ELSS Mock Flashcards
how do oceans moderate temps ?
oceans moderate temps by absorbing, stroing and slowly releasing heat
why are clouds impottant ?
reflect incoming solar radiation and lower surface temps
why is water vapour important ?
absorb long wave radiation rom the earth and maintain global temps 15 degrees higher than they usually would be.
what are the uses of water on earth ?
makes up 65-95% of living organisms and is vital for their growth , reproduction and metabolic functions
water is used in all chemical reactions in human and animals
why do plants needs water ?
for photosynthesis, repsiration and transpiration
what are the jhuman uses of carbon ?
economic resource , used in fossil fuels which power global economies
agriculture, crops and forest trees store lots of carbon
why is life carbon based ?
built on large molecules such as proteins , carbs and nucleic acid
why is earth the only planet which can support life ?
temps dont go from one extreme to another
all plants recieve light 4 photosynthesis
water isnt acidic
sun
what is the composition of the atmosphere ?
21% oxygen
0.04% of CO2
how is the atmosphere kept on earth ?
by gravity
what is the goldilocks zone ?
just the right distance from the sun to allow the presence of liquid water on Earth
where is 99.9% of all carbon on earth stored ?
long term storage in sedimentary rocks
what does carbon move through ?
atmosphere, oceans, soil and biosphere
what are systems ?
groups of objects and the relationship that bind the objects together
how much global water is stored in oceans ?
97%
how much global water is stored in ice sheets ?
2%
how much global water is stored in groundwater ?
0.7%
how much global water is stored in lakes ?
0.01%
how much global water is stored in soils ?
0.005%
how much global water is stored in atmosphere ?
0.001%
how much global water is stored in rivers ?
0.0001%
how much global water is stored in biosphere ?
0.00004%
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) sedimentary rock ?
60,000-100,000,000
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) ocean deep layer ?
38,000
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) fossil fuels ?
4130
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) soil ?
2300
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) ocean surface
700
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) atmosphere ?
600
how much global carbon is stored in (billion tonnes) land plants
560
how much global water circulates between the stores ?
505,000km cubed
what is evapotarnspiration ?
H20 evaporates from surface water and land and transpires through leaves
what is condensation and precipitation ?
vapour becomes liquid and is transferred to land as precipitation
what is ablation and sublimation ?
whe snow, ice melts
what is run off and filtration ?
precipitation ends up as run off after infiltration in soil
what is percolation ?
transfer of H20 to ground water stores (aquifers) , returned to earth surface as springs
how is precipitation connected to carbon cycle ?
atmospheric co2 dissolves in rainwater to form a weak carbonic acid , when precip happens CO2 flows back to lands and oceans
imcreased burning of fossil fuels increases acidity of rain and ocean water
how is photosynthesis linked to carbon cycle ?
plants and phytoplankton convert co2 and water to glucose and oxygen
how is decompostion connected to the carbon cycle ?
carbon released as co2 when organsisms die by microoorgansism carrying out respiration whhich also put mineral ions in soil
how does combustion link to the carbon cycel ?
organic material burns, co2 locked up in the material is released with other gases like co2
what are the inputs and outputs of the carbon cycle ?
precipitation, photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion
what is percolation ?
downward movement of water through soil and rock ue to gravity
what is the slow carbon cycle ?
carbon stored in rocks, sea floor sediment and fossil fuels
what is the residence time of sedimentary rocks ?
150 million years
what happens in chemical weathering (slow cycle) ?
carbonation (results of precipitation cherged with co2 from atmosphere , which forms weak acid).
acid attacks carbonate minerals in rock, releasing co2
how does partly decomposed organic matter link to the carbon cycle ?
buried beneath younger sediments to form carbonaceous rocks such as coal and oil.
these fossil fuels act as carbon sinks
how much carbon is circulated thru the slow carbon cycle a year ?
10-100 million tonnes
what is the slow carbon cycle in the sea ?
co2 diffuses into oceans where marine organisms make their shells by fixing dissolved C together with calcium to form calcium carbonate
on death, remains sink to ocean floor
accumulate over millions of years , heat and pressure convert to sedimentary rocks
what is the fast carbon cycle ?
between atmosphere, oceans , living organisms and soils
how faster is the fast carbon cycle than the slow one ?
