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Planet Earth final > Final > Flashcards

Final Flashcards

1
Q

Atmosphere and Climate

A

70% of earth’s surface is water

80% of southern hemisphere

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2
Q

Composition of Earth’s Atmosphere

A

Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon all make up 99.9%

Carbon Dioxide is next up…..401.18ppm

Unique in our solar system: oxygen and water vapor

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3
Q

Structure of Atmosphere

A

TOP TO BOTTOM

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4
Q

Thermosphere

A

90km-120km

Magnetosphere

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5
Q

Mesosphere

A

50km-90km

Ionized gases

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6
Q

Stratosphere

A

20km-50km

ozone layer

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7
Q

troposphere

A

0km-20km

weather and clouds
`

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8
Q

Insolation

A 
Earth's climate is
fundamentally controlled by
the way solar radiation
interacts with Earth's surface
and atmosphere

Mostly in the visible
spectrum

Reradiated as
infrared

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9
Q

Absorption

spectra

A

Heat is trapped by
greenhouse gases
(mostly CO2)

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10
Q

Greenhouse gases:

A

absorb longwave radiation

and emit some of it back to the Earth as heat.

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11
Q

Keeling Curve

A

Long term rise

• draw down in northern hemisphere summer

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12
Q

Climate

A

the average weather conditions

during the year.

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13
Q

greenhouse effect

A

The trapping of heat in the Earth’s atmosphere
by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which
absorb infrared radiation; somewhat analogous to the effect of glass in a greenhouse

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14
Q

coriolis effect

A

air moving north from the equator to the pole deflects to the east, and in each hemisphere, three convection cells develop (the Hadley, Ferrel, and polar cells).

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15
Q

hadley circulation

A

The name given to the low-latitude convection

cells in the atmosphere.

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16
Q

trade winds

A

Thus, between the equator and 30°N, surface
winds come out of the northeast, and are called the northeast trade winds, so named because they once carried trading ships westward from Europe to the Americas.

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17
Q

doldrum

A

But winds along the equator are very

slow, because the air is mostly rising. Ships tended to be becalmed in this belt

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18
Q

Prevailing westerlies

A

prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes and tend towards the poles and steer extratropical cyclones in this general manner.

east to west

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19
Q

Sea surface temperatures

A

Warmest at equator (28°C [82°F])

Freezing at high latitudes

Mean annual temperature is 17°C (63°F)

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20
Q

Sea surface salinities

A 
Oceanic = 35 ‰ (ppt)
•  Brackish = Lower than marine
•  Bays, lagoons
•  Hypersaline = Higher than marine
•  Hot arid climates

Atlantic Ocean is saltier
• Mediterranean
Isthmus of Panama

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21
Q

surface zone

A

0-200 meters or 650 feet

2% of ocean water

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22
Q

major depth zones in the ocean

A

***salty, cold water is dense.

general rule lower temp, more salinity, more density

thermocline + halo cline = pycnocline

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23
Q

pycnocline - 18%

A

200m - 1000m(3300 ft)

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24
Q

deep zone 80%

A

1000m -5000m (14000+ feet)

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25
Q

Thermohaline circulation

A

During thermohaline circulation, denser water (cold and/or saltier) sinks, whereas water that is less dense (warm and/orless salty) rises

Sinking of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) drives a
“conveyor belt” ocean circulation

The combination
of surface currents and
thermohaline circulation,
like a conveyor belt,
moves water and heat
among the various ocean
basins
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26
Q

Atlantic Water Masses

A

Like the atmosphere, oceans are stratified
– by temperature (cooler at bottom)
– by salinity (saltier at bottom)
• Atlantic Ocean is more saline than Pacific

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27
Q

DSDP - Deep Sea

Drilling Project

A

Launched in 1968 and sailed for 15 years
• First research vessel designed for drilling and taking core samples from deep ocean floor
• Over 60 miles of core at 624 different sites
• Scientific accomplishments include definitive
proof of Sea Floor Spreading

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28
Q

Ocean

Drilling Program

A

Successor to Deep Sea Drilling Project
• international effort
• drillship: JOIDES Resolution
• 110 expeditions and 2000 deep sea cores
• explore and study the composition, structure,
and history of the Earth’s ocean basins

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29
Q

IODP

A 
Multiplatform:
•  Nonriser (revamped Resolution
- Run by US)
•  Riser (Chikyu, run by Japan)
•  Mission Specific (Europe..., special needs platforms- shallow water, ice-covered)
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30
Q

Passive margin

A

Broad continental shelves, like that of eastern North
America, form along passive continental margins, margins
that are not plate boundaries and thus lack seismicity

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31
Q

Active margin

A

a margin that coincides with a plate boundary and

thus hosts many earthquakes

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32
Q

Trench

A

convergent boundaries where lithospheric plates subduct into the mantle

long, relatively narrow
- deepest parts of ocean
(most >8 km; 11 km) - most are in Pacific

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33
Q

Continental shelf

A

a relatively shallow portion of
the ocean in which water depth does not exceed 500 m,
fringes the continent.

nearly flat from shoreline to continental slope; 0.1 to 0.06° slope (1:1000)
• < 200 m deep, may extend 100’s km offshore

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34
Q

Coastal plain

A

a flatland that merges with the continental
shelf, as exists along the Gulf Coast and southeastern
Atlantic coast of the United State

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35
Q

Epicontinental sea

A

A shallow sea overlying a continent.

