Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q96 (CDS-I/2010) Geography › World Physical Geography › Atmospheric heat balance Answer Verified

If the earth did not have an atmosphere, temperature extremes between day and night would

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: A
Explanation

If the Earth lacked an atmosphere, temperature extremes between day and night would increase significantly. The atmosphere acts as a protective blanket that regulates surface temperature through the greenhouse effect and heat distribution. During the day, the atmosphere absorbs and scatters incoming solar radiation, preventing the surface from becoming excessively hot. At night, it traps outgoing longwave radiation (terrestrial radiation), preventing heat from escaping rapidly into space. Without this mechanism, the Earth would experience intense heating during the day and extreme cooling at night, similar to the Moon or Mercury. For instance, on bodies like the Moon or thin-atmosphere planets, temperatures can drop as low as -180°C (-290°F) at night because there is no atmosphere to hold in the heat [t3]. Consequently, the diurnal temperature range—the difference between the daily maximum and minimum—would expand drastically [t4][t6].

Sources

  1. [1] https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/temperatures-across-our-solar-system/
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
75%
got it right
✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2012 · Q74 Relevance score: -0.69

Normally, the temperature decreases with the increase in height from the Earth’s surface, because 1. the atmosphere can be heated upwards only from the Earth’s surface 2. there is more moisture in the upper atmosphere 3. the air is less dense in the upper atmosphere Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

CDS-I · 2014 · Q74 Relevance score: -1.08

Which of the following statements regarding the duration of day and night is correct?

NDA-I · 2015 · Q37 Relevance score: -2.00

To a perpendicular to the plane of ecliptic, Earth’s axis of rotation makes an angle of 23~ degrees. Had this angle been zero degree, which one among the following would result ?

NDA-I · 2011 · Q49 Relevance score: -2.10

To a perpendicular to the plane of ecliptic, the Earth’s axis of rotation makes an angle of 23¥2 degrees. Had this angle been 0 degree, which one among the following would result ?