Atmosphere

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/atmosphere

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary formation mechanisms?Accretion during planetary formation and ongoing outgassing from planetary interiors
2. What is Earth's atmosphere?Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases held by our planet's gravity, like an invisible hug that lets us breathe and keeps us safe.
3. How does Earth keep its atmosphere?Earth's strong gravity pulls gases in, and its cooler temperature helps keep them from drifting away. The magnetosphere also protects against solar wind.

Accretion: The process by which dust and gas in a protoplanetary disk gradually combine to form larger celestial bodies.
Outgassing: The release of volatile compounds, such as gases and water vapor, from a planet's interior, typically through volcanic activity.
Solar Wind: A stream of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, which can strip away planetary atmospheres.
Magnetosphere: The region around a planet dominated by its magnetic field, which can deflect the solar wind and protect the atmosphere.