Atmosphere and Climate System

What this page covers

This unit collects material on how the atmosphere works and how the climate system responds to it. Topics include the composition and layers of the atmosphere, solar radiation and albedo, the greenhouse effect, ozone, air pollution and climate change. The resources were made by GoConqr users, so styles and depth vary.

Where to start

Begin with the flashcard deck The layers of the atmosphere. It asks plain questions, such as what the ozone layer does and what is causing the hole in it. Next, open the mind maps The greenhouse effect and Atmosphere - energy ins & outs to see how energy moves in and out of the system.

If you want radiation basics, the deck SCI 201 TEST #2 covers solar flux, albedo and how the atmosphere handles terrestrial radiation. The note Land Use change and Albedo adds latent energy and the way water takes in energy when it evaporates.

Using quizzes and maps together

1. Read a mind map such as TROPOSPHERIC OZONE FORMATION or Climate Change and note the branches you find hard.
2. Take a quiz such as How much do you know about climate change? to test those branches.
3. Turn the questions you missed into flashcards and try them again a few days later.

For longer arguments, the flowchart Environmental Unit 3: Climate lays out a climate unit in parts, from changing climates to sources, sinks and feedbacks. Among the notes, E9: Ozone Depletion HL (UNMODIFIED), E10: Smog (UNMODIFIED) and E11: Acid Deposition (UNMODIFIED) suit IB-style environmental studies.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the strand Atmosphere, Water and Climate, within Environmental science and ecology. Some resources mention AP Environmental Science, GCSE Geography and GCSE Chemistry, and others come from university courses.

Pick a topic that matches your course, work through a few resources, and then make a map or deck of your own.