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36
Q

Graded shelf

A

Moves from coarse to fine

sand, muddy sand, sandy mud, mud

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37
Q

Continental shelf break

A

around 150 meters deep slope

75 meters distance offshore

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38
Q

contiental slope

A

Below the slope is the continental rise, which finally merges into the deep ocean floor, the abyssal plain. The continental shelf and the slope are part of the continental margin.

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39
Q

Submarine canyons

A

cut into continental slope

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40
Q

Turbidity currents

A

A submarine avalanche of sediment and

water that speeds down a submarine slope

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41
Q

Turbidites

A

A graded bed of sediment built up at the base of a

submarine slope and deposited by turbidity currents

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42
Q

Continental rise

A

The sloping sea floor that extends from the

lower part of the continental slope to the abyssal plain.

43
Q

Abyssal plain

A

A broad, relatively flat region of the ocean that
lies at least 4.5 km below sea level.

Away from:
• tectonic processes
• waves and tides at the sea surface • turbidites coming off the shelf
*Flattest surface on the Earth
- Forms LARGEST part of ocean
- Contains submerged volcanoes called seamounts.

44
Q

Lithogenic

A

derived from land

Terrigenous: derived from continents (turbidites)

– Pelagic clay “red clay” barren regions below the CCD with only eolian, volcanic, and cosmic sources for mud

Lithogenic sediments
Near continental margin
1-10 cm/1000 yrs

Red or pelagic clay
(eolian, volcanic, and cosmic sources for mud)
1 mm/1000 yrs

45
Q

Biogenic

A

derived from organisms

– Carbonate Ooze 48% of the ocean floor, accumulates
above the CCD
– Siliceous Ooze sediments are concentrated in regions of upwelling ocean currents

46
Q

Hydrogenic

A

precipitated from water

Manganese nodules - are rock concretions on the sea bottom formed of concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxides around a core.

Very slow growth - a few centimeters per million years

47
Q

Distribution of carbonate sediments

A
  • Dilution - by other particles
  • Destruction - calcium carbonate dissolves
  • Productivity- reproduction of organisms
48
Q

sinkhole

A

circular depression

49
Q

Hydrologic Cycle

A

Run-off
Evaporation
Transpiration
Infiltration

50
Q

Reservoir

A

any environment where water is stored

51
Q

why is groundwater such a valuable resource?

A

Abundant - 70 times more fresh water below ground than above it.

Constant - Groundwater is available even during dry periods.

Widespread - Groundwater can flow from humid environments to where it is needed in dry regions.

52
Q

Aquifer

A

sediment/rock through which water flows easily

53
Q

Porosity

A

the percent of the total volume of a rock that consists of pore spaces

A very porous rock contains a large proportion of pore space

54
Q

Aquifer

A

sediment/rock through which water flows easily

*sand or gravel
• weathered limestone
• fractured igneous rock

55
Q

Examples of rock types and porosity

A

most limestone, clay

least - shale, igneous, metamorphic

56
Q

what makes a difference in porosity

A 
* sizes and shapes of particles
•  compactness of the arrangement
•  gravels have large openings but the
stuff is usually of many sizes – the pores
get clogged
•  cement
•  igneous and metamorphic rocks have
low porosity except where they are fractured
57
Q

Zone of aeration

A

open spaces are normally

filled with air

58
Q

Water table

A

top of saturated zone

59
Q

Zone of saturation

A

spaces are filled with water

60
Q

Permeability

A

the capacity for transmitting fluids

Sands have high permeability

Clay/Shale - little/no permeability

61
Q

Fractured Shale

A

has secondary permeability

due to fractures

62
Q

Weathered joints and bedding-plane fractures transmit large amounts of water.

A

Weathered joints and bedding-plane fractures in Paleozoic limestone transmit large amounts of water at rapid rates.

63
Q

Confining bed

A

Sediment/rock that restricts the flow of water

CLAY

64
Q

unconfined

A

Intersects the surface

65
Q

confined

A

bracketed by confining beds

ex: artesian aquifer

66
Q

Perched Water Table

A

More than one water table

67
Q

Perched Water Table

A

More than one water table

68
Q

Geologic work of Groundwater

A

Groundwater combines with carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid

Limestone is quite easily dissolved in water containing a small amount of carbonic acid.

