CHAPTER – 2

ATMOSPHERE.

1. Fill in the blanks:

A. Atmosphere
B. Gravitational pull
C. Pauses
D. Stratosphere
E. Green house effect
F. Global warming
2. Match the following :
A. – v
B. – iv
C. – i
D. – ii
E. – iii
3. Write ‘T' for True and ‘F' for False
A. False (F)
B. True (T)
C. False(F)
D. True (T)
E. False (F)
F. True (T)
G. True (T)
4. Answer the following briefly:
A. What is the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere?
Ans. The percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere is 21%.
B. Define exosphere.
Ans: The exosphere is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere where the gravitational
pull of the earth is minimum, the atmosphere thins out and merges with the
interplanetary space.
C. Which two gases make the bulk of the atmosphere?
Ans: Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%) together makes the bulk of the atmosphere.
D. Which gas creates greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and how?
Ans: Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide create greenhouse effect in the
atmosphere by trapping the thermal radiation and reflecting it back to the earth.
E. What do you understand by Greenhouse effect?
Ans: Greenhouse effect is a natural process in which the gases like Carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide absorbs and re-radiates the heat back to the Earth and
warms the earth’s surface.
F. Why do meteors burn up in Mesosphere?
Ans: Meteors burn up in the layer of Mesosphere because of air resistance and friction.
5. Answer the following in details:
A. What is the composition of air?
Ans: The air or atmosphere is mostly composed of gases, water vapour and dust
particles. The gases are the permanent constituents of the atmosphere. Nitrogen (78%)
and Oxygen (21%),makes up 99 % of the atmosphere while 1% of the gases constitutes
of water vapour, carbon dioxide and ozone. Other than the gases, the water vapour and
dust particles also forms the part of the atmosphere and are variable in nature.
B. Briefly describe the different layers of the atmosphere.
Ans: The Earth’s atmosphere is divided into five layers based on density and
temperature.
1. Troposphere: It is the lowermost layer of the atmosphere, rising just 16 kms above
the equator and 6 kms above the poles. All weather phenomena
Takes place in this layer. The temperature in this layer decreases with the increase
in height.
2. Stratosphere: It is the second layer from the earth's surface. It is a very important
layer, as it has an ozone layer that protects the earth from the harmful incoming
ultra-violet radiation (UV-rays) from the sun. In this layer temperature increases
with height.
3. Mesosphere: Mesosphere is a layer after stratosphere above 50 kms from the
earth’s surface. It is the coldest layer with temperature dipping as low as 120°C.
Meteors burn in this layer due to air resistance and friction.
4. Thermosphere : This layer extends from 90kms to between 500 to 1000kms above
the ground. Temperature slowly increases in the lower thermosphere and then
begins to level off.
5. Exosphere: It is the upper most layer of the atmosphere where the gravitational pull
of the earth is minimum. The atmosphere here thins out and merges with
interplanetary space.
C. List the causes that contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Ans:. The factor that contributes to Greenhouse effect are as follows:
1. Burning of fossil fuels: Fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas are widely used in
the present day to produce electricity and for transportation. These fuels when
burnt emits large amount of carbon, leading to increase in Carbon dioxide (CO2) and
causes pollution.
2. Deforestation : Forest is an important source of fresh oxygen and helps in reduction
of Carbon dioxide. The felling of trees from sake of development reduces the
amount of Oxygen in air and results in increase of Carbon dioxide, which would
make breathing difficult for humans.
3. Increase in population: Increase in population increase the demand of food, cloth
and shelter and this leads to growth of manufacturing unit which emits harmful
gases in the air.
4. Farming: Nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas is used in farming as chemical fertilizers
and this adds to greenhouse effect.
5. Industrial wastes and landfills : Industrial activities produces harmful greenhouse
gas. Also, landfill filled with garbage produces harmful gases like carbon dioxide
and methane. They all contribute to greenhouse effect.
D. Describe the impact of global warming.
Ans: Global warming is the gradual increase in the earth’s temperature. It has several
impact on the planet.
1. Increase in the temperature has led to rapid melting of glaciers resulting in
flooding in most of the low lying region.
2. Animals are migrating due to change in hhabitat.
3. Cold weather biomes such as Tundra will shrink,
While deserts will expand.
4. Increase in temperature will cause heavy precipitation and increase the risk
of flooding.
5. Global warming affects the change in global climatic pattern. This may lead
to flooding in some parts while drought in the other regions.
6. The change in the climate or season and rapid increase in temperature has
affected the living environment of different plants and animals. This has
threatened their existence and are on verge of extinction.
E. What measures can be taken to reduce the impact of global warming?
Ans: Despite large impact of Global warming, there are ways in reducing the impact or
affect of Global warming. It can be done in following ways:
1. Use of recyclable products instead of disposables will reduce the generation of
waste and help control global warming.
2. The most efficient way to reduce global warming is by conserving energy. Most of
the home appliances used should be energy efficient. Even turning off heaters, air
coolers and refrigerators, when not necessary can help control global warming.
3. Afforestation- planting of trees help reduce the temperature by reducing the carbon
elements in the air. This is probably the best measure to reduce global warming.
4. Reducing pollution helps in the reduction of global warming. Use of renewable
sources of energof such as tidal energy, solar energy, biomass etc instead of fossil
fuels would significantly contribute to reducing global warming.