MIDTERM Flashcards
trapping of the sun’s energy by Earth
Greenhouse Effect
lines that connect points of equal pressure
Isobars
lines that connect points of equal temp
Isotherm
gas–> liquid
Condensation
liquid–> gas
Evaporation
the temperature at which water vapor condenses at the same rate it evaporates
dew point
thin and whispy high clouds; ice crystals; fair weather
cirrus cloud
low sheets; covering ;rain
stratus cloud
piled thick fluffy masses “piles” good weather
cumulus cloud
large clouds produce very large thunderstorms
cumulonimbus
boundary between 2 air masses having different temps and humidity
air front
a large body of air that has the same temp and humidity throughout
air mass
a transition zone where warm air mass replaces cold
warm front
a transition zone where a cold air mass replaces warm
cold front
front is stalled
stationary front
a tool that measures relative humidity
psychrometer
instrument that measures wind speed
anemometer
definition of wind and ocean currents due to earth’s rotation
coriolis effect
water that falls from atmosphere to earth
precipitation
pressure that the air exerts on the earth
air pressure
small balloon carried observatory which carries a radio transmitter
radiosonde
anywhere a river joins the ocean and freshwater mixes with salt water
estuary
all of the non-living things in an environment
abiotic factors
all of the living things in an environment
biotic factors
factors that limit the size of a population and only exist because the size of the population got too big
density dependent factors
biotic factors in an area and the abiotic factors that impact them
ecosystem
the place where an organism lives out its life
habitat
the role of a species has in its environment
niche
intense rainfall, many different species, warm climate, located near equator, many different niches, and little humus
tropical rain forest
large communities covered in grass and other similar plants, little tree life bc dry seasons, hella humus
grasslands
bit warmer than tundra, bit more rainfall, long severe winters, short mild summers, large animals, also called “Boreal Forest”
taiga
region on earth where living organisms are found
biosphere
the number of organisms of one species that a habitat or environment can hold
carrying capacity
the place in the orbit of a planet is farthest from the sun
aphelion
the point in the orbit of the planet where its closest to the sun
perihelion
the way in which the sun provides energy; occurs when less massive nuclei combine with massive nuclei to create a rly big nuclei
nuclear fusion
a group of stars, dust, and gases held together by gravity
galaxy
List the layers of the atmosphere in order from ground up and describe what happens in each layer
troposphere-temp increases as you get higher
stratosphere- ozone layer where planes fly
mesosphere- VERY HOT!; space shuttles and auroras
exosphere- atoms escape into space, satellites orbit
what is the main cause of air pollution?
the burning of fossil fuels
what is acid rain and what are the pollutants that contribute to it
Acid drops that fall to the ground made up of nitrate and sulfate particles that come from burning fossil feuls
what are the most common greenhouse gases?
Water vapor Carbon dioxide Methane Nitrous oxide Ozone Chlorofluorocarbons
what is the purpose of the ozone layer?
absorbs 99% of harmful UV rays from the sun
what are low-pressure systems called and what kind of weather do we associate with them?
cyclones- cloudy wet and stormy weather
What does a rising barometer indicate? A falling barometer?
rising barometer- cool,dry weather
falling barometer-warm,humid weather-predictor of storms
What is the difference between El Niño and La Nina?
El Niño- periodic warming of the ocean that occurs in the central and eastern pacific
El Niña- surface temperatures in the eastern pacific are cooler than usual
what is the difference between a frontal thunderstorm and an air mass thunderstorm?
Air-mass thunderstorm- form in warm, moist airmass occur in spring/summer and last up to an hour
Frontal Thunderstorms- occur in lines along a frontal surface, are stronger and can last several hours-create flooding and heavy rain
What scale is used to categorize tornado intensity? Hurricane intensity?
tornadoes- fujita scale
hurricanes- saffir-simspon scale
What is the most damaging part of a hurricane
storm surge
Difference between and land breeze and sea breeze
sea breeze is daytime and land breeze is night
What are 3 ways heat is transferred through the Earth’s atmosphere?
convection, conduction, radiation
What happens in the carbon cycle?
driven by photosynthesis and cellular respiration
What happens in the Water cycle?
water is evaporated by the sun and creates clouds, clouds condensate and become too heavy and rain, runoff back into rivers and ground, plants
differences between herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, scavenger and decomposer
herbivore- no meat or fungi; vegetation only
omnivore- eats everything; fruit, veggies, meat, fungi
carnivore- only eats meat
scavenger- eats leftover carcasses of animals
decomposer- mushroom/fungi that breakdown material into soil
difference between a J-shaped curve and S-shaped curve
J-shaped: Exponential growth when # of organisms increase by an ever rising rate
S-shape: Logistic growth when a populations growth slows or stops following a period of exponential growth
How does the amount of available energy change as you move through trophic levels?
100%–>10%–>.1% with every passing level, 90% of energy is lost
What causes earth’s seasons?
The tilt of Earth’s axis (23.5%)
What causes day and night on earth?
The rotation of earth about the sun
what are kepler’s 3 laws of planetary motion?
- planets orbit the sun in an elliptical path
- planets move fastest when they’re closest to the sun in their orbits
- the farther away the planet orbits, the longer it takes to revolve around the sun
Describe the geocentric model of the solar system?
where the earth is placed at the center of the universe
