Earth- Our Biosphere

Question 1

What are the three things the biosphere is made up of?

Answer 1

• Atmosphere (gases)
• Lithosphere (rocks, minerals, etc)
• Hydrosphere (liquids)

Question 2

What are the 4 layers the atmosphere can be divided into?

Answer 2

• Troposphere (layer closest to the surface of the Earth)
• Stratosphere (ozone layer- protects us from UV rays that come from the sun. The hole is caused by human activities like spray cans which have toxic chemicals.
• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere (layer farthest away from the Earth)

Question 3

What does the amount of solar energy (insolation) received by a region count on?

Answer 3

• Lattitude (line that splits the north and south part of the Earth)
• Specific Characteristics of each layer of the biosphere

Question 4

What does the Angle of Inclination refer to?

Answer 4

The degree to which the Earth’s poles are tilted from the sun.
- This is what causes the North Pole to be tilted toward the sun which causes Summer and titled away from our region when its winter.

Question 5

What does the Agle of Inclination effect?

Answer 5

• Effects on the number of sunlight hours. This explains the solstice and the equinox.
  Solstice- Most daylight (June/summer)
  Equinox- Equal hours of day and night (Spring and Fall- March and September)

Question 6

What does the Angle of Incidence refer to?

Answer 6

The angle between the ray falling on a surface and the line perpendicular to that surface.
The farther you move away from the sun, the angle of incidence will increase.

Question 7

Specific Characteristics that effects the insolation:

Answer 7

• Cloud cover, dust, and pollution can reflect and absorb sunlight.
• Albedo: The amount of reflection on the Earth’s surface. Smooth, shiny, and light-coloured surfaces attract less sunlight/reflect more radiation.

Question 8

What is the natural greenhouse effect:

Answer 8

The absorption of thermal energy by the atmosphere.
Greenhouse Gases: Carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrogen, and sulfur.
- Absorb more thermal energy

Question 9

What effects do greenhouse gases have?

Answer 9

Gases that are let out into the atmosphere increase the thickness of atmospheric gases which makes it more difficult for any reflection of the sun to go back into space. This can cause:
- Rise in sea levels (flooding)
- Animals and plant extinction
- Storms

Question 10

What is conduction?

Answer 10

The transfer of thermal energy through direct contact. (Pot on a stove)
- Takes place in solids

Question 11

What is convection?

Answer 11

The transfer of energy through the movement of particles.
- Occurs in liquids and gases
(wind and water currents)

Question 12

Coriolis Effect:

Answer 12

Explains how our global winds are created. Describes how winds are moved toward the right and left parts of the equator.

Question 13

What are the different wind patterns?

Answer 13

• Trade winds: Move air away from the equator.
• Polar jet stream: Cold and dry wind coming from the Arctic
• Golf jet stream: Hot and wet wind coming from the Golf of Mexico.

Question 14

What does temperature have to do with altitude?

Answer 14

The higher the altitude the colder the temperature and the lower the altitude the hotter the temperature is.
Altitude- The height of an object below sea level.

Question 15

What is specific heat capacity?

Answer 15

The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a substance.

Question 16

The heat of Fusion (endothermic)

Answer 16

The amount of energy absorbed when a substance changes from a solid to a liquid. This is called endothermic. The Opposite of this reaction would be called exothermic (when the energy is released- when something gets warmer)

Question 17

Heat of vaporization (exothermic)

Answer 17

The amount of energy absorbed when a substance changes from a liquid to a gas. This is also an endothermic reaction.