Mid-term Flashcards
Where is most of the water on Earth found?
Oceans
In what parts of the water cycle is water added to the atmosphere?
Evaporation,transpiration,sublimation
Name 3 ways water can refill a reservoir like Lake Konomoc.
Precipitation, groundwater flow,Surface runoff
If more wells were added, what would happen to the water level of the river?
It would decrease
If someone added pesticides to some crops, how could it make its way into the drinking water taken from the well?
Infiltration and groundwater flow
What does permeable mean? What is more permeable, sand or clay?
Sand. Water can pass through it.
How much water does an average American use directly every day? How much water does an average American use every day when you include both direct use and indirect use?
92 gallons. About 1000 gallons of water
What activity uses more fresh water than anything else worldwide?
Agriculture
What industry occurs in Texas that causes them to be one of the states with the highest demand for fresh water?
Ranching
Does the eastern or western U.S. use more water for irrigation?
Western
What process causes water to come out of plants and go into the atmosphere?
transpiration
What process causes water vapor to form a cloud?
Condensation, deposition
Why do icebergs float? If they are formed from ocean water does the ice in the iceberg contain salt?
No, icebergs do not contain salt. Icebergs are less dense than water.
People often use wells as a source of water. Where is the water stored in this aquifer?
In the spaces between the particles in the soil.
What could cause a water table to rise? What could cause a water table to fall?
The amount of precipitation. Excessive well use or draught.
What could cause a groundwater well to go dry?
Excessive water drawn from a well. Prolonged drought.
Catalina Island in California uses a desalination plant as a source for water. This way of getting water is much more expensive than traditional methods like using wells or reservoirs. Why do you think they get their drinking water from sea water?
Lack of freshwater available in lakes and underground.
What percent of the Earth is covered by ocean water? Which hemisphere of the Earth contains more ocean and less land?
70% Southern hemisphere
What causes ocean gyres to move in a clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere?
Coriolis effect
Why are surface temperatures warmer in the tropics?
More direct sunlight
What is the driving force behind ocean currents like the Gulf Stream?
Prevailing winds
Briefly describe how continents, ocean topography, and gravity can impact ocean currents.
They change the direction of the currents
How does temperature impact water density? How does salinity impact water density?
The warmer the water is, the less dense the water. The colder the water, the more dense the water.The more salt that is in water, the more dense the water is, the less salt in water, the less dense
In years that El Nino is not occurring off the coast of Peru, water is being pushed away from the continent of South America. What impact does this have on the vertical movement of water off the coast of Peru?
More upwelling
What is the largest and deepest ocean in the world?
Pacific Ocean
What do we call sub-circular currents found in every ocean that move clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere?
Gyres
What is the ultimate source of energy that causes all weather and ocean currents?
The sun
What direction does heat flow in relation to the equator in atmospheric convection currents?
Away from the equator towards the poles.
Name 3 global effects El Nino can have.
Warming of water off the coast of Peru, increased rainfall in the gulf states of the warmer than average winter in the Pacific Northwest.
How can water upwelling help ocean life?
It carries nutrients to the surface that fertilizes algae.
How can water downwelling help ocean life?
It carries oxygen to the depths
What does the Gulf Stream bring to Northern Europe that has a huge impact on its climate?
Warm water/heat
We had a recent day where the outside air temperature was -13°C (8°F). Does this mean that global warming is not occurring? Why?
No, it is an example of weather and not climate. Climate is the average weather over a long period of time
What biome do caribou live in normally? What is an example of an adaptation that they have to survive in this environment?
Tundras, their spreading hooves are able to help them in the snow in winter and marshy tundra in summer. Hallow hair for insulation to help keep them warm.
Name the 3 global convection cells that redistribute thermal energy from the equator to the poles.
Hadley cell,ferrel cell and polar cell
Why is there typically more rain near the equator?
