Exam 9: Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

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?

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Question 1

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Increased concentration of carbon dioxide is acidifying the oceans,directly affecting the carbon cycle.Higher temperatures are also associated with an increase in the severity of extreme weather events and changing climate zones.As the surface temperature increases,polar ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland could melt.This,along with increased temperatures,would lead to sea level rise and coastlines moving inland with flooding as the intermediate result.Eventually the carbon dioxide could cause a runaway greenhouse effect.

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

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In the absence of the greenhouse effect,the water on the surface of the Earth would:

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

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Question 4

The only two layers of Earth's atmosphere that have temperature gradients that allow convection to take place are:

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Question 5

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?

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Question 6

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

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Question 7

According to the figure,about how long ago did oxygen reach its current abundance in Earth's atmosphere?

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Question 8

Like Mars and Venus,Earth originally had a significant amount of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.Where is the majority of the carbon now?

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Question 9

What is the main reason Hadley circulation in a planet's atmosphere breaks up into zonal winds?

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Question 10

If the average CO₂ molecule in Venus's atmosphere has a velocity of 0.6 km/s,what would the velocity be for a hydrogen atom in Venus's atmosphere? Note the mass of a CO₂ molecule is 44 times that of a hydrogen atom.

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Question 11

When frozen water on the surface of Mars heats up during summer time,the water:

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Question 12

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

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Question 13

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

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Question 14

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

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Question 15

Venus rotates so rapidly that the dominant form of atmospheric circulation is powered by hurricanes moving from its equator to its poles.

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Question 16

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

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Question 17

If you found absorption rising from _________ in the spectrum of a planet,you could conclude that it might contain some form of life.

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Question 18

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

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Question 19

If sunlight broke up water molecules in Venus's atmosphere,would the hydrogen atoms escape into outer space? Note that Venus's temperature is 740 K.Recall that gas eventually will escape if the average velocity of its atoms is greater than 1/6 times the escape velocity of the planet.The escape velocity of Venus is 10 km/s.

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Question 20

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Exam 9: Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

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?

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

In the absence of the greenhouse effect,the water on the surface of the Earth would:

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

The only two layers of Earth's atmosphere that have temperature gradients that allow convection to take place are:

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?

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

According to the figure,about how long ago did oxygen reach its current abundance in Earth's atmosphere?

Like Mars and Venus,Earth originally had a significant amount of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.Where is the majority of the carbon now?

What is the main reason Hadley circulation in a planet's atmosphere breaks up into zonal winds?

If the average CO2 molecule in Venus's atmosphere has a velocity of 0.6 km/s,what would the velocity be for a hydrogen atom in Venus's atmosphere? Note the mass of a CO2 molecule is 44 times that of a hydrogen atom.

When frozen water on the surface of Mars heats up during summer time,the water:

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

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

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

Venus rotates so rapidly that the dominant form of atmospheric circulation is powered by hurricanes moving from its equator to its poles.

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

If you found absorption rising from _________ in the spectrum of a planet,you could conclude that it might contain some form of life.

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

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornments Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

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If the average CO₂ molecule in Venus's atmosphere has a velocity of 0.6 km/s,what would the velocity be for a hydrogen atom in Venus's atmosphere? Note the mass of a CO₂ molecule is 44 times that of a hydrogen atom.