Global systems -seb Flashcards
What is the greenhouse effect?
Sunlight (short-wave radiation) mostly passes through the atmosphere, where it heats the ground and oceans. This heat is emitted as infrared radiation (long-wave radiation), which is mostly reflected by certain greenhouse gases (e.g. CO2) in the atmosphere.
what are the main greenhouse gases?
a greenhouse gas is any gas that reflects long-wave radiation.
methane (CH4), water vapour (H20), carbon dioxide (C02), nitrous oxide (N20), ozone (03)
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
The enhance greenhouse effect refers to the intensification of the greenhouse effect, due to human activity. Human activities in particular burning fossil fuels and natural gas, agriculture and land clearing increase the concentrations of greenhouse gases and contributing to global warming.
what are CFC’s?
CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) are compounds that contain only chlorine, fluorine and carbon
Where do CFC’s come from?
CFC’s were originally used in refrigerators and aerosol spray
Why are CFC’s bad?
CFC’s can last for hundreds of years in the atmosphere and are thousands of times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. CFC’s also destroy ozone molecules. This lead to a hole in the ozone above antartica
Where is the ozone layer?
Ozone forms naturally in the thin air about 25km high
why is ozone important?
Ozone absorbs dangerous ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the sun. Without it the UV would make life virtually impossible
what is the montreal protocol?
In 1987, 32 countries met in Montreal and signed an agreement to eliminate the
use of ozone-destroying chemicals. The agreement, called the Montreal Protocol, has meant that chemicals such as CFCs have been replaced with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
What is the biosphere?
The biosphere includes all parts of the earth’s surface and atmosphere where living things exist. It is the sum of all earth’s ecosystems and extends to where all life exists
what is the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is composed of the layers of air surrounding the planet.
What is the atmosphere made up of?
The atmosphere is made up of gases such as 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, <1% argon and <1 % carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and nitrous oxide.
What is the lithosphere
The lithosphere is made up of all rock in the earth’s continental crust and oceanic crust.
What is the hydrosphere?
The hydrosphere is made up of all the water on earth. Including the oceans and the rain which also exists in the atmosphere and on land.
What are the layers of the Earth?
-Core
-Mantle
-Crust
How thick is the Crust?
-Continental Crust
(10-70km)
-Oceanic Crust (7km)
How many major tectonic plates are there?
12
How do the tectonic plates move?
“Plates” of lithosphere are moved around by the underlying hot mantle convection cells
What is a divergent plate boundary?
It is where the 2 plates are moving away from eachother and new material is erupted to fill the gap.
What is a convergent plate boundary?
A convergent boundary is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as subduction.
What is a transform plate boundary?
Where the plates slide past eachother
What are the steps of the nitrogen cycle?
- Nitrogen Fixation
- Nitrification
- Nitrogen Assimilation
- Nitrogen Ammonification
- Dentrification
What is the Carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle is nature’s way of reusing carbon atoms, which travel from the atmosphere into organisms in the Earth and then back into the atmosphere over and over again.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
The Nitrogen Cycle is a biogeochemical process that converts nitrogen into various forms, passing from the atmosphere to soil, organisms, and back into the atmosphere.
What are the steps of the Carbon Cycle?
- Respiration and Photosynthesis
- Organic matter and waste
- Carbon stored underground
- CO2 produced by humans
