Factors that Control Earth's Temperature

The sun emits energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, but the intensity of that energy is greatest at which wavelength?

• a.Ultraviolet (the shortest wavelengths)
• b.Visible wavelengths
• c.Near-infrared
• d.Medium-infrared (the longest wavelengths)

Why does Mercury have the highest insolation of all of the planets?

• a.Mercury is closest to the sun.
• b.Mercury is the smallest planet.
• c.Mercury has no atmosphere.
• d.Mercury has the lowest albedo.

All wavelengths of energy emitted by the sun make it through the atmosphere to Earth’s surface.

• a.true
• b.false

Which of the following surfaces would you expect to have the highest albedo?

• a.Blacktop or asphalt
• b.A lawn with green grass
• c.A snowy field
• d.A lake

Why are some atmospheric components like carbon dioxide called “greenhouse gases”?

• a.They absorb infrared energy and cause the atmosphere to warm.
• b.They were discovered in de Saussure’s hot box.
• c.They are created by plants in greenhouses.
• d.They are present only when liquid water is available.

Which of the following would be considered aerosols that might have a cooling effect in the atmosphere?

• a.Dust kicked up by plowing a dry field that falls back to the ground the same day.
• b.Carbon dioxide emitted in a volcanic eruption that stays in the atmosphere.
• c.Droplets of sulfuric acid emitted in a volcanic eruption that stay in the atmosphere for a year.
• d.Methane emitted by natural gas power plants.

The primary source of energy at Earth’s surface is:

• a.Nuclear energy from Earth’s core.
• b.Energy emitted from the sun.
• c.Infrared energy emitted by Earth.
• d.The motion of the sun.