10-100 times faster
what part does phytoplankton play in the fast carbon cycle ?
thru photosynthesis they absorb co2 from atmos and combine it with h20 to make carbs
what part does decomposition play in decomposition ?
dead organic matter by microbial activity returns co2 to atmos
how are the atmos and oceans interlinked ?
atmospheric co2 dissolves in ocean surface while oceans ventilate co2 back to atmos
through this idividual c atoms can be stored by natural sequestrion in oceans for about 300 years
what is the water balance equation ?
precip= evapotranspiration +streamflow +- storagr
how can precip vary ?
high latitudes +mountanous catchments - precip often falls as snow - therfore large time lag between snowfall and run off
what is transpiration ?
diffusion of water vapour to the atmosphere from leaf pores (stomata) of plants. influenced by temp and wind speed q
what do cumuliform cloud look like ?
flat bases
what is dew point ?
when condensation will occur
how do cumuliform clouds form ?
when air is heated locally through contact with earths surface
- causes heat particles ro rise freely thru atmos , expand and cool
as cooling reaches dew point , condensation = clouds
when do stratiform clouds form ?
when air mass moves horizontally across a cooler surface (ocean )
where do cirrus clouds form ?
high altitudes
what are the key features of cirrus clouds ?
consist of tiny ice crystals
wispy
dont produce precip , so little influence on water cycle
what does condensation near the ground produce ?
dew and fog
what are clouds ?
visible aggregates of H20 and ice that float free in air
when do clouds form >
when water vapour is cooled at dew point
when does cooling occur ?
air warmed by contact with ground rises thru atmos. As air rises and pressure falls it cools by expansion
vertical movement of air is known as convection
when does cooling also occur /
- air masses move horizontal across cooler surface (advection)
- air masses rise as they cross mountain barrier
- relatively warm air masses mixes with a cooler one
what are lapse rates ?
describe vertical distribution of temp in lower atmos and temp changes that occurs within air parcel as it rises vertically away from ground
what is elr ?
environmental lapse rate
what is dalr ?
dry adiabatic lapse rate
what is salr ?
saturated adiabatic lapse rate
explain the elr ?
Rate at which temperate falls with increasing Altitude
Every 1km gained temp falls by 6.5 degrees
epxplain the dalr ?
The rate at which the temperature of a parcel of dry air decreases as the parcel is lifted in the atmosphere is approx 10 degrees / km
explain the salr ?
rate at which saturated parcel of air cools as it rises thru atmos
bcos condensation releases latent heat , the SALR, at around 7 degrees/km is lower than DALR
what is dry air ?
less than 100% humidity so condensation is not taking place
what is saturTED AIR ?
one in which condensation is occuring
explain the formation of clouds by convection ?
1) ground heated by sun heats air
2)air warmer that surroundings so less dense + bouyant
3) atmospheric instability - results in air rising freely in a convection current
4) when internal temp reaches DP , condensation occurs and cloud starts to form
5) air continues to rise as long as its higher remp than surroundings
what are the ways in which interception loss is affected by ?
interception storage capacity
wind speed
veg type
tree species
What does interception depend on
interception depends on duration and intensity of a rainfall event
what is wind speed, to do with interception loss ?
rate of evaporation increase with this
what is veg type , to do with interception loss ?
interception loss interception losses greater than grasses than agricultural crops
what is trees, to do with interception losss ?
larger surface area and aerodynamic roughness
what is tree species , to do with interception loss ?
loses greater from evergreen conifers than broadleavened, decidious trees
what does water emerge at the surface as ?
springs and seepages
how is carbon exchanged through precipitation ?
atmospheric co2 dissolves in rain to form weak carbonic acid
rising conc of co2 in atmos have increased acidity fo rainfall - harmful 4 marine life
how is carbon excganged thru photosynthesis ?
using suns energy , co2 from atmos , green plants and phytoplankton convert light energy to chemical energy (glucose)
how is carbon exchanged thru weathering ?
involves rain whihc onctains dissolved co2
rain is weak carbonic acid which dissolves in limestone and chalk in process called carbonation
release from limestone to streams, rivers, oceans and atmos
how much carbon does chemical weathering transfer ?
0.3 billion tonnes of carbon to the atmos and oceans every year