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Litho/Hydro/Atmosphere Flashcards

1
Q

What is permafrost

A
  • Ground that has been for at least 2 consecutive years
  • covers 25% of land in the Northern hemisphere
  • ”active layer” on top of permafrost thaws every summer
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2
Q

What are the dangers of thawing permafrost?

A
  • ecosystem damage
  • infrastructure damage
  • landslides
  • coastal erosion
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3
Q

How is thawing permafrost affecting the atmosphere? (Cycle)

A

Increase in global temperature melts the permafrost which releases CO2 and CH4 (GHG). These trap heat in the atmosphere and increase global temperature.

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4
Q

What is the Lithosphere?

A
  • crust and upper mantle

* source of rocks, minerals and mineraloids

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5
Q

What are minerals?

A
  • inorganic substances (not from living things)
  • naturally occurring on earth
  • ordered structure (crystal shapes)
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6
Q

What are mineraloids?

A

•come from living organisms

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7
Q

What classifies minerals?

A
  • colour (idiochromatic: elements, allochromatic: impurities)
  • transparency
  • hardness
  • streak
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8
Q

Where do you get minerals from?

A

open- pit and underground mines

*removed from the lithosphere as an ore

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9
Q

What are rocks?

A

Heterogeneous solids made of many minerals

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10
Q

What are the different types of rock and where do they come from?

A
  • ingneous, formed by fire
  • sedimentary, layered debris
  • metamorphic, high heat and pressure
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11
Q

What are the layers of soil?

A
  • organic matter (dead, decaying organic matter)
  • top soil (minerals)
  • subsoil
  • fragmented parent rock
  • parent rock
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12
Q

What are the energy resources of the lithosphere?

A
  • geothermal
  • fossil fuels
  • uranium (nuclear)
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13
Q

What is geothermal energy?

A

Energy that comes from the internal heat of the earth

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14
Q

What are the pros and cons of geothermal energy?

A

pros: reduce heating costs and CO2 emissions
cons: very expensive to install

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15
Q

What are fossil fuels?

A
  • coal, natural gas, crude oil

* releases energy when burned

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16
Q

What are the consequences of fossil fuels?

A
  • release CO2 (GHG)

* realease SO2 NO (acid rain)

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17
Q

How does uranium create energy?

A

splitting the nucleus of a uranium atom releases nuclear energy

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18
Q

What are the pros and cons of uranium (nuclear energy)

A
  • pros: does not produce GHG

* cons: can cause extreme damage if there is an accident

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19
Q

What is soil depletion?

A

Loss of soil fertility (decrease in nutrients)

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20
Q

What are the causes of soil depletion?

A
  • erosion
  • overuse of fertilizers and pesticides
  • monocropping
  • changes in pH
  • use of heavy machinery
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21
Q

What is the hydrosphere?

A
  • earths layer of water (ice, water, water vapour)

* 70% of earths surface is water (97% salt, 0.75 fresh)

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22
Q

What are the types of freshwater ecosystems?

A
  • standing water (lakes, ponds)

* running water (streams, rivers)

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23
Q

What are inland waters?

A

Freshwater found on continents (rivers, lakes, ground)

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24
Q

What are watersheds?

A

Areas of land where water flows to the same body of water

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25
What affects water flow?
* topography (slope of the land) * geology (types of rocks) * climate * vegetation * human activities (cities, industry, agriculture)
26
Where is saltwater located?
* oceans: major bodies of water between the continents * pacific, Atlantic, Indian, arctic and southern ocean * seas: smaller bodies of saltwater
27
What does the ocean’s water temperature depend on?
* depth * seasons * latitude (how far from the equator)
28
What is salinity?
Amount of salt dissolved in water
29
What does salinity depend on?
* heat - increase evaporation - increase salinity * erosion- increase salinity * melting pack ice and glaciers- increase freshwater- decrease salinity
30
What waters sink or rise?
* warm water rises * cold water sinks * more salt - denser - sinks
31
What is an ocean current?
movement of water in a certain direction
32
What is ocean circulation?
Combined effects of all currents
33
What impacts ocean currents?
* surface currents (wind) | * subsurface currents (changes due to water density)
34
Describe Thermohaline circulation
* currents around the world * hot water rises and moves towards the poles * cold water sinks and moves towards the equator * very important for climate (stabilizing)
35
What is the Cryosphere?
Frozen water on earth
36
What is pack ice?
• ice that floats on the oceans at the poles | *melting pack ice doesn’t cause water levels to rise
37
What are glaciers?
• huge masses of ice that are formed on land.
38
What impact does melting glaciers have?
* causes water levels to rise | * impacts thermohaline circulation (freshwater less dense - won’t sink as easily)
39
What are the energy resources of the hydrosphere?
* hydraulic energy from hydroelectric dams (energy from moving water) * tidal energy from water turbines (energy from tides in the ocean)
40
What are the pros and cons of hydroelectricity?
* pros: renewable source that doesn’t produce many GHG | * cons: floods many ecosystems
41
What is the atmosphere and what is it’s composition?
* layer of air surrounding earth * 78% nitrogen (N2) * 21% oxygen (O2) * 1% other gases
42
What are the layers of the atmosphere from space to earth?
* exosphere * thermosphere (absorbs sun rays) * mesosphere * stratosphere (ozone layer) * troposphere
43
Describe atmospheric circulation
* global- scale movement of air surrounding earth * warm/humid air rises at the equators * cold/dry air sinks
44
What is the Coriolis effect?
air doesn’t move in a straight line because of the rotation of the earth
45
What are air masses?
* large sections of the atmosphere with similar temperature and humidity * air masses don’t mix when they meet * a FRONT is where masses meet
46
What is a cold front?
* cold air meets warm air * leads to wind and strong rain * happens fast
47
What is a warm front?
* warm air meets cool air * cloudy weather * happens slow
48
What are Anticyclones?
* areas of high pressure * air turns clockwise in northern hemisphere * sunny and clear skies
49
What are depressions?
* areas of low pressure * air turns counter clockwise in northern hemisphere * clouds and rain
50
What are the main greenhouse gasses?
* carbon dioxide (CO2) * water vapour (H2O) * methane (CH4) * nitrous oxide (N2O)
51
What is the greenhouse effect?
natural occurrence to keep some of the sun’s energy on earth
52
What are the causes of increased GHG
* combustion of fossil fuels * deforestation * farming (animal’s digestion, manure storage) * continual increase of consumption
53
What impacts are expected if we don’t change?
* increased wildfires * water scarcity and more droughts * more intense hurricanes * coastal cities could flood * mass extinction of many species
54
What are the energy resources of the atmosphere?
* Wind energy (wind turbines) | * solar energy
55
What are the pros and cons of wind energy?
* pros: no GHG and renewable | * cons: cannot be stored and there isn’t always wind
56
What is the sun made up of?
* 75% hydrogen (H) | * 25% helium (He)
57
What types of radiation reach the earth’s surface?
* Infared * visible light * UV rays
58
How can we use the energy from the sun?
* passive heating systems * photovoltaic cells (solar panels) * solar collectors
59
What are the advantages of solar energy?
* renewable * no GHG * cheap to maintain * supplies energy to remote areas
60
What are the disadvantages of solar energy?
* energy depends on clouds and sun’s position | * costly to install
61
How does the moon affects the earth’s tides?
* gravity from the moon causes the oceans to flow in or out * happens 2x a day * causes a tidal range used for tidal energy (must be 5m tall)

Science- 5 spheres (2 decks)

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