Earth Dynamics Chapter 10

1. What gases make up the atmosphere and what are their proportions?
   • What importance do these gases play in sustaining the biosphere?
2. What happens to temperature and air pressure as you move away from the earth?
3. If large commercial planes have a cruising altitude of about 10,000m, where are they in the earth’s atmosphere?
   • Why is this chosen as cruising altitude?
   • Why can’t you open windows on a plane?
4. Why is it that no plane has every flown higher than the SR-71 at 25,929m?
5. Why does it get warmer again in the stratosphere?
6. Generally, what is used to define each atmospheric layer?
7. Why does the thermosphere increase in temperature?
8. Why can you only see the aurora borealis at the poles?
9. What will happen to your helium balloon if you let it go?