Terminology

Question 1

What is a natural environment?

Answer 1

An environment that is made up of all objects made by nature.

Question 2

What is a human environment?

Answer 2

An environment that is made up of all objects made by humans and human begins as individuals.

Question 3

What are the four main layers of the atmosphere in order?

Answer 3

1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere

Question 4

1. What does the troposphere do?
2. Does the temperature decrease/increase with height?
3. How thick is this layer?
4. Any additional characteristics?

Answer 4

1. Gives us oxygen
2. Keeps earth at a temperature we can survive in
3. Enables weather to happen
4. Temperature decreases with height
5. 10-13km thick
6. Rich and moist air here

Question 5

1. What does the stratosphere do?
2. Does the temperature decrease/increase with height?
3. How thick is this layer?
4. Any additional characteristics?

Answer 5

1. Prevents us from getting skin cancer and other harmful effects - ozone layer does this through absorbing ultraviolet radiation
2. Temperature increases with height - ozone layer converts the ultraviolet radiation into heat
3. 50km thick
4. Air stable and dry
5. Little weather

Question 6

1. What does the mesosphere do?
2. Does the temperature decrease/increase with height?
3. How thick is this layer?
4. Any additional characteristics?

Answer 6

1. Produces ozone layer
2. Protects us from meteors
3. Temperature decreases with height - coldest of all layers
4. 40-50km thick

Question 7

1. What does the thermosphere do?,
2. Does the temperature decrease/increase with height?
3. How thick is this layer?
4. Any additional characteristics?

Answer 7

1. Protects us from harmful radiation - energetic x-ray and ultraviolet rays
2. The temperature increases with height - hottest of all layers
3. 600km thick

Question 8

1. What is the atmosphere?
2. What gases make up earths atmosphere?

Answer 8

1. All gases surrounding earth or another planet - all these gases are referred to as the air above us.
2. Gases that make up earths atmosphere
   - nitrogen - 78 per cent
   - oxygen - 21 per cent
   - Argon - 0.93 per cent
   - Carbon dioxide - 0.04 per cent
   - neon
   - helium
   - methane
   - krypton
   - Hydrogen
   - Water vapour

Question 9

What are the four natural spheres of the earth?

Answer 9

1. Hydrosphere
2. Lithosphere - sometimes referred to as the geosphere
3. Atmosphere - explored above
4. Biosphere

Question 10

What is the hydrosphere?
Provide examples

Answer 10

1. All the water on a earth’s surface and sometimes over earth’s surface
2. Water on earth’s surface - sea and a lake
3. Water over earth’s surface - clouds and rain

Question 11

What is the lithosphere?
Provide examples

Answer 11

1. Solid, outer part of earth.
2. the solid part of earth instead of the water part
3. Ex. rocks and minerals

Question 12

What is the biosphere?
Provide examples

Answer 12

1. An environment where living organisms are
2. Deserts and rainforests

Question 13

What is biocapacity?

Answer 13

The ability of living organisms to be able to renew resources of nature and take in waste.

Question 14

What is climate change and the main cause?

Answer 14

1. Prolonged changes in weather pattern and temperature
2. Causative agent is mainly human activity

Question 15

What is global warming and the main cause?

Answer 15

1. Prolonged heating of earth’s surface
2. Causative agent is mainly human activity

Question 16

What is sustainability?

Answer 16

1. The ability of humans to be able to sustain natural resources