climate change Flashcards
what are the four different types of spheres
- Atmosphere
-Biosphere - geosphere
-Hydrosphere
What is Atmosphere
The gases that surround Earth. Drives weather patterns, maintains Earth’s climate, and protects us from the Sun’s radiation.
What is Biosphere
All forms of life on Earth, from microscopic bacteria to complex plants and animals. Also includes dead organisms that have not yet decayed.
what is Geosphere
Earth’s solid crust and solid upper mantle. Tectonic plates form part of the lithosphere and shape Earth’s surface, as well as cause events such as earthquakes.
what is Hydrosphere
All water on Earth. Crucial for regulating Earth’s climate and distributing heat.
what makes up photosynthesis formula
carbon dioxide+ water-> glucose + oxygen
what is photosynthesis
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.
why is photosynthesis important
we need it so plants can grow, it also produces oxygen. This is also for food chain so we have food to eat.
what are green house gasses
gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat, preventing it from escaping into space, thus warming the planet.
what is climate change
a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates.
what are fossil fuels
non-renewable energy sources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.
what does green house effect mean
a natural process where the Earth’s atmosphere traps heat, keeping the planet warm enough for life to exist
what is chemical reaction
the processes by which chemicals interact to form new chemicals with different compositions.
what does combustion of fossil fuels mean
burning fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas to produce energy
what is the carbon cycle
the natural process where carbon atoms move between the atmosphere, land, oceans, and living organisms, cycling through various processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.
Earth’s spheres and how they relate to the carbon cycle.
The carbon cycle involves carbon moving between Earth’s spheres (atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere) through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and burning of fossil fuels, impacting climate and ecosystems.
what is Anaerobic Respiration.
cellular respiration that produces energy (ATP) in the absence of oxygen, often called anaerobic fermentation, and involves the breakdown of glucose into pyruvate, which is then converted into either lactic acid or alcohol.
what is Aerobic Respiration.
cellular process that uses oxygen to break down glucose and other nutrients, releasing energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), carbon dioxide, and water.
what are the four different types of Greenhouse gases.
water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).
how does the greenhouse effect occur.
when certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap outgoing heat, preventing it from escaping into space and warming the planet.
where is carbon stored
- Atmosphere
- vegetation
- coal, oil and gas
- sediments and sedimentary rocks
- ocean surface
- Deep ocean
- soil and organic matter
