Old exams Flashcards
Glossopteris
fern trees found on mount wild showing that Antartica went through two tundra like warming periods and showing prof of plate tectonics
Circumpolar deepwater
dense cold highly saline water circulating the globe at bottom of ocean. travels around globe and rises to subsurface in Antartica warming on way up to cause open ocean polynias
gondwana
southern supercontinent (warming period cause oceans to become very acidic possibly causing marine loss, lots of vegetation) 550 mya
glacial striations
as glaciers move over rock it smooths and polishes it. from these you can determine which way glaciers was moving
sedimentary rocks
created from layers of rock sodlidifying toeheter like sandstone significant because preserves fossils
antarctic bottom water
this is deep dense cold and very saline water that sinks from sea ice. significant because causes circumpolar deep water.
solar insolation
this is how the suns radiation enters the surface and then is reflected or absorbed as inferred but then is trapped by the ozone layer. keeps earth at a habitable temperatre/climate
ozone hole
found over antarica due to OFC’s bonding with NO2 ice crystals then melting and breaking down in Cl which destroys O3. ozone thinking has lasting impact on climate
isostatic uplift
this is how the weight of the ice pushes down on the continent then as glaciers melt the island rises. significant because this can be seen in beaches where water was is now and offers inside to global warming and its affects on sea level.
Sastrugis
rides of snow formed parallel to wind direction
Halley station
site of longest record of atmosphere ozone levels
ice rafted debris
sediment deposited in ocean from melting ice bergs
rodinia
one of the earliest “supercontinents” known
Larson B Ice shelf
Underwent rapid collapse in 2002 from warming trend
fast ice
sea ice connected to land
ventifacts
rocks carved by the wind
moulin
a melt holes in glaciers that help drain water
bipolar sea saw
arctic and antarctic follow opposite climate trends
saltation
process by which pits from in rocks from winds
terminal moraine
ridge of dirt and rock formed at from too a glacier
astenosphere
molto rock in earth that causes plate tectonics
mauna loa
site of longest atmospheric CO2 record since 1950’s
Nothofagus
fossil fern tree linking South America with antartica
ice tongue
glacial extension that moves rapidly out to sea
lateral moraine
rige of dirt and rock that from along sides of a glacier
Seymour island
site of the earliest fossil penguins in anartica
SWEAT hypothesis
east Antartica was once connected to western US
Dome C
site of longest and oldest ice core on Antartica
Dome C
site of longest and oldest ice core on Antartica
why is Antartica much colder and dryer than arctic? how Lon has continent been covered in ice and what is age of the modern ice sheets there?
Antartica cold due to high albedo and high altitude
Dryness due to lower pressure system surrounding high pressure system keeping storms rom coming in and fact that cold air holds less moisture
Continent has been covered in ice for about 14 million years
oldest ice ore from 800,000 years ago
why is the South Pole ideal location for space telescopes? what are neutrinos and why study ten at South Pole? what is Icecube an dCerenkov radiation
S. Pole idea because cold/driness eliminates water vapor in the air that could cause disorientation, lack of light solution, lack of pollutants, and albedo cuts down on inferred affecting telescope. Neutrinos are neutral subatomic particles which are product from radioactive decay and come from the sun and black holes. Studied at the South Pole because easiest to see there. ice cube satellite built between 05-2010 to detect them. Cherenkov radiation is how there’s a blue flash when the neutron ins hit the ice
Describe east wind and west wind drift in Antartica dn their source. what is antarctic convergence and antarctic circumpolar current
East wind dirt goes hunter clockwise and is closer to continent. Source is katobonic winds. West wind drift goes clockwise and is driven by the lower pressure system. Circumpolar current is only Curren that goes al the way around the globe. antarctic convergence is where the cold antarctic water meets surrounding warm water and sinks under it. once you cross big temperature difference because water temp affects air temp.
how do catabolic winds form in antica and how do they influence polynya formation and sea ice extent? Distinguish between sensible latent heat polynyas and your answer.
Katabonic winds from when ice chills air above and cold air rushing off the glaciers into valleys is forced down by gravity and the warm air above it. They influence coastal plying formation by pushing sea ice made out to sea, where then forms behind it creating a seance factory. Latent heat is causing this because no new heat is being introduced, like in open water polynyas where heat is being introduced from the circumpolar deep water.
Discuss how you would collection and determined the age (three ways) of an ice core in Antartica how would you interpret change sin oxygen isotopes ratios water from ice
Collection:
Determination: 1. count rings 2. use volcanic ash or other particles already ages 3. look at radioactive decaying isototes
more O18 in the ice this was a interglacial (warming) period. if there is less O18 in the ice it is a glacial cooling period
Discuss how you would collection and determined the age (three ways) of an ice core in Antartica how would you interpret change sin oxygen isotopes ratios water from ice
Collection: drill where ice is thickest and has least amount of ablation. that is usually in middle of plateau and flattest area with least amount of movement.
Determination: 1. count rings 2. use volcanic ash or other particles already ages 3. look at radioactive decaying isototes
more O18 in the ice this was a interglacial (warming) period. if there is less O18 in the ice it is a glacial cooling period
Blood falls
subglacial lake in Taylor valley with high concentrations of iron from the bed rock, water forced up through a vent. when the water hits the air the iron reacts and turns water red significant because water at surface allow us to understand what’s below.
Blood falls
subglacial lake in Taylor valley with high concentrations of iron from the bed rock, water forced up through a vent. when the water hits the air the iron reacts and turns water red significant because water at surface allow us to understand what’s below.
tussock grass
a grass that is tolerant of Seaspray and cold. significant because provides a home for the majority of antarctic seabirds and terrestrial animals
cryoconite hole
Cryoconite holes are microbial oases within the extreme environment of a glacier’s surface ice. These holes form when sediment is blown onto the ice and is heated by solar energy, causing it to melt into the glacier’s surface
wave washing
this is the tactic of orcas to eat where they wash animals off sea ice by moving the ice and causing waves. signification because this is a tactic of only some types of orcas and related to the different body types.
baleen
the fishing technique/anatomy which allows an animal(whale) to take in gallons of water and krill then filter the krill out. significant because necessary to get enough krill to sustain such a large animal
lake washburn
formed when the ice shelf blocked off the dry valley and lakes began to form. 7000 ya began to have salinity variation due to the evaporation. significance is that we can make implications about other lakes from this.
