of the Earth is it? You must show your calculations to get credit for your answer.

Question 69

Over the last century,why has the ozone hole over the Earth grown larger? How long might it take to revert to its former state?

Question 70

On Mars,water would exist in what forms (solid,liquid,or gas)? How does this vary with the seasons on Mars? Why are the seasonal variations on Mars different between the northern and southern hemispheres?

Question 71

Why does the temperature decrease as you go higher up in altitude in the troposphere on Earth?