Lithosphere,Atmospehre,Hydrosphere Flashcards
1
Q
The lithosphere is
- made up of
- contains
A
- Hard shell cover of the Earth
- Is made up of the upper mantle and the crust
- Contains important energy resources that we use
- These energy resources are often transformed into electricity so that our appliances can function and homes can be heated
2
Q
Energy Resources Lithosphere
1.
A
- Fossil fuels
- oil,natural gas, cole
- form from dead plants and animals that were subjected to a lot of pressure over hundreds of years
- Oxidation reactions: CxHy -CO2 + H2O+energy
- Advtanges: cheap and easy source of energy
- Disadvatanges: Limited supply (greenhouse gases are released),
- SO2 and NOX are also products of fossil fuel combustion and are resposnble for acid raain
3
Q
Energy Resources (Lithosphere)
- 2.
A
- Nuclear Energy
- Uranium is a radioactive (cancer causing) element that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust.
- Splitting the nucleus of an uranium atom releases a lot of energy.
- Advantage: produces lots of nergy, no greenhouse gases
- Disadvantage: Produces waste products that are radioactive for hundreds of years, unable to store because of how dangerous it is
- Geothermal Energy
- Energy that comes from the heat that is inside the Earth (ground)
- Only used where hot rocks are located
- Disadvantage: Geothermal energy is expensive due to the need of drilling.
4
Q
Permafrost:
- If all permafrost thaws…
- Melting permafrost can lead to: (5)
A
- Large areas of frozen soil
- 50% of Canada’s land is permafrost
- Upper layer can thaw so that plants grow
- If all permafrost thaws= microogranisms trapped inside would thaw and emit enormous amount of methane CH4 a greenhouse gas
- land above it sinks or changes shape. Sinking land can damage buildings and infrstructure such as roads,airports and water sewer pipes
- Landlisdes can occur because melted soil slipps off the frozen layer underneath
- Carbon dioxide and methane are relased to the atmosphere=intensification of greenhouse effect (when the permafrost melts, organic matter in it decomposes, releasing CO2 and CH4
- Type and number of plant species growing on the soil may change
- Greater access of nutrients and a longer and warmer season, more plants will grow
5
Q
- What is atmosphere?
1. Energy Resource - Wind causes…
- Wind turbines…
A
- Layers of air around the Earth
1. Wind energy: - The wind causes the turbines to rotate=generator converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy
- Wind turbines are huge reaching up to 120 m high. When wind hits the huge blades, they activate an electrcic generator, One megawatt turbine can produce enough electricity to supply 150-300 households.
- Advantages: renweable energy source, do not produce greenhouse gas
- Wind is unpredictable,cannot be stores, visually unappealing and expensive
6
Q
Removal of CO2 from atmosphere
(4)
A
- Phtosynthesis begins the storage process by converting CO2 into sugars
- Ingestion: animals eating plants
- Dead organisms and waste products store CO2 in them when they die
- Sea organisms are composed of calcium carbonate (dissolved carbon dioxide in water)
7
Q
Addition of CO2 to atmopshere
A
- Respiration and fermentation, process that breaks down molecules to release useful energy return CO2 to atmosphere
- Combustion of fossil fuels
- Decomposition of dead matter return CO2 to atmosphere
- Deforestation of forest fires also pumo CO2 back into the atmosphere
8
Q
Greenhouse effect
(4)
Why is the temperature rising and there is global warming?
A
- Natural process that allows the earth to retain some of the heat it receives from the sun
- The sun’s rays reach Earth and is absorbed by the ground
- One heated, the ground releases infrared rays into the atmosphere. Some of these rays pass through our atmosphere and are lost into space.
- Greenhouse gases (CO2) trap some of the infrared rays and send them back to heat the Earth
- We are releases too much CO2 into the air bc we are burning too much fossil fuel and so more infra heat is trapped on Earth. As a result the temp is rising and there is global warming.
9
Q
The hydrosphere is
- What percentage is the earth’s surface covered by water?
- Most of the water on the earth is
- Where is most of the earth’s fresh water found?
A
- The hydropshere is the layer of the earth that contains all of the bodies of water
- Includes: Surface water (oceans.lakes), Ground water, Ice pack snow Water in atmosphere (water vapour)
- 71%
- Salt water
- Glaciers,Undeground,Ground ice and permafrost,water vapour,lakes rivers and swamps
10
Q
- Inland waters
- Catchment area
- Water currents
- Surface currents
- Winds move
A
- Lakes,rivers,underground water=connect with each other
- An area that drains water into one location (watershed or drainage basin), (St. Lawrence, Great Lakes)
- Water in oceans that is in constant movement due to ocean currents. Combination of water movement due to surface currents,subsurface current and rotation of Earth.
- carry water deep as 400 m and are caused by wind. Move water across horizontally
- Winds move warm water away from the equator and cool water from the poles
11
Q
- Subsurface currents
- affected by
- what has a tendency to sink
- what has a tendency to rise
- what creates subsurface movements
- what causes an increase in density, leadsing to what?
A
- caused by desnity of water. Denisty is affected by:
- tempoersture of water
- the salinity of water
- Salt and cold water is dense, tendency to sink.
- Less salty and warm water is less dense, has a tendency to rise.
- These movements create subsurface currents
- Cold air and warm air both cause an increase in density=subsurface currents
12
Q
- What results in thermohaline circulation?
- How does it function
- What does thermohaline circulation do?
A
- combination of surface and subsurface currents
- Functions like a conveyer belt which moves warm and cold water around the Earth
- Regulates our climate preventing extreme cold at the poles and extreme heat around the equator
13
Q
- Salinity
- salinity increases…
- Salinity is the
- Why is water in the ocean saline
- Near equator
- Near polar regions
- Near Red abd Dead sea
A
- Measure of how much salt is dissolved in a liquid
- Salinity of the water increases, densiy also increases and vice-versa
- Concentration of salt in a solution=salinity
- Water in oceans is saline becayse salts from the lithisphere are dissolved in it
- Near the equator, ocean has a higher salinity. Water evaporates at a greater rate due to high temperatures, creating a higher salt content.
- Near polar regions, ocean water has a lower salinity. resh water (pack ice and glaciers) enter the oceans diluting the salt water, reducing salinity
- Red and Dead Sea is very salty because its so hot that there is not that much water, so it’s salinity is very high.
14
Q
Pack ice
- formed on..
- ocean water freezes…
- Slabs of ice are transported…
- Where do they float?
- Melting due to global warming causes (2)
A
- Formed on the surface of the ocean due to cold temperature, which freezes the top layer of the water
- Ocean water freezes=salt is eliminated
- Slabs of ice are tranpsorted by the wind and accumulate throughout the winter months
- Float in oceans
- Melting of pack ice due to global warming causes:
- Eliminate habitats of animals (polar bear, penguin)
- Increase in temperature (less reflection of sun energy)
15
Q
Glaciers
- Fresh water %
- What are they
- Global warming causes them to…
- The melting glaciers are: (2)
A
- 69% of fresh water
- Huge masses of ice slowly flowing over land
- Global warming=glaciers at the poles to melt
- causing the oceans to rise, endangering coastal communities such as Cali
- Diluting the ocean by the addition of fresh water. change in salinity is affecting the thermohaline circulation which accounts for much of the oceanic heat transport that regulates climate.
