Earth's Energy Budget Worksheet
Explore the Earth's energy budget, including incoming solar radiation, absorption, reflection, and outgoing radiation, with this comprehensive worksheet for 8th-grade science.
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Earth's Energy Budget
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Refer to the provided diagrams and your knowledge of Earth's energy budget.
1. What is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate system?
Geothermal energy
Solar radiation
Tidal energy
Chemical reactions
2. What happens to most of the solar radiation that reaches Earth's atmosphere?
It is all absorbed by the Earth's surface.
It is all reflected back into space.
Some is absorbed, and some is reflected.
It is all converted into chemical energy.
3. The Earth's energy budget is a balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation.
4. The reflectivity of a surface is called its .
5. Clouds, ice, and snow have a high , meaning they reflect a lot of sunlight.
6. Explain the difference between absorption and reflection of solar radiation by Earth's surfaces.
7. Describe how the greenhouse effect contributes to Earth's energy budget.
8. All of the solar radiation that reaches Earth is absorbed by the planet.
True
False
9. A balanced energy budget means Earth's average temperature remains relatively stable.
True
False
10. Observe the diagram below showing the Earth's energy balance. Identify one component that reflects solar radiation and one component that absorbs solar radiation.
Reflecting component:
Absorbing component: