midterm Flashcards
what is a hypothesis
an educated guess
what is a dependent variable
Factor being measured in an experiment
what is an independent variable
Factor that changes in an experiment
what is an experimental control
A standard to which results can be compared
what is the difference between a scientific theory and a scientific law
Scientific law describes what will happen, but does not explain why. Scientific theory is an explanation or model backed by results obtained from many tests or experiments
what are ethics
deals with moral values about what is good or bad
what are constants
variables that are identical between the control and the experimental group
what is a barometer? An anemometer?
A barometer is an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. An anemometer is an instrument that measures windspeed
what is science
The process of looking at and studying things in the world in order to gain knowledge
what is a thermometer? a hygrometer?
A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature. A hygrometer is an instrument that measures percentage of water vapor in the air
what should conclusions to a scientific experiment be based on
precise measurements and tests
which variable does a researcher intentionally change in a scientific experiment
The independent variable
what is radiation
Energy transferred by waves or rays
what is convection
transfer of heat by the flow of material
where is atmospheric pressure the greatest
earths surface
what happens to atmospheric pressure as altitude increases
greatest near Earth surface and decreases as you move upward away from sea level
what happens to the number of molecules in the air as the altitude increases
there are fewer molecules of air at high elevations, so air pressure is less
what is the source of all energy in the atmosphere
The sun
what is conduction
transfer of energy that occurs when molecules bump into each other
what layer of the atmosphere is closest to the earth
The troposphere
which layer of the atmosphere blends into outer space
The exosphere
which winds are responsible for the movement of much of the weather across the US and Canada
prevailing westerlies
what causes a seabreeze? A land breeze?
The land heats and cools more quickly than water
how are weather and climate different
weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place. Climate is the state of the atmosphere over a long period of time
what prevents some solar radiation from reaching the earth
reflection and absorption from the atmosphere
which layer of the atmosphere contains the highest concentration of ozone
The stratosphere
what causes the Coriolis effect
The earths rotation
how does the ozone layer protects the earth
keeps us from being exposed to high concentrations of ultraviolet radiation
what is an air mass and what can they cause
A large body of air with properties like the part of earths surface over which it formed
what is relative humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air compared to what the air can hold at a specific temperature
how does precipitation form
water droplets in a cloud combine, become too heavy, and fall to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
what is a front
boundary between the cold and warm air masses, or air masses of different temperature
how are dewpoint and saturation related
when air contains as much moisture as possible at a specific temperature and is saturated
what is dewpoint
The temperature at which air is saturated and condensation forms
what does it mean when something is saturated
when air contains as much moisture as possible
describe cirrus clouds
thin, wispy clouds made of ice crystals, can indicate storms
describe cumulus clouds
puffy, white clouds with flat bases that form when air currents rise
describe stratus clouds
smooth, even sheets or layers at low altitude. Produce light precipitation
what does a meteorologist do
Study weather
what is a dewpoint and why do we see evidence of it so early in the morning
Air near the ground cools too it’s dewpoint as the sun goes down and the temperatures drop
The interaction of what three things causes whether
Air, water, and the sun
what will you usually find in areas of low pressure
Bad weather, rain, storms, etc. cloudy weather
why do high-pressure areas usually have good weather
The Air masses sink, making it difficult for clouds to form
what are three major influences on climate
large bodies of water, ocean currents, large cities
what causes seasons
The tilt of earths axis, daylight, temperature, and weather patterns
where does El Nino begin
tropical Pacific ocean
what three things are used to divide regions in a climate classification system
The types of plants found there, temperature, amount of precipitation
what are structural and behavioral adaptations? Name several of each
structural adaptations are inherited, such as fur or scales. behavioral adaptations are something that they do such as hibernation or estivation
how many times in the past have glaciers covered large parts of the earth
at times more than once in the past 2 million years glaciers covered large parts of Earth
how often does the shape of the earths orbit around the sun change
earths orbit is an ellipse, on a long gated, closed curve, so the distance between the sun and the earth sometimes changes
what are the major gasses that cause the greenhouse effect
water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane
how is earths atmosphere warmed by the greenhouse effect
earths atmosphere is warmed by the greenhouse effect because the heat radiating from earth surface is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere
where do the rays of the sun strike the Earth the most directly
The equator
what is the difference between hibernation and estivation
hibernation is when animals sleep through the winter. estivation is when animals go into a mud hole and sleep
what zone on the earth receives the most solar radiation
The tropics
what happens to wave height as a wave approaches shallow water
it increases
what effect does the alignment of the sun earth and the moon have on title range
when the sun, earth, and moon are in a straight line, the tidal range is the highest. The spring tides have the lowest low tides in the highest high tides
when is the tidal range the smallest? when is the tidal range the largest?
The smallest is neap tides and the largest is spring tides
what are spring tides’s? Neap tides? What causes each?
