Sci_8_Interaction of Spheres Assessment

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Water evaporates from a lake into the air, forming clouds. The clouds eventually form rain and it falls to the ground. In which spheres does this cycle happen?

• geosphere and cryosphere
• cryosphere and hydrosphere
• hydrosphere and atmosphere
• thermosphere and atmosphere

The layers of Earth's atmosphere perform specific functions. Study the illustration below, which shows the layers of the atmosphere. Which layer of the atmosphere absorbs solar radiation that would be harmful to certain elements of the biosphere?

• troposphere
• mesosphere
• stratosphere
• thermosphere

When animals breathe, they take in oxygen from the air. The oxygen is used to obtain energy from food. This example demonstrates interaction between which two spheres?

• atmosphere and biosphere
• cryosphere and atmosphere
• biosphere and hydrosphere
• hydrosphere and geosphere

Earth’s spheres interact in many ways. Which describes how the hydrosphere and atmosphere interact?

• A heavy snowfall adds mass to a glacier.
• Polluted air kills several animal species.
• Magma erupts and releases trapped gases.
• Ocean currents influence weather patterns.

Earth’s spheres interact in many ways. What is one way that the cryosphere and biosphere interact?

• A glacier picks up rock and sediment as it moves down a valley.
• Heavy rains bring an end to a dry period on the African savannah.
• A volcanic eruption destroys the plants on an island.
• A melting glacier provides fresh water for plants and animals in the valley below the glacier.

The atmosphere insulates Earth, keeping the temperature warmer and more stable than it would otherwise be. This insulating effect has an impact on other Earth spheres. What might happen to the cryosphere if the insulating effect of the atmosphere increased?

• Less of the cryosphere would enter the hydrosphere.
• More of the cryosphere would enter the hydrosphere.
• The cryosphere would become bigger.
• The cryosphere would not change.

Look at the illustration below. The volcanic eruption is sending out clouds of dust and ash. An interaction between which two spheres is being demonstrated?

• biosphere and geosphere
• cryosphere and biosphere
• geosphere and atmosphere
• atmosphere and hydrosphere

Which set of the spheres on Earth would BEST represent animal species in a forest?

• atmosphere, geosphere, cryosphere
• geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere
• biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere
• cryosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is high energy and can damage cells. Earth’s ozone layer blocks a lot of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. In the past, some products used by people contained a chemical that destroyed the ozone layer. These chemicals have been banned in an attempt to preserve the ozone layer. What would happen to life on Earth if the ozone layer disappeared?

• Some animals would develop skin and eye damage.
• Fish would grow to increasingly larger sizes.
• Many plant species would grow out of control and deplete soils of nutrients.
• Lakes and rivers would experience an increase in algal growth, which would deplete oxygen in the water.