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earth science > GLY final review > Flashcards

GLY final review Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

what are the different zones of a passive continental margin?

A

continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise

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1
Q

approx. how much of earth’s water is in the oceans

A

97%

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1
Q

characteristics of continental shelf

A

underlain by continental crust, shallow water, gentle slope

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1
Q

characteristics of continental slope

A

transition from continental crust to oceanic crust, rapid increase in water depth, cut by submarine canyons

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2
Q

characteristics of continental rise

A

transition into deep ocean, gentle slope, sediment from adjacent continent

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3
Q

what is turbidity current?

A

dense underwater flow of suspended sediment

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4
Q

what is a longshore current?

A

waves wash up at an angle, water flows back down steepest slope

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5
Q

what is a seamount?

A

submerged volcano

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6
Q

what are volcanic islands?

A

built above sea level

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7
Q

what is a guyot?

A

flat-topped seamount, caused by wave erosion

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8
Q

what are volcanic arcs?

A

curved chain of volcanoes in overriding tectonic plate of subduction zone

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9
Q

what is a spit?

A

sand & gravel deposit, one end connected to land (shows direction of longshore current)

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10
Q

what is a baymouth bar?

A

same as spit but both ends connect to land

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11
Q

what are groins & jetties?

A

walls built out across beach (trap sediment on up-current side

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12
Q

what makes seawater saltier by adding ions/removing water

A

rivers, from rock weathering on land (runoff)

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13
Q

what makes seawater less salty by removing ions/adding water

A

desalination

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14
Q

what is thermocline in the ocean?

A

transition layer between the warmer mixed water at surface and the cooler deep water below

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15
Q

what is thermohaline circulation & what causes it?

A

when the North Atlantic deep water flows south and antarctic waters flow north. caused by seawater density changes near poles

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16
Q

what are ocean gyres and what causes them?

A

huge circular-moving ocean current systems, driven by regional winds (North Atlantic)

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17
Q

what is the gulf stream?

A

ocean current that carries warm water up the eastern coast of the U.S.

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18
Q

High/Low tides

A

2 high & 2 low per day (not equal), cycle period = 12.42 hours

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18
Q

spring/neap tides

A

2 spring & 2 neap intervals per month (spring: interval of larger tidal range, neap: interval of smaller tidal range)

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19
Q

cause of high/low tides?

A

gravitational forces on earth from the moon

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20
Q

cause of spring/neap tides?

A

spring: when sun, moon, and earth are in line, neap: when sun & moon are at right angles to each other

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21
Q

what makes waves larger?

A

wind blowing faster, blowing for longer time, blowing over longer distance

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22
Q

when during the year are beaches narrower & why?

A

winter b/c waves are more energetic & the sand is stored “offshore” (under the ocean)

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23
Q

what is insolation and is it short/longwave?

A

incoming solar radiation and it is mostly shortwave radiation (visible light & some ultraviolet & infrared)

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24
Q

what % of insolation are reflected/absorbed by atmosphere?

A

30% reflected, 70% absorbed

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25
Q

what is albedo?

A

reflectivity of surface materials (higher albedo = colder = lighter color)

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26
Q

what is specific heat?

A

energy required to raise 1g by 1 degree C

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27
Q

How does specific heat affect how fast water & land can warm/cool

A

water has higher specific heat than land (heats/cools slower than land)

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28
Q

how does beam spreading and depletion cause a warm equator & cold poles?

A

higher sun angle at noon than dawn, strongest insolation at noon

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29
Q

what 2 gasses formed earth’s first atmosphere & what happened to them?

A

hydrogen & helium, gradually lost to space

30
Q

2 most abundant gasses in earth’s modern atmosphere?

A

nitrogen & oxygen

31
Q

what is the primary source of oxygen in atmosphere?

A

plant life

32
Q

troposphere characteristics

A

80% of mass, weather happens here

33
Q

what are the 4 layers of atmosphere?

A

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere

34
Q

stratosphere characteristics

A

warmer with height, ozone layer, stable, stratopause

35
Q

mesosphere characteristics

A

colder with height, rare noctiluent clouds, mesopause

36
Q

thermosphere characteristics

A

warmer with height, edge of space, top of atmosphere

37
Q

why is the sky blue?

