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Enviro Paper 1 > Atmosphere > Flashcards

Atmosphere Flashcards

1
Q

What is the Atmosphere?

A
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2
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

The gases which surround the Earth

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3
Q

What is the composition of the atmosphere?

A

78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
0.04% carbon dioxide

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4
Q

What are the layers in the atmosphere?

A

Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere

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5
Q

What is absorbed by the ground?

A

Incoming short wave radiation from the Sun

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6
Q

What does this result in for the Troposphere?

A

The air next to the ground heating up by conduction

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7
Q

Why is the temperature profile said to be unstable?

A

The air rises and then cools

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8
Q

How is the stratosphere heated?

A

Said to be heated from ‘within’. Due to chemical reactions in the ozone layer

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9
Q

How the atmosphere supports life

A
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10
Q

What gases does the atmosphere contain and what are these used for?

A

Carbon, oxygen and hydrogen
Makes biological molecules used by living organisms

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11
Q

What does the upper atmosphere block?

A

Harmful radiation from solar winds

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12
Q

What block ultraviolet light?

A

Oxygen in the stratosphere

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13
Q

What is the ozone made of?

A

o, o3 and o2

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14
Q

What is an example of heat distribution?

A

Tropical regions absorb most heat energy from the Sun.
The warm surface heats the atmosphere. Which distributes the heat cooler region

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15
Q

What do ocean currents distribute?

A

Heat and nutrients

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16
Q

How is water vapour transported?

A

Wind

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17
Q

The greenhouse effect

A
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18
Q

What is the first stage of the greenhouse effect?

A

Short wavelength, solar radiation passes through atmosphere

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19
Q

What is the second stage of the greenhouse effect?

A

The ground absorbs the radiation and heats up

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20
Q

What is the third stage of the greenhouse effect?

A

The ground re-emits heat as long wave infrared radiation

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21
Q

What is the fourth stage of the greenhouse effect?

A

Infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

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22
Q

What is the fifth anthropogenic stage of greenhouse effect?

A

Increase levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activity means more infrared radiation is absorbed leading to global warming

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23
Q

El Nino

A
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24
Q

What is EL Nino?

A

A sequence of events which naturally occur every 5 to 7 years

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25
Q

Normal Pacific conditions

A

East trade winds blow a surface current East to West across the Pacific as it does it warms and accumulates

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26
Q

Conditions in the east during normal seasons

A

Cold surface water produces sinking air therefore the climate is dry

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27
Q

Conditions in the west during normal seasons

A

Warm surface water heat the air which rises and condenses to form clouds therefore the climate is wet

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28
Q

El Niño Pacific conditions

A

Tradewinds weaken stopping the current meaning warm surface waters move from West to East

29
Q

Conditions in the East during El Nino

A

Warm surface water produces rising air which increases rainfall leads to flooding and higher sea levels

30
Q

Conditions in the West during El Niño

A

Cold surface water producers sinking air therefore rainfall decreases causing drought and wildfires

31
Q

Impact of El Nino

A
32
Q

How many people can be affected by El Nino?

A

60 million people by drought and flooding

33
Q

How can the U.K.’s weather be affected?

A

Colder winters and wet conditions due to weakening of the Atlantic jet stream

34
Q

What happens to upwelling?

A

It is weakened or stopped which brings cold nutrient rich water to the surface this result in reduced plankton which reduces food for fish

35
Q

What is the temperature change?

A

The whole planet can warm by 0.2°

36
Q

Changes in Climate processes due to Global warming

A
37
Q

What is the jet stream?

A

a fast moving ribbon of air, which moves west to east at the top of the troposphere.

38
Q

What is the jet streams maximum speed? What is it driven by? And what does it drive?

A

Maximum speed is 250 mph, is driven by temperate differences and it drives weather in the troposphere

39
Q

What happens if global warming alters the position or strength of the jet stream?

A

It will move north and weaken as a result middle latitudes such as the UK will have milder drier weather

40
Q

What could be the effects of a temperature rise?

A

May result in an increase of herbivores as plants grow faster

41
Q

What could be result of precipitation change?

A

Could cause wetlands to enlarge or shrink

42
Q

What effect could global warming have on biotic factors?

A

The timing of ecological events such as flowering, migration and nesting may change therefore interdependence may be reduced

43
Q

What could be the effect on species distribution?

A

species could colonised areas that may not be suitable

44
Q

What can cause species fragmentation and what is it affect?

A

Population may become isolated by sea level rise. This can result in reduced gene pool and problems with repopulation

45
Q

What are the difficulties of predicting global climate change?

A

Lack of historical data
limited reliability of proxy data
lack of understanding of natural processes
limitations of computer modelling
limited coordination between researchers

46
Q

What is a feedback mechanism?

A

A change in one environmental factor may cause other features to change this may have an effect on it’s original change such as global temperature and carbon dioxide concentration

47
Q

What is a negative feedback mechanism?

A

Situation where an initial change causes a reaction that decreases the original change

48
Q

What is an example of negative feedback?

A

Higher temperatures increase of evaporation this increases condensation therefore clouds as a result warming is reduced to clouds having higher albedo

49
Q

What is positive feedback?

A

Situation where initial change causes a reaction that increases the original change which is either temperature directly or concentration of greenhouse gases

50
Q

Why are scientists worried about these?

A

They are linked to climate tipping points

51
Q

What is an example of positive feedback?

A

Warming causes frozen soil to defrost therefore trapped methane is released. warming increases due to increase levels of atmospheric methane

52
Q

Control of Global Climate change

A
53
Q

How can you control levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide?

A

Reduce fossil fuel use
Use energy resources with low carbon emissions
Carbon sequestration

54
Q

How can you reduce levels of atmospheric methane?

A

Reduce landfill waste
Reduce livestock production
Improve recovery of gas from coal mines, gas and oil facilities

55
Q

How can you reduce atmospheric levels of oxides of nitrogen?

A

Reduce use of internal combustion
Use catalytic converters in vehicle exhaust so harmful gases are removed and converted into nitrogen and oxygen
Add urea to power station effluents or diesel engine exhaust

56
Q

How to reduce atmospheric levels of chlorofluorocarbons

A

Use alternative materials in manufacturing

57
Q

What is tropospheric ozone?

A

Is a secondary pollutant not emitted by humans but as a result of primary pollutants interacting to produce ozone in the presence of UV light

58
Q

What can be the effect of tropospheric ozone?

A

Can worsen respiratory complications such as asthma

59
Q

How can carbon sequestration be increased?

A

Plan more trees. This fixes carbon from the atmosphere into biomass, through photosynthesis. However is only temporary as trees will die, decomposed and release carbon back

60
Q

What is another way carbon sequestration can be increased?

A

Developing artificial trees, some of which use plastic to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, this can be expensive.

61
Q

What is the method of carbon storage?

A

Store carbon released from power stations and other large stationary emitters of carbon underground below the cap rock where previous oil and gas has been extracted

62
Q

What are the positives and negatives of this?

A

Has large capacity and some of the infrastructure is already in place.
However it does not work for diffuse sources

63
Q

What is an example of Geo engineering?

A

Seeding the atmosphere with sulphur dioxide particles to reflect sunlight

64
Q

What are the implications of this?

A

It cannot be reversed can reduce the global initiative to reduce emissions and cause termination shock.

65
Q

Adapting to Climate change

A
66
Q

How can flooding be controlled?

A

Flooding caused by rising water levels can be reduced by building higher riverbanks or coastal defences.
If water levels rise above the level of the land it would be necessary to pump rainwater from the land up into a river or sea.

67
Q

What is an example of flood control?

A

The Thames barrier

68
Q

How can coastal erosion be controlled?

A

Variety of seawall and wave screens to protect the coast from waves.

69
Q

Okay

A

Enviro Paper 1 (1 decks)

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