8I Earth Flashcards
What is the atmosphere?
The mixture of gases around the Earth
What percentage of the Earth’s atmosphere is made up of oxygen?
20.90%
State 3 processes that involve burning fossil fuels.
Transport, generating electricity, cooking
Name 3 fossil fuels.
Coal, oil, natural gas and peat
What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere today?
Nitrogen
What is the greenhouse effect?
The trapping of the Sun’s infrared radiation by the Earth’s atmosphere
Why isn’t the amount of gases in the atmosphere fixed?
Due to human activities, seasonal changes
Name 2 processes that release methane.
Rice production, decomposing landfill waste, water treatment
Give 2 examples of decomposers.
Bacteria and fungi
Where does carbon enter a food chain?
From carbon dioxide in the air
What is the role of decomposers in the carbon cycle?
Break down dead and decaying organisms
Name 4 sources of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Respiration, combustion, decomposition, volcanoes
Identify the process that removes carbon from the atmosphere.
Photosynthesis
What is a carbon sink?
Stores of carbon
Identify an example of a carbon sink.
Fossil fuels, rocks, dissolved in oceans
What is the effect of too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Global warming
What is a fossil fuel?
Fuels formed from dead animals or plants that died millions of years ago.
Why does driving cause a lot of problems?
Driving involves burning fuel which gives out carbon dioxide.
Name two different fuels that can be used in cars.
Petrol or diesel
State 2 ways in which humans add to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
Burning fossil fuels for transport, generating electricity and power factories.
Suggest why fossil fuels are widely used.
They are cheap and easy to use.
True or false: increasing plant numbers will increase carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
False.
What is meant by vegetation?
Plants
What process do plants carry out that uses carbon dioxide?
Photosynthesis
What is the natural greenhouse effect?
The natural process of trapping the Sun’s radiation in the air.
Name 3 greenhouse gases.
Carbon dioxide, Methane, Water vapour.
State 2 impacts of climate change.
Polar ice sheets melting, less water, longer growing seasons, severe weather, more tropical diseases.
Suggest how rising sea levels can affect the world.
Flooding leading to Habitat loss.
True or false: global warming will cause a reduction in agricultural pests.
FALSE
What is the greenhouse effect?
The process of trapping the Sun’s radiation in the air.
How much has Earth’s temperature increased in the last century?
0.5°C
What is the projected temperature rise over the next 100 years?
1.4 - 5.8°C
Name 3 natural resources we cannot survive without.
Biological resources, land, fossil fuels, Metal ores, water.
Identify 2 renewable resources.
Solar and Wind
Suggest why we need mining.
To extract metal ores from the ground.
Why do farmers use pesticides and fertilisers?
To kill pests and provide nutrients for growth
True or false: increasing cattle numbers will add to deforestation.
TRUE
What is biodiversity?
Variety of different organisms in an area.
Identify 2 reasons why huge areas of rainforest are cleared annually.
Farming soya and cattle, mining, building hydroelectric power stations, to sell timber.
Explain why local tribespeople are forced off their land.
Their land is useful for the above.
Name 3 materials that can be recycled.
Glass, plastic, paper, metals.
How much paper does an average family use in a week?
4kg
True or false – advantages of recycling are that recycling sites cause pollution.
FALSE
Suggest why recycling sites are unsafe and unhygienic.
The recycled materials may not be cleaned.
Why are recycling costs often expensive.
Separation of materials requires energy.
What is an LCA?
Life cycle analysis.
Explain what PET products end up as.
Polyester fibres in clothes or carpets
Suggest why people often don’t bother recycling.
There is no economic incentive.
What elements are in tin oxide?
Tin and oxygen
What can iron ore be mixed with to extract it.
Carbon
Give 2 uses each for iron and steel.
Bridges, gates, car bodies, cutlery.
Suggest what is formed when carbon reacts with oxygen.
Carbon dioxide
True or false: you cannot react some metals with carbon because they’re too reactive.
TRUE
Why bother to extract aluminium if it is more expensive to make than iron?
It is lighter than steel and wont rust.
Explain why we should recycle aluminium rather than extracting it from its ore.
It is more expensive to extract from its ore.
Explain why we shouldn’t dig up more metals.
Mining damages natural habitats and requires more energy than recycling.