Spring tides occur when the sun, earth, and moon are lined up in a straight line. Neap tides occur when the sun, earth, and moon form a right angle
what causes surface currents
Wind that moves the upper a few hundred meters of ocean water in huge, circular patterns
what causes water to move when wind blows across it
when the wind blows across a body of water it creates friction
what is wavelength
The horizontal distance between the crest or between the troughs of two adjacent waves
what is a wave trough
The lowest point of a wave
what is a wave crest
The highest point of a wave
what is wave amplitude
Half the distance of the wave height
how did the oceans form
basins filled with water from the atmosphere
what is a basin
lowest point on earth at which oceans were formed
what feature of a wave moves forward
Energy
how does the salinity of the oceans remain balanced
substances are constantly being added, and substances are constantly being used by plants and animals
where does the north Atlantic Deepwater form
Cold, dense water forms around Norway, Greenland, and Labrador, these waters sink forming the North Atlantic Deepwater
how does wave amplitude correspond to the amount of energy the wave carries
The higher the amplitude, the more energy
what is a tide and how are they formed
The rise and fall in sea level, the gravitational pull of the sun and moon
what is a tidal range and how is it calculated
difference between the level of the ocean at high tide and low tide from subtracting the high tide and Low tide
what is a density current and how are they formed
when a mass of seawater becomes more dense than the surrounding water, gravity causes the denser water to sink
how do the water particles in a wave move
in a circle
where, and how fast, is new ocean floor being formed
2.5 cm a year by the mid ocean ridge
what is chemosynthesis and where does it take place
using sulfur or nitrogen compounds as an energy source to produce food, instead of using light from the sun. It takes place near hydrothermal vents in the mid ocean ridges
how are trenches formed
when a crustal plate is forced under another
explain the difference between plankton, Benthos, and nekton
plankton are marine organisms that drift with the currents.nekton are animals that actively swim. benthos are plants or animals living on or in the ocean floor
List several examples of plankton, benthos, and nekton
plankton are diatoms and jellyfish. Nekton our fish, Whales, sharks, and manatees. Benthos are crabs, snails, see urchins
what is the largest source of oil pollution in the ocean
runoff from land
what ocean feature lies next to the continental shelf
Continental slope
what is an ocean rift? What do we usually see there
A crack in the seafloor, lava erupts through rifts
what are placer deposits and where would you find them
deposits found at the mouth of rivers in coastal regions
how do plants make energy? what are the raw materials and the products
photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, nutrients; water and sunlight, produce oxygen and sugar
what are the two major ways that oxygen enters ocean water
plants and the atmosphere
describe an abyssal plain and how it is formed
flat seafloor areas from 4000 m to 6000 m below ocean surface that are formed when valleys are filled with sediment
describe a continental shelf and what kinds of organisms you would find there
gradually sloping end of a continent that begins at the shoreline and extends out under the ocean. The continental shows contain mineral resources along with other lifeforms
describe a continental slope
extends from the outer edge of the continental shelf down to the ocean floor
what is used to divide geologic time into units
geologic time is divided into units based upon the appearance and disappearance of types of organisms
what is the term for the longest subdivision of geologic time
eons
what is the term for the shortest subdivision of geologic time
epochs
describe how changes in the environment can result in physical changes in a species
environmental changes can affect an organism survival. those that can adapt to changing conditions through organic evolution survive. those that are not adapted to changing environments are less likely to reproduce and do not survive
what things factored into the development of complex organisms from single celled organisms
stromatolites are layered mats of cyanobacteria. about 3.5 million years ago cyanobacteria began producing oxygen through photosynthesis. Some of the oxygen was converted to ozone and formed a protective layer around earth. This protective layer shielded the earth from UV radiation and allowed more complex organisms
when did Homo sapiens first appear
140,000 years ago during the cenozoic era
what trilobite characteristic did not change over time
three lobes
how does plate tectonics affect organic evolution
as continents move, the seas became shallow or or deeper, mountains formed and continents drifted to new environments. Organisms had to adapt to these conditions
what change in amphibian ancestors allowed reptiles to evolve
they developed an egg with a membrane or a hardshell that kept the eggs from drying out if they were not in water
what does a species need to do to adapt to it changing environment
evolve
what will happen if a species does not evolve during a changing environment
it will die or become extinct
during which era do scientists think dinosaurs evolved from reptiles
Mesozoic era
during which era did humans first appear
cenozoic era
during which era did dinosaurs rule
Mesozoic era
what era are we currently in and how long ago did it begin
cenozoic era, 65 million years ago
what is natural selection
natural selection is a theory proposed by Charles Darwin that states that organisms with characteristics that are suited to a certain environment have a better chance of surviving and reproducing than those that don’t have that characteristic
what types of things or conditions help to preserve things as a fossil
if the organisms buried quickly to protect it from scavengers and agents of physical destruction and if it has hard parts
what is a gap in A rock layer, or sequence called what does it indicate
unconformities are formed when agents of erosion like running water or glaciers remove rock layers by washing or scraping them away
what procedure can be used to determine the absolute age of an object
geologist determine the absolute age by using properties of the atoms that make up the materials of these processes, radiometric dating, used radioactive decay
what is the difference between absolute and relative age
absolute age is age in years, relative age is comparison to the ages of other things
what is the principle of super position and why is it important
The principle of super position states that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are on the bottom, and the rocks become progressively younger toward the surface. This principle is used to determine relative age
what to do rock layers have in common if they are correlated
Rock layers are usually correlated by finding the same types and ages of fossils
how can fossil types determine if layers of rock are from one continuous deposit
if they have similar layers and have the same types and ages of fossils they can be correlated
what is relative dating
A comparison to the ages of other things and can be found by using the principle of super position
what is absolute dating
absolute age is age in years and can be found by using radiometric dating
