Earth & Space Science Flashcards
What is the effect of Earth’s rotation on temperature and time zones?
Temperature: The rotation of the Earth on its axis causes the cycle of day and night, with the side facing the sun experiencing day (and warmth) and the side away from the sun experiencing night (and cooler temperatures).
As Earth rotates on its axis, it moves about 15 degrees every 60 minutes. Rotationrequiresthecreationofstandardizedtimezones.Thereare24,oneforeachhouroftheearth’srotation.
What are the rotation times for the Earth, Moon, and Sun?
Sun: 25 days to spin (rotate) completely around.
Earth: 24 hours to rotate. This is what causes day and night.
Moon: ~ one month to orbit Earth (27.3 days to complete a revolution, but 29.5 days to change from new moon to new moon).
What does gravity do?
It keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun.
Gravity pulls the Earth towards the Sun.
What are the phases of the moon?
The eight lunar phases are, in order:
1. new moon,
2. waxing crescent,
3. first quarter,
4. waxing gibbous,
5. full moon,
6. waning gibbous,
7. third quarter
8. waning crescent.
The cycle repeats once a month (every 29.5 days).
How are the phases of the Moon caused?
The moonlight we see on Earth is sunlight reflected off the Moon’s grayish-white surface. The amount of Moon we see illuminated changes over the month — lunar phases — because the Moon orbits Earth and Earth orbits the Sun.
How have models of the solar system changed over time?
The Solar System has evolved considerably since its initial formation. Many moons have formed from circling discs of gas and dust around their parent planets, while other moons are thought to have formed independently and later to have been captured by their planets.
How does human management of water impact the water cycle?
There is considerable evidence that humans are responsible for disruptions and changes to local and global water cycles. A number of human activities can impact on the water cycle:
1. damming rivers for hydroelectricity,
2. using water for farming,
3. deforestation
4. the burning of fossil fuels.
What is an Ecological Footprint? (EQ1)
the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.
What is a Water Footprint? (EQ2)
A water footprint is an environmental indicator that measures the volume of fresh water needed to produce the goods and services demanded by society.
Explain the importance of water (EQ2)
Water is what makes our planet so unique and virtually everything on our planet relies on it. Having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and the needs of our environment.
Explain the value of water as a resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (EQ2)
Australian Indigenous people have respected and known the worth of groundwater for thousands of generations. Groundwater sources were protected with the highest level of traditional law; sometimes only certain members with the highest status in a tribe may access these places.
- methods of shallow wells,
- digging tunnels
- springs
I can identify ways to manage water as a resource and reduce overuse of water
Create a labelled diagram of the water cycle (EQ)
Explain the changes in state of water throughout the water cycle (EQ3)
When water changes state in the water cycle, the total number of water particles remains the same.
The changes of state include:
1. melting,
2. sublimation,
3. evaporation,
4. freezing,
5. condensation,
6. deposition.
All changes of state involve the transfer of energy.
Identify ways to manage water as a resource and reduce overuse of water (EQ2)
Small changes to your habits can also save water.
1. take shorter showers and not leave taps running unnecessarily
2. only use the washing machine or dishwasher when they are full, or adjust your load settings for smaller loads
use eco cycles on machines where possible
3. scrape dishes before washing, instead of rinsing.
New water-efficient taps, showerheads, toilets, and appliances can significantly reduce your water use with no change to your lifestyle.
Reducing your hot water use saves energy as well, and can significantly reduce your energy costs.
Investing in new appliances may save you money in the long run because of reduced water and energy costs.
Dripping taps and leaks can rapidly use a lot of water. Ensure drips and leaks are fixed promptly.
How have humans impacted the environment and what ways can we reduce this? (EQ1)
Humans impact the physical environment in many ways:
1. overpopulation,
2. pollution,
3. burning fossil fuels,
4. deforestation.
Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water.
- Watch your energy consumption.
T2. Go vegetarian for a day. - Recycle old technology.
- Conserve resources.
- Do some gardening.
- Buy in season and avoid packaging.
- Travel smart.
Explain the impact of factors on the water cycle; sunshine, temperature, vegetation, landscape, air movement and humidity (EQ3)
Sunshine: The Sun causes evaporation, which is the process of heat turning water from a liquid to a gas called water vapor. Water vapor eventually condenses and forms clouds that produce rain and return water back to Earth’s surface.
Temperature: As the temperature on the surface level of the Earth increases, so does the rate of evaporation. This causes the soil to dry out faster, creating harder and less permeable soil. Instead of water soaking into the soil, it runs off into streams and rivers.
Vegetation: The most significant effect of vegetation on the water cycle comes from the continuous flow of water through plants. Water is continuously taken up from the soil by roots and released to the atmosphere in the process of transpiration.
Landscape: Unsealed or permeable soil surfaces in a natural landscape allow water to infiltrate into soil slowly and be used by vegetation. In built urban environments such as Melbourne, there are large areas of sealed soil such as under roads and buildings where water is unable to penetrate, and quickly runs off into drains.
Air movement: If the air over the ocean didn’t move, the ocean water would reabsorb much of the steam. But the ocean surface air moves constantly and increases the transfer of water vapor to the air to roughly 440 trillion tons of water per year (just like blowing on hot liquid cools it off faster).
Humidity: Humidity affects the water cycle by reducing the rates of transpiration and evaporation.
Demonstrate the water cycle using lab equipment. (EQ3)
Water cycle demonstration
- Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram below.
- Fill the round-bottomed flask with cold water and light the burner.
- Soon the water evaporating from the beaker starts condensing on the cold round- bottomed flask and eventually drips back into the beaker.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/174_Cycling_water_heat.pdf
What are non-renewable resources? Provide examples. (EQ4)
Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of our energy needs.
- coal,
- natural gas,
- oil,
- nuclear energy.
What are renewable resources? Provide examples. (EQ4)
A renewable resource is a resource that can be replenished naturally over time. As a result, it is sustainable despite its consumption by humankind.
1. solar energy,
2. wind,
3. falling water,
4. the heat of the earth (geothermal),
5. plant materials (biomass),
6. waves,
7. ocean currents,
8. temperature differences in the oceans
9. the energy of the tides.
Explain the beneficial impact of recycling (EQ4)
Recycling reduces the need to grow, harvest or extract new raw materials from the Earth. That in turn lessens the harmful disruption and damage being done to the natural world: fewer forests cut down, rivers diverted, wild animals harmed or displaced, and less pollution of water, soil and air.
What is a natural resource? (EQ4)
Any natural substance that humans use can be considered a natural resource.
1. Oil,
2. coal,
4. natural gas,
4. metals,
5. stone
6. sand
7. air,
8. sunlight,
9. soil
10. water.
What are the non-renewable energy sources? (EQ5)
oil, coal, gas and nuclear energy
What are the renewable energy sources? (EQ5)
moving water, sun, wind, heat, oceans and biomass
What is energy conservation, and how can energy be reduced? (EQ5)
What is deforestation? (EQ6)
I can define what deforestation is and explain how it is caused
I can identify the impacts deforestation has on nature and describe ways it can be reduced
