6: Hydrosphere + Lithosphere

Question 1

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 1

• Coal, natural gas, oil
• Emit thermal energy through combustion
• Come from organic residue (animals/plants buried under sand, silt, rocks and minerals)

Question 2

Define uranium’s characteristics/benefits/downsides

Answer 2

• Radioactive, natural element
• Handful will produce same amount of energy as 70k KG of coal
• Creates energy through fission
• No greenhouse gas emissions
• Radioactive, hard to handle and get rid of

Question 3

Define geothermic energy characteristics/benefits/downsides

Answer 3

• Comes from Earth’s internal heat
• Fluid circulates underground, then heated up and converted into electricity
• Used in volcanic regions where hot water rises to surface
• Reduced heating cost, renewable, no greenhouse gas
• Expensive

Question 4

What is soil depletion caused by?

Answer 4

• Heavy machinery compacting soil, depriving it from oxygen and rain penetrating ground
• Water runs off into bodies of water, carrying nutrients with it
• Crop rotation too fast/often without letting soil regenerate
• Too many fertilizers used
• Pesticides killing microorganisms, insects, and small animals helping maintain soil balance

Question 5

What is contamination and what is it caused by?

Answer 5

Abnormal presence of harmful substance in the env.

• Overuse of pesticides/fertilizers
• Gas stations leaking hydrocarbons
• Landfills leaking water containing heavy metals
• Mining waste spreading acidic residue
• Acid rain (pH4 instead of 5-5.5)

Question 6

What are the problems with acid rain?

Answer 6

• Soil can no longer retain nutrients essential to plant life
• Slows down plant/tree growth
• Kills microorganisms beneficial to plants

Question 7

Define the hydrosphere’s characteristics

Answer 7

• Earth’s outer layer of water (liquid, solid, gas forms)
• 2/3 of earth covered in water
• 2.5% fresh water, 79% frozen (glaciers)

Question 8

What are inland waters?

Answer 8

• Fresh water found on continents

- Watersheds: waters draining into same larger body of water (drainage basin/catchment area)

Question 9

What are the 3 subwatersheds in QC?

Answer 9

• Hudson bay
• Ungava bay
• St Lawrence river

Question 10

What factors affect subwater sheds?

Answer 10

• Topography (shape, slope, terrain)
• Geology (type, depth, rock structure)
• Climate (precipitation, temp)
• Vegetation (density, diversity)
• Agric./indus./urban dev.

Question 11

What are the 5 oceans?

Answer 11

Indian, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Southern

Question 12

What are temperature zones influenced by?

Answer 12

Depth: sunlight warms upper layer, varied by winds tides and waves. 200m in, temp falls (thermocline), cold.
Seasons: loss of heat stored during summer
Latitude: more heat at equator (25-28C) vs poles (12-17C)

Question 13

Define salinity’s characteristics

Answer 13

• Salt dissolved in water
• Sea water against rock degrades it, eats up salt
• Average ocean salinity between 3.4%-3.7%
• Melting glaciers lower salinity to 3%
• Water evaporates in dry areas, salinity 4%

Question 14

Ocean circulation vs current

Answer 14

Circulation: combined effects of currents moving across oceans
Current: movement of seawater in a certain direction (surface and subsurface)

Question 15

What is the thermohaline circulation?

Answer 15

Regulates ocean temp between Equator and poles by bringing cold water down, hot water up, and back around

Question 16

What is the cryosphere?

Answer 16

Portion of Earth’s water that is frozen

Question 17

Define pack ice

Answer 17

• Ice floating near poles
• Frozen fresh water pushes out salt
• Ice floes (smaller sheets of pack ice)
• Sea levels do not rise because water was already there

Question 18

Define glaciers

Answer 18

• Mass of ice on land
• Formed by compressed snow
• Slides off land, creates icebergs, melt and rise sea levels
• Melted, affect density and salinity, thereby affecting ocean current and weather patterns
• Ice density 0.91g/mL

Question 19

Define hydroelectricity and its (dis)advantages

Answer 19

• Energy from moving water (hydraulic)
• Water activates turbines, connected to alternators to make mechanical energy into electricity (hydroelectric dam)
• Renewable, little greenhouse gas emissions
• Floods large water areas, mercury released, fish ingest, we eat

Question 20

Define wave/ocean currents

Answer 20

• Buoys use waves from turbines to create electricity
• Underwater turbines use ocean currents
• Very expensive, new (prototype level)

Question 21

What is eutrophication?

Answer 21

1. Phosphorous/nitrogen based substance (fertilizer) lands in water, promoting algae growth
2. Algae cover the water, blocking sun from entering (photosynthesis)
3. Dead algae sink and collect, decomposing bacteria eats up oxygen too fast, cutting oxygen off from other organisms which die

Question 22

What is permafrost?

Answer 22

• Ground temp below 0 for 2+ years, covers methane
• Canada 50% permafrost
• Active layer thaws in summer
• Impossible to build or cultivate