Write It! Station Directions It is recommended that you have completed at least two of the following stations before working at this station. -Read It! -Explore It! -Watch It! -Research It! Answer each of the task card questions on the lab sheet in complete sentences. Compare and contrast the What are some of the troposphere and the differences between cumulus thermosphere. and stratus clouds? Describe the chemical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere? Which elements are abundant? Which are not? Assess It! Station Directions It is recommended that you have completed at least two of the following stations before working at this station. -Read It! -Explore It! -Watch It! -Research It! Each member will answer the questions from the task cards on the lab sheet in the Assess It! section. Which is the most Which statement is not abundant element in true? the earth’s atmosphere? A. The troposphere is responsible for nearly all of Earth’s weather. B. The exosphere reaches deep into space A. Oxygen and is the least dense layer. B. Nitrogen C. The thermosphere typically breaks up C. Argon meteors before they hit Earth. D. The stratosphere allows commercial D. Sulphur airlines to fly with less turbulence because of fewer convection currents. Jose notices several large Which layer of the earth’s cumulonimbus clouds when atmosphere does the playing in the park. What International Space Station event might happen next? (ISS) orbit in? A. Nothing. These clouds are harmless and very high up. B. Nothing. These clouds are A. Troposphere harmless but very close to the B. Exosphere ground. C. Thermosphere C. A thunderstorm is likely to occur. D. Stratosphere D. A light snow is coming. Read It! Station Directions Each member of the group will read the passage and answer the questions from the task cards on the lab sheet in the Read It! section. It is important to remember that the answers will come directly from the reading passage. Atmospheric Composition Breathe in and you can appreciate that the Earth’s atmosphere has everything needed to support life on Earth. But what’s in it? Let’s take a look at the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. Of course, things haven’t always been balanced they way they are today. But more of that in a second. The Earth’s atmosphere is composed of the following molecules: nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), argon (1%), and then trace amounts of carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, krypton, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, xenon, ozone, iodine, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Lower altitudes also have quantities of water vapor. The atmosphere we have today is very different from the Earth’s early atmosphere. When the planet first cooled down 4.4 billion years ago, volcanos spewed out steam, carbon dioxide and ammonia, and it was 100 times as dense as today’s atmosphere. The earliest bacteria, known as cyanobacteria, were probably the first oxygen-producing organisms on Earth. Approximately 2.7 to 2.2 billion years ago, they released large amounts of oxygen and sequestered the carbon dioxide. As oxygen was released, it reacted with ammonia to release nitrogen. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is exhaled by plants (and produced by human industry burning fossil fuels). Greenhouse gases whose percentages vary daily, seasonally, and annually have physical and chemical properties which make them interact with solar radiation and infrared light (heat) given off from the earth to affect the energy balance of the globe. This is why scientists are watching the observed increase in greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane carefully, because even though they are small in amount, they can strongly affect the global energy balance and temperature over time. Which elements make How is today’s up most of the earth’s atmosphere different atmosphere? from Earth’s early atmosphere? A. There is less oxygen today. A. Oxygen and Sulphur B. The atmosphere is less dense today. B. Oxygen and Nitrogen C. The atmosphere is more dense C. Oxygen and Silicon today. D. Nitrogen and Iron D. There is more ammonia today. How are cyanobacteria How do greenhouse related to the gases affect the energy atmosphere? balance of Earth? A. It is believed they were the first oxygen A. They are released into space. producing organisms. B. Decreasing amounts are released into the B. They live in the upper troposphere of the atmosphere as the human population atmosphere. increases. C. They are believed to produce carbon C. They create an abundance of oxygen dioxide into the atmosphere. through chemical reactions. D. They fed off of the abundant nitrogen in D. They heat the planet causing changes in the atmosphere. environments. Watch It! Station Directions Each member of the group will go to the website listed on task card #1 Complete the task cards in order. Every student will answer the questions from the task cards on the lab sheet in the Watch It! section of the lab sheet. YouTube: https://goo.gl/MitL8E G Drive: https://goo.gl/Ksuf4b URL is case-sensitive 1. Click Play on the video. What are some characteristics 2. Answer questions from cards of the troposphere? #2-4 on your lab sheet. YouTube What layer of the atmosphere Describe the ionosphere. do many commercial airlines Where is it? What is unique fly in? Why? about it? Research It! Station Directions Each member of the group will go to the website listed on task card #1 Complete the task cards in order. Every student will answer the questions from the task cards on the lab sheet in the Research It! section. 1. Go to 1. Go to https://goo.gl/hytJ9m https://goo.gl/YEqsPn 2. Watch the video. 2. Perform the challenge. Every wrong answer lowers your 3. Take notes on your lab sheet score. and sketch pictures. You will need them for the next card. 3. Write your score on the lab sheet. Explore It! Station Directions One member of the group will read the task cards in order. The group will be responsible for completing each of the tasks that are being read. Each member of the group will then write their conclusions down on the lab sheet in the Explore It! section. 1. Use data on the 5 blank Answer the following pieces to put together questions on your lab the layers of the sheet. atmosphere. They will fit together like a puzzle. 1. Use the text to summarize each of 2. Place the additional 5 cards within the layers of the atmosphere. the blank pieces. Use the text to 2. How do you think density plays a role figure out where each layer goes. in the atmosphere? 3. Check your model with the teacher 3. How does the atmosphere benefit or answer key. life on Earth? ~ 600 – 10,000 km ~ 85– 600 km ~ 50– 85 km ~ 14.5 – 50 km ~ 0 – 14.5km Exosphere The "air" in the exosphere is very, very, very thin, making this layer even more space-like than the thermosphere. In fact, air in the exosphere is constantly - though very gradually - "leaking" out of Earth's atmosphere into outer space. There is no clear-cut upper boundary where the exosphere finally fades away into space. High Earth Orbit satellites can be found here. Thermosphere In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within the thermosphere, including the International Space Station. Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the temperature within it. The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere. Mesosphere Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer. The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe; air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level, and continues dropping as you go higher. Stratosphere The infamous ozone layer is found within the stratosphere. Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat. Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere actually gets warmer the higher you go! That trend of rising temperatures with altitude means that air in the stratosphere lacks the turbulence and updrafts of the troposphere beneath. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Troposphere We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere. Illustrate It! Station Directions Each member of the group will draw a quick sketch on the lab sheet that shows they understand the concept being taught. Use the colored pencils and markers that are provided. The directions for the sketch are provided on the task card at the table. Illustrate It! Station Directions Use the colored pencils to draw a layers of the atmosphere diagram. In each layer, draw a picture that represents the phenomena or objects that exist there. You must use the following vocabulary on your diagram. Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere Exosphere Organize It! Station Directions It is recommended that you have completed at least two of the following stations before working at this station.