Pg 344 #1-4
1. Why is human exposure to ultraviolet radiation potentially more harmful than exposure to infrared radiation?
a. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is potentially more harmful because it is linked to sunburn, skin cancer, and if all the UV radiation reaching the atmosphere actually reached the Earth’s surface, it is likely that the most life on Earth would be destroyed, while infrared radiation can never reach Earth’s surface because it is absorbed carbon dioxide and water vapor.
2. Describe two essential roles played by visible solar radiation.
a. Visible radiation helps in the process of plant photosynthesis because it provides the energy needed to react with the chlorophyll molecules.
b. It also powers the hydrologic cycle because it causes water to evaporate from the oceans and landmasses.
3. Explain why dry, arid regions in the United States, such as New Mexico and Arizona, experience wider air-temperature fluctuations from night to day than do states with more humid conditions, such as Florida.
a. Dry, arid regions in the United States experience temperature fluctuations because they don’t have the water or moisture in the atmosphere to absorb the radiation that is traveling to those areas, while more humid areas have less temperature fluctuations because there is more moisture in the air, which absorbs and reradiates the radiation that it comes in contact with.
4. Suppose Earth had a less dense atmosphere (fewer gas molecules) than it does now:
a. How would average daytime temperatures be affected? Why?
i. Yes, it would because the gas would be able to reradiate less thermal energy back to Earth to make it warmer, in which density decreases.
b. How would average nighttime temperatures be affected? Why?
i. Yes, because colder, denser air displaces the warmer air, which cause the warmer air to rise.
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