More direct sunlight leads to evaporation, the air rises, cools, condenses and then causes precipitation
Why would two cities that have similar latitude and altitude have dramatically different climates? (An example would be Waterford, CT and Portland, OR).
Proximity to a large body of water and prevailing winds.
Name the 3 major factors that influence climate.
Latitude,altitude, distance from a large body of water.
One day in Waterford, CT the weather forecast calls for rain and a temperature of 1°C (34°F). You plan on going to skiing in Killington, Vermont, which has an altitude that is 2,000 feet higher. How might the weather be different in Vermont?
It would be colder because it has a higher elevation and you would probably see snow.
What variable has the biggest impact on climate in a city?
Latitude
You are trying to determine the climate of a region, what period of time would you want to see to determine the climate of the region?
30 year span
What happens to the temperature range of air masses as they move across a continent?What happens to the temperature range of air masses as they move across a continent?
It increases
What happens to air temperature when air rises from the surface and gains altitude to about 20,000 feet?
It cools
Name 2 ways that heat can be moved from the equator to the poles.
Ocean currents (water) and convection cells (air)
Why are rainforests typically found near the equator?
More direct sunlight leads to evaporation; the air rises, cools,condenses then causes precipitation
Why are deserts typically found at 30° North and 30° South of the equator
It is between the hadley and ferrel cells and the air is moving downward, which causes it to warm and be able to hold more moisture. This causes those areas to have little rainfall.
Explain why there is a forest on the windward side and a desert on the leeward side of the mountain
Lee rain shadow. as air move up the mountain, the air cools causing condensation and precipitation. The opposite happens as the air moves down the mountain.
How do greenhouse gases impact temperature of planets
They trap heat causing the temperature to increase
You are building a cottage in Key West, FL. You want to try to spend the least amount of money on air conditioning. What color should you paint the cottage?
White
Name the reservoirs where carbon is stored on Earth
Air,Water,living things,land
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere
Name 2 processes where carbon is removed from the atmosphere
Photosynthesis,ocean diffusion,fossil fuel formation,chemical weathering
Name 2 processes where carbon is put into the atmosphere.
Respiration and decomposition,combustion,volcanism, ocean diffusion
Why does burning fossil fuel contribute more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than burning biofuels like ethanol?
Because fossil fuels take a very long time to form the plant used to male the ethanol is undergoing photosynthesis when it grows
What percent of light gets reflected when a surface has an albedo of 1
100%
What do we call the spaces in between rocks and sand grains where water can be stored?
Pores
What do we call an area of rock that contains well connected pores that allows groundwater to flow through it
Aquifer
What would happen if you put a raft into the Gulf Stream?
You would go with the flow of the current
Name the fossil fuels
coal, oil, natural gas,
What latitudes include the tropics?
23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south
What latitudes include the temperate zones
23.5 degrees to 66.5 degrees north and south
What latitudes include the polar zones?
66.5 degrees to 90 degrees north and south
What primary feature is used by the Koppen climate classification system?
Most commonly found plants in the region, temperature and rainfall
What causes the seasons?
Revolution around the sun
Is El Niño short term or long term climate change?
Short term climate change
What are the products of the combustion of hydrocarbons?
Water and carbon dioxide
How does deforestation impact global warming?
It decreases photosynthesis causing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Where does El Nino start?
Off the coast of peru with weakened trade winds and warmer water in the pacific ocean
How is climate different than weather?
Climate is long term, weather is short term
What part of the Earth gets the most solar radiation?
The tropics
Temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, humidity, air pressure and wind direction are all factors of what?
Weather
What causes deep ocean currents?
Differences in density due to temperature and salinity
What gas makes up most air? What is the percent amount in dry air?
Nitrogen- 78%
What gas makes up most of the rest of air? What is the percent amount in dry air?
Oxygen-21%
Where does most of the infrared heat that heats up the Earth’s atmosphere come from?
It is radiated by the earth
Where would a maritime tropical air mass form?
Over an ocean close to the equator
