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Grade 9 · Science · Earth and Space Science

9th grade Earth's energy balance and albedo worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Earth's energy balance and albedo

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Albedo (NSIDC)

    SurfaceAlbedo
    open oceanabout 0.06
    bare sea ice0.5 to 0.7
    snow-covered sea iceup to 0.9

  2. Open ocean has an albedo of about 0.06 (NSIDC). What share of sunlight does it reflect, by Kira's math?

    • About 6%
    • About 94%
    • About 60%
    • About 0.06%

  3. Earth's energy budget (NASA)

    PartShare of incoming sunlight
    reflected to space29%
    absorbed by the atmosphere23%
    absorbed by the surface48%

  4. About how much sunlight reaches the top of the atmosphere, averaged over Earth, by Jun's reading (NASA)?

    • About 1,360 watts per square meter at each spot
    • About 3,400 watts per square meter
    • About 340 watts per square meter
    • About 34 watts per square meter

  5. About what share of incoming sunlight is reflected back to space, by Luz's reading (NASA)?

    • About 2.9%
    • About 48%
    • About 29%
    • About 71%

  6. Where is most incoming sunlight absorbed, by Milo's reading (NASA)?

    • In the clouds, about 71%
    • At the surface, about 48%
    • At the surface, about 23%
    • In the atmosphere, about 48%

  8. What is radiative equilibrium, by Noah's reading (NASA)?

    • Incoming solar energy balanced by an equal flow of heat to space
    • Earth reflecting the sunlight it gets
    • Earth holding on to the energy it gets
    • No sunlight reaching Earth

  9. If incoming energy stayed larger than outgoing for a while, what would Earth's average temperature do, by Pia's reading (NASA)?

    Use the picture in question 5.

    • Swing wildly each day
    • Fall
    • Rise until the flows balance again
    • Stay exactly the same while incoming energy is larger

  10. How does Earth send energy back to space, by Ren's reading (NASA)?

    Use the picture in question 5.

    • By reflecting sunlight off clouds and ice, and nothing else
    • By sending ocean water to space
    • By reflecting some sunlight and radiating heat (infrared)
    • It does not send energy back

  11. Use this

    Sunbeams striking the equator straight on and the poles at a slant.

  12. Why do the tropics get more solar energy per square meter than the poles, by Tala's reading (NASA)?

    • The poles are dark year-round
    • The tropics have a higher albedo
    • Sunlight strikes more directly there
    • The tropics are much closer to the Sun than the poles

  13. NASA: compared with the equator, about how much energy reaches the polar circles at an equinox, by Zee's reading?

    • About 4%
    • About 40%
    • About 90%
    • About 140%

  14. Where does Earth have a yearly energy surplus, by Esme's reading (NASA)?

    • Over sea ice
    • In the tropics
    • Equally at each latitude
    • At the poles
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9th grade Earth's energy balance and albedo worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Explain Earth's energy balance and albedo. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can define albedo (0 to 1) and compare surfaces: open ocean about 0.06, bare sea ice 0.5 to 0.7, snow-covered ice up to 0.9.
  • I can use NASA's energy budget (about 340 W/m²: 29% reflected, 23% absorbed by air, 48% by the surface) and the idea of radiative equilibrium.
  • I can explain why the tropics gain energy and the poles lose it, and how winds and currents carry heat poleward.

Standard: HS-ESS2-4

Words to know

albedo: The fraction of sunlight a surface reflects, from 0 to 1

energy budget: The balance of energy coming in and going out

radiative equilibrium: Incoming energy matched by heat radiated to space

total solar irradiance: Sunlight's power on a surface facing the Sun, about 1,360 W/m²

watt per square meter: Power arriving on each square meter

Common mistakes

Your child reversed albedo. NSIDC: albedo runs from 0 to 1 and tells how much sunlight a surface reflects; a high albedo reflects more and absorbs less.

Your child mixed up which surfaces are bright. NSIDC: open ocean about 0.06, bare sea ice 0.5 to 0.7, snow-covered ice up to 0.9.

Your child mixed up the budget shares. NASA: of 340 W/m², about 29% is reflected, 23% absorbed by the atmosphere and 48% absorbed by the surface.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with earth's energy balance and albedo?

Your child reversed albedo. NSIDC: albedo runs from 0 to 1 and tells how much sunlight a surface reflects; a high albedo reflects more and absorbs less.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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