General Earth Science - Overall Study Flashcards
Why is loss of ice dangrous?
Ice reflects sun rays, making a cooling effect. Less ice, less cooling.
It also messes up ocean currents and heat distribution
What is Earth’s largest and oldest long-term store of carbon?
Calcium carbonate
Define climate modelling
Creating models that predict changes in climate over many years
What is denitrifying bacteria?
Bacteria that converts nitrates back into nitrogen
What do our current climate models predict?
- Oceans will not warm as much as land
- Greatest temp increase will be in the northern hemisphere
- Areas near Antarctica will have the smallest temp increase
- The area of land covered in snow or ice will decrease
`How does nitrogen-fixing bacteria make nitrogen available?
Convert nitrogen into ammonia then into nitrates that plants can use
What are all the major agreements that have been created to combat climate change?
The Kyoto Protocol
Doha Amendment
Paris Agreement
What is nitrogen-fixing bacteria?
Bacteria that makes nitrogen available to other living things
Define sustainable ecosystems
Ecosystems that are diverse, self-renewing and provide for the needs of the organisms that live there
What causes tropical cyclones?
Intense low pressure atmospheric systems
Warm sea surface temp (above 26.5C)
Why are ice cores useful?
You can analyse the physical and chemical properties of ice cores.
Doing this provides data about previous temperatures and air compositions
TRUE or FALSE
Volcanoes determine the creation and disappearance of land/islands
True
What is moraine?
Debris a glacier was carrying. It is left behind when a glacier retreats
Provide an example for evidence of climate change.
- Glaciers
- Ice cores
- Pollen analysis
- Sea level change
What effects can volcanic ash clouds produce?
Short term: cool lightning & heavy rain
Long term: Reduce sunlight reaching Earth, creating a cooling effect
What spheres do volcanoes effect?
Lithosphere and atmosphere
What can earthquakes on land influence?
- Course of rivers
- Cause landslides
- Potentially create lakes
- Destroy dams, causing floods
What 3 main gases does the atmosphere consist of?
Nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide
What is the fresh water to salt water ratio on Earth?
97% salt. 3% fresh
Fun fact: Only 1% of fresh water is liquid
Where are most living organisms found?
300 meters above and 10 meters below Earth’s surface
What are the four earth spheres?
Biosphere (living things)
Atmosphere (air)
Hydrosphere (water)
Lithosphere (land)
What are the main causes of ocean currents?
Wind, temperature, salt levels, rotation of the earth, gravitational pull of the sun and moon
What is the water current cycle called?
Thermohaline circulation
What produces nitrous oxide?
- Car exhausts
- burning of fossil fuels
- nitrogen-based fertilisers
Why is the global conveyor belt important?
It distributes heat around the globe
What causes deep currents?
Water salinity
What causes surface currents?
Wind
Define ocean currents
Continuous movement of ocean water
What produces methane?
- Stomachs of cows and sheep
- Rice paddies
- Garbage tips
- Coal mines
Describe the greenhouse effect
Short wave radiation passes through the glass of a greenhouse. It is then re-radiated as long-wave radiation and can no longer pass through the glass.
Define greenhouse gases
Gases that have the effect of trapping heat close to the surface, keeping the earth warmer compared to if they weren’t present
What characteristic influences climate using the sun?
How much sunlight is reflected back into space
What is the original source of energy that influences climate?
The sun
What are the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Increases in methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide concentrations.
Define climate
The long-term averages of weather conditions
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
The unnatural increase of greenhouse gases due to human activity.
Why is methane & nitrous oxide so much more dangerous than CO2?
Methane can trap 20x more heat than CO2
Nitrous oxide can trap 300x more heat than CO2
Define weather
The state of the atmosphere at any given time.
Can change from hour to hour
Briefly explain the steps of the water cycle
- Water is evaporated
- Condenses into clouds
- Precipitation (rain)
What is one of the major concerns around methane?
A lot of methane is tapped in permafrost. As temperatures rise, the permafrost melts releasing the methane. This causes more warming and more permafrost to melt.
