Chapter 3

Earth’s Modern Atmosphere

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Review: Atmospheric Profiles

The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere are defined based on their

A. composition.

B. function.

C. temperature.

D. height above Earth’s surface.

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Reading Figures: Atmospheric Profile

What percentage of the total atmosphere lies between 0 and 31 miles (50 km) from Earth’s surface?

A. 0.1 percent

B. 10 percent

C. 50 percent

D. 90 percent

E. 99.9 percent

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Review: Atmospheric Components

Humans have most significantly changed the concentration of _________ in the modern atmosphere.

A. argon

B. carbon dioxide

C. oxygen

D. nitrogen

E. trace gases

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Review: Stratospheric Ozone

Which of the following is least accurate concerning stratospheric ozone?

A. It absorbs a lot of ultraviolet radiation and reradiates it at longer wavelengths.

B. It was thinning but is now filling back in rapidly.

C. Humans are affected by thinning in the ozone layer and have also caused much of the thinning.

D. Scientists are still studying the ozone layer to better understand it.

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Review: Variable Atmospheric Components

Which of the following prevents vertical mixing of the atmosphere?

A. winds

B. forest fires

C. volcanic landscapes

D. temperature inversions

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Prentice Hall, Pearson Education, Inc.

Review: Variable Atmospheric Components

Which of the following would be most likely to cause the damage shown in the photo?

A. acid deposition

B. forest fire

C. photochemical smog

D. ozone/chloro-fluorocarbon pollution