The greenhouse effect
Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Sunlight arrows in, and infrared arrows going up, back down and out to space. A classmate says the greenhouse effect is entirely harmful. Which reply fits NASA, by Esme's reading?
- Correct; without it, Earth would sit at a comfortable 15 °C instead of colder
- No; the natural effect keeps the surface near 15 °C, over 30 °C warmer than with no air
- Correct; greenhouse gases mainly block the sunlight coming in from space
- No; the effect cools the surface by reflecting its heat out to space
A molecule with infrared arrows going up and down. A student says greenhouse gases trap heat forever, like a lid. Which reply fits NASA, by Jun's reading?
- Correct; heat stays in the gases, so Earth keeps warming without any limit
- No; they reflect each ray of infrared straight back down to the ground
- Correct; they work like glass that keeps sunlight from ever leaving
- No; they absorb infrared and radiate it in all directions, some up and some down
A student says nitrogen must be the main greenhouse gas since it is most of the air. Which reply fits NASA, by Kira's reading?
- No; nitrogen lets infrared pass, while trace gases like CO₂ absorb it
- No; argon is the main greenhouse gas in Earth's air
- Correct; oxygen and nitrogen absorb most of the incoming sunlight
- Correct; the most common gas in the air must absorb the most infrared
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Use this
Sunlight arrows in, and infrared arrows going up, back down and out to space.
About 340 W/m² of sunlight arrives on average (NASA). At 117%, about how many W/m² does the surface radiate up, by Luz's math?
- About 398 W/m²
- About 223 W/m²
- About 457 W/m²
- About 40 W/m²
About 340 W/m² of sunlight arrives on average (NASA). At 12%, about how many W/m² of infrared escape straight to space, by Milo's math?
- About 4 W/m²
- About 28 W/m²
- About 352 W/m²
- About 41 W/m²
Energy flows as a share of incoming sunlight (NASA)
Flow Share of incoming sunlight Reflected to space 29% Absorbed by the atmosphere 23% Absorbed by the surface 48% Infrared up from the surface 117% Infrared back down to the surface 100% Infrared from the surface straight to space 12% Infrared from the atmosphere to space 59% Using the table, 23% of sunlight is absorbed by the air and 48% by the surface. What share is absorbed in all, and what share reflected, by Noah's math?
- 71% absorbed and 29% reflected
- 71% absorbed and 71% reflected
- 25% absorbed and 75% reflected
- 48% absorbed and 52% reflected
Absorption bands for water vapor and CO₂, with a window near 10 micrometers. Which evidence best shows that CO₂ absorbs outgoing infrared, by Pia's reading (NASA)?
- Water vapor already takes in those wavelengths, so CO₂ adds nothing
- It is the most abundant gas in Earth's air, more than nitrogen
- Its absorption pattern takes in infrared longer than about 12 to 13 micrometers
- It reflects visible sunlight straight back out to space
Energy flows as a share of incoming sunlight (NASA)
Flow Share of incoming sunlight Reflected to space 29% Absorbed by the atmosphere 23% Absorbed by the surface 48% Infrared up from the surface 117% Infrared back down to the surface 100% Infrared from the surface straight to space 12% Infrared from the atmosphere to space 59% Which observation best supports that the atmosphere sends heat back down, by Ren's reading (NASA)?
- The surface gets downward infrared equal to about 100% of incoming sunlight
- The sky glows green on a clear afternoon
- Clouds reflect about 48% of incoming sunlight back to space, which warms the ground below
- The Sun's surface is about 55 °C
Sunlight arrows in, and infrared arrows going up, back down and out to space. Which summary of the natural greenhouse effect fits NASA, by Zee's reading?
- Sunlight warms the surface; gases absorb its infrared and send some back, keeping it near 15 °C
- Nitrogen and oxygen absorb the surface's heat and send it back down
- Gases reflect infrared like a mirror, sending each ray back down
- Gases block most incoming sunlight before it reaches the ground, so the surface stays near 15 °C
Absorption bands for water vapor and CO₂, with a window near 10 micrometers. Which summary of the atmospheric window fits NASA, by Bo's reading?
- The window lets visible sunlight in, and CO₂ blocks that sunlight
- Water vapor blocks each wavelength, so CO₂ has nothing left to absorb
- Water vapor lets some infrared near 10 micrometers escape; CO₂ partly closes that window
- CO₂ opens the window wider near 10 micrometers, letting more of the surface's heat escape to space