The layers of the air

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   The thermosphere can reach 2,000 °C. Ari's friend says it must feel very hot up there. Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: 2,000 °C air would feel very hot
   • Agree: it is the layer nearest the Sun
   • Disagree: the air is so thin it would feel cold
   • Disagree: the thermosphere is below zero
2. 2.

   A weather balloon swells from about 2 m to up to 8 m across as it climbs. Why does it grow, Bo?

   • The air outside gets thicker
   • The Sun heats it to 2,000 °C
   • Air pressure around it drops
   • The ozone layer pulls on it

3. Read this first

   Use this

   Cross-section of the atmosphere, not to scale.

5. 3.

   A weather balloon rises from the ground to 35 km. How does the air temperature change on the way, Jun?

   • It falls the whole way up
   • It falls, then rises
   • It rises, then falls
   • It rises the whole way up
6. 4.

   A research rocket climbs from 40 km to 90 km. How does the air temperature change along that climb, Kira?

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • Warmer the whole climb
   • Colder, then warmer, then much colder again
   • Colder the whole climb
   • Warmer, then colder, then warmer again
7. 5.

   A probe climbs from 60 km to 300 km. How does the air temperature change on that trip, Luz?

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • Colder at first, then much hotter
   • About the same the whole trip
   • Hotter at first, then much colder
   • Colder for the whole trip
8. 6.

   NASA puts the stratosphere from about 12 km to 50 km. About how thick is the stratosphere, Milo?

   • About 50 km
   • About 12 km
   • About 38 km
   • About 62 km
9. 7.

   The mesosphere starts at about 50 km. Its top is about 80 km (NASA) or 85 km (UCAR). About how thick is it, Noah?

   • About 5 km
   • About 80 to 85 km
   • About 130 to 135 km
   • About 30 to 35 km
10. 8.

    UCAR says the troposphere holds about 75% to 80% of the atmosphere's mass. About what share is in all the layers above it, Pia?

    • About 75% to 80%
    • About 100%
    • About half
    • About 20% to 25%
11. 9.

    Why does almost all weather stay in the troposphere, Ren?

    • It is the thinnest layer of air
    • The stratosphere has more clouds than the troposphere
    • Weather needs ozone to form
    • About 99% of the water vapor is there
12. 10.

    Ozone warms the air as it absorbs ultraviolet light. If that ozone thinned, which layer would warm less, Zee?

    • The stratosphere
    • The troposphere
    • The thermosphere
    • The mesosphere