Study Plan
Among the terrestrial bodies of the inner Solar System, only Venus and Earth have dense atmospheres. Mars has a very low-density atmosphere, and the atmospheres of Mercury and the Moon are so sparse that they can hardly be detected. Why should some of the terrestrial planets have dense atmospheres while others have little or essentially none? Are atmospheres created right along with the planets they envelop or do they appear later? By the end of this chapter you should be able to:
- Diagram the layers of atmospheres and explain the existence of these layers
- Explain what conditions need to be present to create an aurora and to sketch Earth's magnetic field and its interaction with the solar wind.
- Compare the strength of the greenhouse effect on Earth, Venus, and Mars
- List the differences in the atmospheres of Earth, Venus, and Mars
- Describe how Earth's atmosphere has been reshaped by life
- Evaluate the evidence that shows Earth's climate is changing