Climate Final COPY 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
air to solid:
deposition
heat of fusion(Hfus):
amount of heat (kJ) required to convert 1 mole of solid to liquid or liquid to solid
- melting, freezing
heat of vaporization(Hvap):
amount of heat (kJ) required to convert 1 mole of a liquid to a gas or gas to liquid
- evaporating, condensing
during a change in state how is energy released and absorbed
- energy is absorbed to break up bonds (endothermic)
- energy is released in formation of new bonds (exothermic)
When do you use Q=mc^T
-when there is a change in temperature
- ^ means change
- Q is in jouels
when do you use the equations Q = nHf or Q= nHv
- when there is a change of state/phases
- nHf is solid<–> liquid
- nHv is liquid<–> gas
- no temp change
- Q is in kilojoules (kJ)
what factors affect climate:
-insolation
-precipitation
-humidity
-air pressure
-daylight hours
- albedo
- cloud cover
- mountains
- latitude
- temp
- oceans
-winds
why is solar energy not absorbed equally on earth?
because of the Earths spherical shape, the tilt of its axis, and its revolution around the Sun
what helps distribute solar energy around the earth
wind and water currents
thermal energy transfer:
- movement of thermal energy from an area of high temp to an area of low temp
what kind of energy is the energy we receive from the Sun
radiant+solar energy
how does radiant energy travel
in waves and is reflected or absorbed
how is solar energy transferred
conduction and convection
conduction:
direct contact between particles of two substances
convection:
movement of a fluid like air or water
wind:
movement of cool air from high pressure to low pressure
how does air travel in convection currents?
hot air from the equator travels toward cooler air at the poles in convection currents
what is air veering sideways called?
The Coriolis effect
- wind currents tend to veer sideways from their original path due to Earth’s rotation on its axis
what causes the Earth’s spin
winds shifting
what are jet streams
- currents of extremely fast-moving air located in the stratosphere
- influences precipitation and storms
-flow from West to East in the northern hemisphere
El nino:
-disruption in the Pacific Ocean where water temp increases and wind direction reverses
- causes heavy rainfall over North America and drought in Australia and SE Asia
- western north America experiences warming
La Nina:
-occurs when winds increase in strength and cool surface water
- causes high precipitation in SE Asia
-eastern north america experiences warming
unique properties of water:
- it has a low albedo and absorbs most of the solar energy striking it
-high specific heat capacity, so it can absorb large amounts of energy without changing temperature
High Hvap (heat of vapour/evaporation) requires….
a lot of energy to break strong bonds between molecules to evaporate
high Hfus(heat of fusion) must…
lose a lot of energy in order to freeze
-when things freeze they expand
hydrologic cycle:
water is constantly moving in the biosphere through the hydrologic cycle
what effects earths climate and weather systmes
-phase changes that occur in water cycle impact earth climate and weather systems
when water vapour condense to liquid:
-thermal energy is released into the atmosphere warming air
- warm air rises which can start thunderstorms or even hurricanes
what causes currents
-warmwater has a lower density so warm water rises and cool water sinks causing currents
- wind and earths rotation also play a role in ocean currents
In which direction do currents go:
because of the Coriolis effect, currents in the North go clockwise, and in the South go counterclockwise
Gulf stream:
warm current that begins in the Caribbean and carries warm water up to Canada and the UK where it is called the: North Atlantic Drift
why is it difficult to change the temperature of water and the environment around it
water has a high capacity for heat making it difficult to change its temperature
how does the ocean affect climate?
-when wet air cools, the water in the ocean falls as precipitation
- when sun warms areas around oceans, the land warm faster than the water
Land and sea breeze
whats a sea breeze
land warm air rises and cool water air moves in onto land
whats a land breeze
at night, water cools slower than land, so air over water is warmer
how do mountains affect climate:
- wet air water blows onshore and up mountains
- it loses moisture as orographic precipitation
-chinooks
chinook:
pressure increases, and warm dry air moves over the other side of the mountains
how does energy travel from/into the biosphere?
energy is either absorbed from or released into the biosphere
what type of system is the earth?
closed
what does it mean when we say that water is a polar molecule?
This means that in the water molecule, one side is positively charged and the other side is negatively charged.
what are the 6 biomes
tundra, taiga, grasslands, temperate deciduous forest, desert, tropical rainforest
tundra:
-permafrost, bitter cold, and high winds means no trees or tall plants
- little annual rainfall, averages less than 25 cm per year, but accumulation on top of permafrost
- animals: arctic hare, lemmings, caribou, arctic fox, wolf
- winters are long and cold and summers are short and cool
- coldest biome
taiga: (boreal forest)
- largest terrestrial biome
- dominated by cone-bearing, evergreen trees(coniferous)
- adapted to heavy snowfall
- ## 35-100 cm of precipitation per year
grassland:
-deep, rich topsoil means a lot of conversion to agriculture
- seasonal drought, occasional fires and grazing by large mammals prevent shrub and tree establishment
- prolonged dry season, 25-75 cm of annual precipitation
temperate deciduous forest:
- mid-latitudes, with enough moisture to support trees
- deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter
- 75-100 cm of precipitation each year
- animals: deer, fox, squirrel, mice, snakes, many bird species
desert:
- driest biome
- less than 25 cm per year, rate of evaporation exceeds precipitation
- supports limited plant life because the soil retains little to no moisture
- animals: lizzards, rattlesnakes, vultures, desert toirtoise, coyotes, gila monsters
tropical rainforest:
- greatest diversity of plants and animals
- closed tree canopy
- pronounced vertical layering
- temperatures vary little each month
- rainfalls nearly every day, this biome has the highest average precipitation
what is the greenhouse effect?
the process through which heat is trapped near the Earth’s surface by substances known as ‘greenhouse gases.’
what is a biome?
a biome is a large geographical region with a specific climate that the plants and animals that inhabit it are adapted to
what kind of systems are cell and biomes
open systems(exchange matter and energy with surroundings)
how is the distribution of earths biomes affected
by the amount of solar energy and precipitation received by different regions
ecosystem:
community of living organisms that interact with eachother and with the non-living, physical environment
habitat:
place where an organism lives or is usually found
what is climate change?
- Earth’s climate is changing
- this is evident in increasing average air and ocean temps, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising average sea level
what are the greenhouse gases?
- water vapour
- CO2
- N20
- Methane
-Halocarbons
-Ozone
where is water vapour found?
part of the hydrological cycle
what is CO2
the burning of fossil fuels
carbon sink definition
anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases eg. trees remove carbon
why is deforstation bad
- when trees are cut and burned, CO2 is released into the atmosphere
- roots decay, releasing more CO2 and methane from the soil
- fewer trees absorb less CO2 for photosynthesis
what increases the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere
greenhouse gases, deforestation, urbanization
exosphere:
fifth and outermost layer of the earths atmosphere
radiation:
energy that comes from a source and travels through space at the speed of light
humidity:
amount of water vapour in the air
natural greenhouse effect:
- ## a natural process that warms the earth’s surface
enhanced greenhouse effect:
where extra greenhouse gases in our atmosphere trap too much of the suns energy
equinox:
day hours = night hours -> 2x per year: spring(end of march) and fall(end of september)