H2O + CO2 = H2CO3
Water + Carbon dioxide = Carbonic acid

69
Q

Karst Topography

A

landscape in which caves and sinkholes are so numerous that they form a peculiar topography characterized by:

ONLY WHERE CARBONATES OCCUR

  • Many small, closed basins.
    • Disrupted drainage pattern.
    • Streams disappearing into the ground.
    • Streams reappearing as large springs.
70
Q

Stalactite

A

icicle like cone

71
Q

Stalagmite

A

Upward pointing cone

72
Q

Columns

A

when the stalactites and stalagmites merge

73
Q

geologic materials makes the best confining bed

A

shale

74
Q

Gravity Driven Flow

A

Groundwater infiltrates during a rainfall

Recharge – where groundwater is replenished • Discharge – where groundwater flows from the surface

75
Q

Springs

A

Location where the water table intersects the ground surface.

76
Q

D’arcy’s Law

A

change in H = h1 - h2

Change in H / distance between two points

77
Q

hyradulic gradient (slope of water table)

A

The potential energy available to drive the flow of a given
volume of groundwater at a location

    • slope of the water table (steeper = faster)
  • ** permeability (higher = faster)
78
Q

Rates of groundwater movement

A

• Groundwater tends to move slowly, as seepage through pores of soil, rock, unconsolidated material, etc.:
– from 0.03 meters/year (slow) to 0.3 meters/day (fast), a difference of > 3 orders of magnitude

• For comparison, rivers flow at rates around 0.3 to 3 meters/second or over 4000 meters/day for even a slow river

79
Q

Gravity Driven Flow

A

Repeated rainfall prevents the water table from assuming a level surface

In order for the groundwater table to remain constant the rate of recharge must be equal to the discharge rate

80
Q

Wet Period

A

High water table

81
Q

Dry Period

A

lower water table

82
Q

Cone of depression

A

a conical shaped depression of the water table due to pumping

83
Q

Artesian well

A

Well water pumped to holding tank

Gravity maintains pressure from there to the faucet

a well in which water rises above the aquifer.

Sometimes pressure can lift the water above the ground and water will flow

84
Q

Wells

A

Dug or drilled through zone of aeration + below water table Water is then lifted out or pumped out

85
Q

Drawdown due to pumping

A

Cone of depression

Water table can drop below useable depth through excessive pumping

Subsidence

Saltwater intrusion

86
Q

Subsidence

A

Over pumping can cause grains to settle

ground crack; fissures develop

87
Q

Saltwater intrusion

A

Salt-water intrusion - pulling salt-water into fresh-water aquifers

88
Q

Saltwater intrusion

A

Salt-water intrusion - pulling salt-water into fresh-water aquifers

89
Q

Hydrologic cycle

A
  • Powered by sun
    • Atmosphere provides the link
    • Water from oceans carried onto land
90
Q

Infiltration

A

water that soaks into the ground

source of
ground water

91
Q

Sheetwash

A

a film of water a few millimeters thick that covers a ground surface

goes into channel

92
Q

Drainage Basin

A

Drainage basin or watershed - region drained by a single river or river system

93
Q

Longitudinal Profile

A

Stream features change from steeper at the headwaters to flatter at the mouth

94
Q

Base level

A

lowest elevation a stream bed can reach at a given locality

Streams erode their channel down to base level…..waterfall, lakes are both examples

SEA LEVEL IS ULTIMATE BASE LEVEL

95
Q

Discharge

A

Discharge = Velocity * Area

Area = width * depth

96
Q

Hjulstrom’s Curve

A

Fluid velocity determines the size of particles that can be moved

higher velocities are needed to erode
1) large particles and 2) cohesive clay & silt

97
Q

Competence vs. capacity

A

Fluid velocity determines the size of the particles that can be moved

higher velocities are needed to move large particles

Large gravel moves during flood

98
Q

Stream Geomorphology

A

Two basic fluvial styles:

meandering (single channel)

braided (multiple channel)

99
Q

Braided stream

A

A channel that consists of a network of small channels separated by small and often temporary islands called bars

Braided streams form when the river has a large sediment load

100
Q

Meandering river

A

Velocity effects on sedimentation and erosion:
– Cutbanks on the outside of bends (high velocity) (max erosion)
– Point bars on the inside of bends (low velocity) (max deposition)

101
Q

Levee

A

The boundary between channel and floodplain may be the site of a natural levee – a broad, low ridge of sediment built along the side of a channel

102
Q

Levees form when sediment-laden floodwater overflows the channel and slows as it moves onto the floodplain.

A

The area adjacent to and outside of the channel serves as an overflow area for excess water and sediment

103
Q

oxbow lake

A

The meander that has been cut off
is called an oxbow lake if it remains filled with water, or an
abandoned meander if it dries out (

104
Q

Deltas

A

Deltas develop where the running water of a stream enters
standing water, the current slows, the stream loses
competence, and sediment settles out. Geologists refer to
any wedge of sediment formed at a river mouth as a delta,

fluvial deposit is generated where a river meets the ocean

Planet Earth final (1 decks)

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