Global Systems

Question 1

Define lithosphere

Answer 1

Land

Question 2

Define hydrosphere

Answer 2

Water

Question 3

Define atmosphere

Answer 3

Air / gas

Question 4

Define carbon cycle

Answer 4

The process by which carbon is recycled through soil, water, living things and the atmosphere

Question 5

Sources in the carbon cycle

Answer 5

PRODUCES
Respiration
Oil
Gas
Fossil fuel combustion
Coal
Burning - woods & organic remains

Question 6

Sinks in carbon cycle

Answer 6

CONSUME
Tissue - plant & animal
Trees
Soils
Oceans

Question 7

Why is nitrogen essential for life

Answer 7

Nitrogen is an important element in proteins

• plants use nitrates from the soil
• animals consume nitrogen by eating plants & other animals

Question 8

Define nitrifying bacteria

Answer 8

Absorbs nitrogen from the air trapped in the soil and convert it to nitrates that are useable for plants

Question 9

Define denitrifying bacteria

Answer 9

Get their energy from the nitrates and convert them back into gaseous nitrogen, which is then released back into the atmosphere

Question 10

What are leguminous plants

Answer 10

Plants that can take nitrogen from the air and fix it in their tissues

Question 11

What are the effects of global warming on the water cycle

Answer 11

• energy from the sun drives the water cycle
• energy from the sun causes water to evaporated from moist surfaces (liquid ➡️ gas)
  THIS CAUSES THE WORLD TO BE HOTTER

Question 12

Difference between weather and climate

Answer 12

WEATHER
The state of the atmosphere over a short period of time
CLIMATE
The long-term averages of weather conditions

Question 13

Natural influences on climate

Answer 13

SURFACE OF THE EARTH
- ice reflects 84% sun rays
- forest reflects 15% sun rays
GASES IN ATMOSPHERE
- nitrogen & oxygen allow heat waves in and out
ORIENTATION OF THE EARTH
- tilt of Earth affects how much sunlight hits it
- as Earth rotates, the atmosphere and waters of the ocean are dragged with it

Question 14

Main causes of ocean currents

Answer 14

Wind
Temperature
Variations in salt levels
Rotation of Earth on its own axis
Gravitational pull of sun & moon

Question 15

Thermohaline circulation

Answer 15

• surface currents and deeper currents interact
• water cycles from deep currents to surface currents then back to the deep again
  THIS CIRCULATION IS VERY SLOW - takes 1600 years to complete one cycle

Question 16

How the Global Conveyor Belt affects climate

Answer 16

• it distributes heat around the Earth

- as the global conveyor belt slows down the temperature difference is less between the poles and the equator

Question 17

What is southern oscillation

Answer 17

• a sequence of changes to the atmosphere and ocean circulation across the Pacific Ocean and Indian Islands
• normally a cold current flows north along the coast of South America, then west along equator (it’s then warmed by the sun)

Question 18

Factors used to calculate the southern oscillation index

Answer 18

The difference in air pressure between Tahiti and Darwin

Question 19

El Niño

Answer 19

Drought

- QLD n NSW

Question 20

La Niña

Answer 20

Significant rainfall

Question 21

What is the Indian Dipole

Answer 21

A cycle of change in temperature between the Easter and western areas of Indian oceans, near equator

Question 22

Evidence of climate change

Answer 22

GLACIERS
as glaciers move they grind against rocks on the sides of the valley through which they flow, the rock becomes deeply scored and when the glacier retreats this becomes visible
ICE CORES
on some glaciers and ice sheets enough snow falls each year to form layers
POLLEN ANALYSIS
pollen often becomes fossilised, which indicates changes in vegetation and climate
SEA LEVEL CHANGE
rocks and types of fossils can indicate changes in sea level

Question 23

Difference between greenhouse effect and enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 23

Greenhouse➡️ natural

Enhanced➡️ human impacts

Question 24

Major gases that contribute to greenhouse effect

Answer 24

CARBON DIOXIDE
come from atmosphere
METHANE
produced in stomachs of cows and sheep and released when they fart
NITROUS OXIDE
produced in car exhausts, burning of forests and use of nitrous fertilisers

Question 25

Consequences of global warming

Answer 25

CHANGE IN SEA LEVEL
- have risen 2.5cm every 30 years
- natural part of interglacial warming period
EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS/ CHANGES IN BIODIVERSITY
- loss of ice➡️ more heat added to atmosphere
- carbon dioxide absorption ➡️ water at surface of oceans absorbs CO2 from atmosphere
- shrinking Antarctica

Question 26

Why do scientist believe that the enhanced greenhouse effect will cause more problems than normal greenhouse effect

Answer 26

Increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide concentrations in atmosphere

Question 27

Events scientists predict will occur as earth warms up

Answer 27

• oceans won’t warm up as much as land
• northern parts of northern hemisphere.. increase temp
• areas near Antarctic.. only small temp increase
• area of land covered in snow will decrease
• amount of sea ice at both poles.. Reduce
• increase in extreme weather event
• rainfall increase toward poles, decrease in subtropical areas

Question 28

Great Barrier Reef

Answer 28

• corals are sensitive to small changes in temperature (an increase in temp of 1-1.5*C above summer avg maximum can cause severe stress to coral)
• photosynthesis Protists life within their cells and provide nutrition to the coral
• coral becomes stressed due to temp nurse it expels the Protists
• coral becomes lighter in colour and bleaches
• bleached coral suffers fro lack of nutrition and can no longer compete with algae
• without live coral the fish in the area start to suffer

Question 29

Define biosphere

Answer 29

All living things on Earth and the interactions between them