Question

there are about 13,000 cubic kilometers of water in the atmosphere. each day, about 1,370 cubic kilometers of water enter the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration, and about 1,370 cubic kilometers leave the atmosphere as precipitation. based on this information, about how long at a time does a water molecule spend in the atmosphere?

Answer 1

A water molecule spends an average of about 4.74 days in the atmosphere.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the average time a water molecule spends in the atmosphere, we can use the following formula:

Average time = Total amount of water in the atmosphere / (Incoming water per day + Outgoing water per day)

We are given that the total amount of water in the atmosphere is 13,000 cubic kilometers, the incoming water per day is 1,370 cubic kilometers, and the outgoing water per day is 1,370 cubic kilometers. Substituting these values into the formula, we get:

Average time = 13,000 cubic kilometers / (1,370 cubic kilometers + 1,370 cubic kilometers)

Average time = 13,000 cubic kilometers / 2,740 cubic kilometers

Average time ≈ 4.74 days