Climate Final ANDREW Flashcards
system:
an object (or group) being studied within a boundary
open system:
allows energy and matter to flow in and out
closed system:
allows energy but not matter to flow in and out
isolated system:
neither matter nor energy can flow across the boundary
what 3 components make up the biosphere
Atmosphere (air)
Lithosphere (land)
Hydrosphere (water)
what is the biosphere?
a thin layer of air, land, and water near Earth’s surface
- all life on Earth exists in this layer
Atmosphere
- a layer of gases surrounding Earth (raising 800+km)
- Divided into four layers found at different altitudes
- temperature fluctuates as you pass through these layers
what makes up the atmosphere
78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% other gases
What are the four layers of the atmosphere in order?
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
troposphere
- first layer of the atmosphere
-0-10km - contains most gases
- only layer with correct temp and oxygen level to support most living things
stratosphere
- 10-50km
-second layer of atmosphere - contains ozone layer which absorbs most of the suns rays
distance of the mesosphere and thermosphere
-The mesosphere is the third layer and is 50-80 km
-thermosphere is the last layer of the atmosphere and is 80+ km
Lithosphere
- Land of biosphere
- solid portion of earth
- home to many micro-organisms, plants and animals
- extends from Earths surface to 100 km below
Hydrosphere
-Water layer of biosphere
- all water in its three states (l,s,g)
- 97% is salt water in oceans
- contains cryosphere
cryosphere:
water temporarily frozen in polar ice caps, permafrost, glaciers
what kind of energy is solar energy
radiant energy
does the biosphere absorb or reflect energy from the sun?
absorb
how does radiant energy travel
at different wavelengths
what is insolation
the amount of solar energy received by a region
eg. a red binder absorbs all colours but reflects red
do all warm objects emit energy and if so what is it called
yes and it is called infrared radiation
how doe the earth maintain its energy and temp
by radiating as much energy into space as it absorbs from the sun(radiation budget)
what is the radiation budget
having a balance of raditaion.
- energy absorbed is equal to the energy released
albedo:
-how much light an object reflects
- an object’s colour affects the amount of energy it will absorb or reflect
what albedo do dark objects have
dark surfaces absorb energy and have a LOW albedo - low reflection
what albedo do light surfaces have
light surfaces reflect energy and have a high albedo
what do greenhouse gases do
- keep the earth warm by holding onto heat
- absorb infrared radiation released from Earth’s surface
without greenhouse gases how would the average tempurature on earth be
-19
climate:
trend in temperature, pressure, humidity, and precipitation over many years
weather:
temperature, pressure, humidity, and precipitation at one place and time
what affects climate
-global winds
- proximity to large bodies of water
- Ocean currents
- insulation(amount of solar energy absorbed)
how is the amount of solar energy absorbed influenced
-tilt of earth’s axis relative to the sun
- earth’s revolution around the sun
- the shape of the Earth
Earth’s tilt:
-Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours and orbits the Sun every 365 days
-angle of inclination
- determines length of day throughout the year
angle of inclination:
the tilt of the Earths axis (23.5 degrees)
how does Earths orbit effect the amount of solar energy absorbed
-at the equator day and night are each 12 hours throughout the year, everywhere else has seasons
- equinox
-solstice
solstice:
- one pole is as close as possible to the sun and the other is as far as possible -> summer(end of June) to winter(end of December)
at the equator what do the suns rays do and how does affect earths solar energy
- at the equator, sun’s rays strike the Earth directly (90 degrees)
- away from the equator, areas receive less solar energy
specific heat capacity (c)
amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1g of a substance by 1 degree Celsius
H2O has a high heat capacity meaning…
-it absorbs a lot of energy before increasing temp and takes a long time to cool
phase change:
- a change in state of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
- always involve energy changes, but never temperature changes
what happens to energy during melting and boiling
energy added to the system is used to overcome forces of bonds that hold molecules together
what happens to energy during freezing and condensing
energy is released as heat as bonds/forces reform
solid to liquid:
melting
liquid to solid:
freezing
liquid to gas:
evaporation
gas to liquid:
condensation
solid to gas:
sublimation