ELSS-Water Flashcards
How is Earth able to support life?
- oceans regulate temperature
- atmosphere is not too cold or hot
- photosynthesis and carbon capture stop us breathing in too many toxins
- water supply
- rotation of earth create day and night
What is Earths atmosphere like?
-breathable atmosphere
-plenty of oxygen (about 21% of air is oxygen)
-small amount of carbon dioxide (about 0.04% of air is CO2)
-Earth’s atmosphere is kept on the planet by its pull of gravity
What is Earths climate like?
Temperature on Earth does not go from one extreme to the other either
Why is Earths water important?
-It is drinkable, and it allows life-providing molecules to move around easily
-About 71% of the Earths surface is water covered
-The oceans hold about 96.5% of all Earths water
-Water also exists in the air as water vapour, in rivers, glaciers, lakes, icecaps, in the ground as soil moisture and aquifers and also in humans
-water enables processes of growth, reproduction and metabolism
- water makes up 65-95% of all living organisms
What is Earths light like?
-All planets receive light from the Sun
-Plants need sun to grow through photosynthesis
-24 hours to spin on it’s axis which means that each side of the planet receives sunlight regularly
What is Earths sun like?
-Allows the Earth to receive the perfect amount of heat and light to allow life
-The Sun’s gravity keeps Earth in its orbit
What is the goldilocks zone and why do we need to live in this zone?
The goldilocks zone is known as the habitable zone and refers to the range of distances from a star within which a celestial body such as a a planet is able to maintain conditions suitable for life as we know it. For a planet to support life, it needs to have liquid water and the goldilocks zone is where the temperature is just right for water to exist. If the planet is too close, this may cause the water to evaporate and if it is too far away, the temperatures may be too cold causing water to freeze. Having the correct amount of sunlight allows photosynthesis to take place and for food to be created. If we are too close to the sun we would receive larger amounts of radiation from the sun which would damage our helath
What are the layers of the Earths atmosphere?
-Troposphere
-Stratosphere
-Mesosphere
-Thermosphere
-Exosphere
What is the troposphere?
-The most inner layer of Earths atmosphere
-Temperature ranges from 15 to -56.5 degrees Celsius
-Height ranges from 0 to 12-18 km
What is the stratosphere?
-The layer above the troposphere
-Temperature ranges from -56.5 to -2.5 degrees Celsius
-Height ranges from 11 to 50km
What is the mesosphere?
-The middle layer of the Earths atmosphere
-Temperature ranges from -2.5 to -86.5 degrees Celsius
-Height ranges from 40-50 to 80-90km
What is the thermosphere?
-Just below the Exosphere
-Temperature ranges from -86.5 to 1200 degrees Celsius
-Height ranges from 80-90 to 800km
What is the Exosphere?
-The outer layer of the Earths atmosphere
-Temperature is 1200 degrees Celsius
-Height ranges from 800 to 3000km
What is the use of water for Fauna (animals)?
-Respiration
-Chemical reactions including oxygen circulation and nutrients
-Fur covered animals cool by evaporation
-Water makes up 65-96% of all living organisms
-Washing and drinking
What is the use of water for Flora (plants)?
-Photosynthesis and respiration
-Maintaining rigidity otherwise they wilt
-Transport nutrients
-Crops are irrigated by water
-Transpiration releases water to cool plants
What is the use of water to people?
-Sweating (cooling)
-Economic resource (Electricity, crop irrigation, drinking, sewage, manufacturing and hydroelectric power)
-Oxygen circulation and nutrients
-Drinking
-Respiration
How important is water to climate?
-Absorbs, stores and releases heat in oceans
-Clouds reflect incoming solar radiation
-Water vapour (GHG) absorbs long wave radiation
-15 - 20 degrees Celsius lower otherwise
How can the water cycle be viewed as a system?
On a large scale the water cycle is a global hydrological cycle where energy from the sun enters and leaves. The total amount of water in the cycle is always the same; no water enters or exits and as a result this is an example of a closed system. On a smaller scale the water cycle can be apart of the drainage base system which is an open system
What type of system is the EARTHs water cycle and why?
It is a closed system as no water can enter or leave the system
What type of systems are SMALL SCALE water cycles and why?
Open systems as water can be added by precipitation and lost at the mouth of a river or through evaporation
What is residence time?
Tells us on average how long water remains in each of the stores
Why is water vapour much higher at the equator than around the poles and are they more common on land or sea?
This is because at the equator the sun’s rays are more concentrated, evaporating more of the oceans water. Water vapour levels are lower on land compared to oceans as the water is evaporated off the ocean’s surface
What are the oceans stores inputs and outputs for the water cycle?
Inputs are Precipitation, surface runoff, groundwater, rivers and the Outputs are Evaporation, human removal - desalination
What is the lands inputs and outputs for the water cycle?
Inputs are precipitation, infiltration and the Outputs are Evaporation, transpiration, human removal - desalination, runoff, through flow & ground water flow
What are the atmospheric stores inputs and outputs for the water cycle?
The inputs are Evaporation, transpiration and the Outputs are precipitation and condensation
What are the effects of high intensity/prolonged precipitation on Mountainous environments?
Likely to be snow on the ground for months meaning a lag between precipitation and runoff and there may not be much infiltration due to steep relief. High intensity precipitation moves very quickly overland less infiltration, lots of surface runoff and throughflow. Prolonged precipitation can lead to flooding due to saturated ground, increase in groundwater levels, low infiltration and throughflow rates.
What is Sublimation?
Sublimation is the process of a solid becoming a gas, without going through becoming a liquid first. It is not easy to see and an example we can observe is frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) which sublimates at an ordinary air pressure and temperature.
What is a drainage basin?
An area drained by a river and its tributaries
What is a watershed?
The boundary between two drainage basins
What is a tributary?
A small stream or river which leads into a larger river
What is a confluence?
The point where two or more tributaries join
What is a mouth?
the end of the river where it meets the sea
What is interception and the factors effecting it?
When water is intercepted and stored on branches/ leaves of plants before evaporating or falling to the ground and the factors effecting it are Interception storage capacity, Wind speed and Species.
What are the factors affecting the rate of infiltration and description?
Soil type- If the soil is very permeable then water infiltrates easily
Saturation- If soil is already saturated there will be no room for more water making it less permeable
Relief-steeper relief less infiltration