Lesson 15.3: Energy in the
Atmosphere
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Printed: September 8, 2015
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C HAPTER
Chapter 1. Lesson 15.3: Energy in the Atmosphere
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Lesson 15.3: Energy in the
Atmosphere
Key Concepts
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Energy, temperature, and heat
Energy from the sun
Seasons on Earth
Heat transfer in the atmosphere
Heat at Earth’s surface
Greenhouse effect
Lesson Objectives
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Describe how energy is transmitted.
Describe Earth’s heat budget and what happens to the sun’s energy.
Discuss the importance of convection in the atmosphere.
Describe how a planet’s heat budget can be balanced.
Describe the greenhouse effect and why it is so important for life on Earth.
Lesson Vocabulary
• albedo: measure of the amount of light that reflects off a surface
• electromagnetic wave: wave with both electric and magnetic properties that can travel through space by
radiation
• greenhouse effect: trapping of heat in Earth’s atmosphere by greenhouse gases, which absorb heat that
radiates from Earth’s surface
• insolation: amount of solar radiation striking a given area over a given period of time
• insulation: material that inhibits conduction of heat or electricity
• latent heat: energy absorbed or released when a substance changes state
• reflection: change in direction of a wave at the surface of a new medium so that the wave travels back through
the original medium
• specific heat: amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree
Celsius
• temperature: measure of the hotness of a material, which reflects how quickly its atoms are vibrating
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Teaching Strategies
Introducing the Lesson
Before students read about energy in the atmosphere, help them recall what they already know about energy.
Question: What is energy?
Answer: Energy is the ability to do work or change matter.
Question: What are some different forms that energy may take?
Answer: Forms of energy include light, sound, electrical energy, and chemical energy.
Question: What is heat?
Answer: Heat is energy associated with the movement of atoms or molecules.
Tell students they will learn in this lesson where the atmosphere gets heat energy and how heat moves through the
atmosphere.
Building Science Skills
Students can build their observation skills and see how the angle of the sun’s rays affect their strength if you do a
simple demonstration (demonstration # 36, “Comb Beams,” at the URL below). Using a light source, comb, and
piece of white cardboard, you will demonstrate how light rays can be spread out or concentrated to cover more or
less area by changing the angle at which the rays strike the surface. Have students relate the demonstration to rays of
sunlight striking Earth’s surface at different angles during different times of the year. Discuss how these differences
in light energy are related to the seasons.
http://www.colorado.edu/geolsci/courses/DEMOS/seicontribution/101_lowtech_earth_science%20demos.pdf
Differentiated Instruction
Have students make a concept map of lesson content. Their concept map should include such concepts as energy,
temperature, heat, radiation, conduction, convection, and greenhouse effect.
Enrichment
Many students erroneously think that greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap energy directly from the sun and
thereby make Earth warmer than it would otherwise be. Ask one or more students to teach the class how greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere actually moderate Earth’s temperature (i.e., by absorbing heat that is re-radiated from Earth’s
surface and preventing it from escaping into space).
Science Inquiry
Have students do the first inquiry activity (Lab 1: “Heating from Below”) at the following URL to investigate how
convection transfers heat in the atmosphere. The activity involves increasing the temperature of water and observing
the motion of a dye caused by changes in temperature and density of the water.
http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/esi/2001/princeton/project/zerba/activities/activities.htm
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Chapter 1. Lesson 15.3: Energy in the Atmosphere
Common Misconceptions
Many people think that the seasons are caused by changes in the distance of Earth to the sun. In fact, the seasons
are mostly due to changes in the tilt of Earth on its axis. As explained at the following URL, misconceptions like
this one, which seem logical and reasonable, are often the most difficult to correct. The URL also explains a way to
demonstrate the fallacy of this particular misconception.
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/seasons.html
Reinforce and Review
Lesson Worksheets
Copy and distribute the lesson worksheets in the CK-12 Earth Science for High School Workbook. Ask students to
complete the worksheets alone or in pairs to reinforce lesson content.
Lesson Review Questions
Have students answer the Review Questions listed at the end of the lesson in the FlexBook® student edition.
Lesson Quiz
Check students’ mastery of the lesson with Lesson 15.3 Quiz in CK-12 Earth Science for High School Quizzes and
Tests.
Points to Consider
How does the difference in solar radiation that reaches the lower and upper latitudes explain the way the atmosphere
circulates?
How does the atmosphere protect life on Earth from harmful radiation and from extreme temperatures?
What would the consequences be if Earth’s overall heat budget were not balanced?
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