A

visible light scattered by N2 & O2 in air, shorter wavelengths (blues) scattered most

38
Q

why are sunsets red?

A

longer atmo path @ sunset, all shorter wavelengths scattered, only reds left to reach surface

39
Q

what causes NY to have seasons?

A

earth makes 1 orbit/year & 1 rotation/day

40
Q

which gas does most of heat-trapping

A

water vapor

41
Q

what is ozone layer? where? importance?

A

ozone (O3), stratosphere, absorbs shortwave radiation and protects surface from UV

42
Q

which phase changes of water require latent heat & which release it?

A

require: melting, evaporation, sublimating
release: freezing, condensing, depositing

43
Q

why does lake effect snow develop in winter downwind if Lake Ontario & Lake Erie?

A

The cold dry air from Canada (air gains heat & water vapor from unfrozen lake

44
Q

how do relative humidity & dew point show air saturation?

A

dew point < air temp = unsaturated
dew point = air temp = saturated

45
Q

what is dew?

A

water on surfaces from nighttime cooling, form by condensing

46
Q

what is frozen dew?

A

forms as dew, then freezes to ice

47
Q

what is frost?

A

ice crystals (delicate), forms by depositing

48
Q

what is evaporation?

A

air gains water vapor

49
Q

what is radiation?

A

surface cools overnight, air cools by conduction

50
Q

what is advection?

A

air flows over cool surface, cools by conduction

51
Q

what is upslope?

A

air flows uphill, cools by lifting

52
Q

what is adiabatic?

A

changing temp without adding/removing heat (occurs whenever air sinks/rises)

53
Q

4 processes that cause air to rise

A

localized convection, orographic lifting, frontal lifting, convergence

54
Q

what is localized convection?

A

surface heating causes buoyant air

55
Q

what is orographic lifting?

A

air forced up & over mountains

56
Q

what is frontal lifting?

A

warm air forced up & over colder, denser air

57
Q

what is convergence?

A

surface air from different directions meets & rises

58
Q

why do raindrops fall while cloud droplets stay aloft?

A

raindrops are much larger, fall faster, & reach the surface

59
Q

which state has the most frequent thunderstorms & why?

A

florida b/c high humidity & daytime convection

60
Q

in which stage of an ordinary airmass thunderstorm does most lightning occur?

A

mature stage

61
Q

when during the year can tornadoes form?

A

any month but most common in spring and summer

61
Q

how are squall-line thunderstorms & supercell thunderstorms respectively organized?

A

squall-line: form at or ahead of cold front
supercell: 12-30 miles wide, lasts 2-4 hours, rotating & organized

62
Q

what intensity of tornadoes account for most of the deaths?

A

violent (4-5)

62
Q

eye of the tornado?

A

calm center

63
Q

eye-wall of the tornado?

A

ring of strongest wind & rain

64
Q

spiral rainbands of the tornado?

A

lines of thunderstorms

65
Q

what is the Coriolis effect?

A

a requirement for a hurricane, deflection to right in northern hemisphere, strongest @ poles, weaker at equator

66
Q

where are hurricanes most likely to form? what guides their movement?

A

5 & 20 degrees N in Atlantic, usually move to west then turn north, movement directed by regional air flow

67
Q

3 impacts that cause deaths and damages during hurricanes and which is the largest killer?

A

thrown debris (largest), horizontal winds, deadly tornadoes

68
Q

what is a storm surge?

A

rise in sea surface under storm

69
Q

why do storm surges happen?

A

low atmospheric pressure (minor effect)
wind stress on sea surface (main effect)

70
Q

how do the tidal cycle & funnel effect make impacts worse?

A

if landfall @ high tide during spring tides and if narrow bays amplify the surge

71
Q

what are barrier islands?

A

low elevation sand ridges

72
Q

why are barrier islands dangerous during hurricanes?

A

easily overtopped by surge

73
Q

what caused major life with hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans?

A

levees failed and city flooded (1577 killed)

74
Q

what gasses control greenhouse effect?

A

water vapor controls 75% of warming

75
Q

how do gasses cause warming via the water vapor positive feedback process

A

if more CO2 & CH4:
earth warms, more evaporation, more H2O in air, even warmrer

earth science (1 decks)

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