Climate of Mars

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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/climate-of-mars

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. How tall is Climate of Mars?Approximately 11 km (36,000 ft), greater than Earth's
2. What is the dominant atmospheric gas?Carbon dioxide (CO2) at ~95%
3. What is the average surface temperature?-80 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 degrees Celsius)
4. What makes Mars's weather so different from Earth's?Mars has a very thin atmosphere, about 100 times less dense than Earth's, which makes it much colder and allows huge dust storms to form. The planet is also very dusty and has ice caps, but the overall climate is much harsher.
5. Why does Mars sometimes have dust storms that cover the whole planet?The thin atmosphere and low pressure let dust lift easily, and when the wind picks it up it can spread across the entire planet for weeks. These storms are a normal part of Martian weather.

Scale Height: A measure of how quickly atmospheric pressure or density decreases with altitude.
Thermal Inertia: A measure of how quickly a material's temperature changes when its surroundings change.
Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM): A computer simulation used to study the atmospheric dynamics and climate of Mars.