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Science > Unit 16 > Flashcards

Unit 16 Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

is the fluctuations of the atmosphere over a short period of time.

A

Weather

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2
Q

is the average weather conditions over a certain area and time frame of at least 30 years

A

Climate

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3
Q

main elements of climate

A

temperature and precipitation

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4
Q

sun’s thermal energy

A

main factor that dictates climate

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5
Q

tropics are sometimes referred to as

A

latitudes of seasonless climate

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6
Q

The largest seasonal changes also occur in

A

mid-latitudes or temperate regions

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7
Q

mid-latitudes or temperate regions

A

polar regions or frigid zones

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8
Q

uneven distribution of thermal energy triggers atmospheric circulation in the form of

A

prevailing winds: trade winds and westerlies

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9
Q

are formed when the warm air around the equator rises and flows toward the north pole

A

Trade winds

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10
Q

As it rises, it is deflected to the right by the Coriolis effect. It begins to cool and descend at 30° North latitude and travels back toward the equator. This also occurs in the southern hemisphere, where winds start to blow from the southeast. Then, continue to move toward the northwest direction once they descend near 30° South latitude.

A

journey of trade winds

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11
Q

Winds that do not descend at 30° latitude continue to travel towards the poles which form

A

westerlies

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12
Q

usually occur between 30 to 60° latitudes with a general west-to-east flow, sometimes interrupted by migrating cyclones and anticyclones

A

westerlies

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13
Q

increase air temperature because they absorb the outgoing radiation from the surface that would have otherwise escaped into space, and re-emit them into the atmosphere

A

Greenhouse gases

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14
Q

represents all water on Earth in any state, whether liquid, ice, or water vapor

A

hydrosphere

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15
Q

It has a major impact on climate since water can store and transport vast amounts of energy.

A

hydrosphere

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16
Q

refers to the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of a substance to one degree

A

Specific heat

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17
Q

Water, in general, has a __ specific heat

A

very high

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18
Q

Water moves through the different subsystems via the __ , which is the basis for climate’s precipitation, humidity, and weather systems such as storms

A

water cycle

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19
Q

influences climate through an area’s geography and land cover

A

Geosphere

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20
Q

measure of the reflectivity of a surface

A

albedo

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21
Q

Different materials either absorb or reflect sunlight. Light-colored land cover such as sand and snow reflect solar energy back into the atmosphere and outer space, while dark, moist soils absorb energy.

A

This reflected solar radiation affects how the climate would be.

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22
Q

This process enables cloud formation which then creates a cooler climate characterized by abundant precipitation on the windward side of the mountain range.

A

Moist winds coming from a large body of water rise into the mountain, which causes them to expand and cool.

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23
Q

Moist winds coming from a large body of water rise into the mountain, which causes them to expand and cool.

A

On the other side, however, the air descends without or with less amount of moisture. It is dry, heats up rapidly, and has low relative humidity which results in less precipitation.

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24
Q

represents all life on Earth

A

biosphere

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25
Q

influences climate by absorbing solar energy and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, releasing oxygen, and releasing water vapor

A

Vegetation

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26
Q

releasing water vapor through

A

evapotranspiration

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27
Q

Also, thick vegetation controls the temperature by preventing the warm air from escaping during the night and maintaining the cool temperature at daytime.

A

random

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28
Q

_ have always influenced climate.

A

Organisms

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29
Q

They co-evolved with the three other subsystems and play a pivotal part in some of the major climatic changes in Earth’s history.

A

Organisms

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30
Q

The first photosynthetic cyanobacteria oxygenated the atmosphere in the ___. This particular event caused the extinction of most of the anaerobic inhabitants on Earth that time.

A

Great Oxygenation Event

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31
Q

the oldest and longest ice age humans have known about

A

Huronian Glaciation

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32
Q

It occurred at a time when only unicellular life existed on Earth

A

Huronian Glaciation

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33
Q

Huronian Glaciation followed the

A

Great Oxygenation Event

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34
Q

_ and human activity create a great impact on global climate. As the population grows, the consumption of resources increases. This directly affects the earth system where we obtain our resources, and thus affects climate.

A

Humanity

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35
Q

Construction of infrastructure paves dirt with concrete, excavates rock layers that have existed for millions of years, and disrupts rivers and tides.

A

Landscape modification

36
Q

Resource extraction such as mining and oil production moves millions of tons of rock, drills through kilometers of a substrate, and leaves great scars upon the landscape.

A

Landscape modification

37
Q

Overgrazing can turn once lush grasslands into dusty deserts.

A

Environmental degradation

38
Q

Deforestation for lumber and infrastructure threatens the remaining forest areas of the world, especially tropical rain forests which are disappearing at a rate of 1.8% per year.

A

Environmental degradation

39
Q

Most human activities release CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, leading to global warming.

A

Pollution

40
Q

leads to consumption of resources at a rate which the earth system cannot sustain.

A

Overpopulation

41
Q

offer glimpses into their origin, and what caused them to eventually change

A

Paleoclimates

42
Q

Paleoclimate always leaves traces which are recorded in various mediums. Like:

A

stratigraphic record, Paleontological evidence, Oxygen-isotope ratios, Growth rings

43
Q

product of geological system

A

stratigraphic record

44
Q

is composed of unconsolidated sediments which are eroded and incorporated by a moving glacier

A

glacial till

45
Q

remains and traces of organisms that once existed or existing

A

Paleontological evidence

46
Q

method for estimating past ocean temperatures

A

Oxygen-isotope ratios analysis

47
Q

indicate the age of a tree or shells

A

Growth rings

48
Q

broad rings,narrow rings,offcenter rings

A

l

49
Q

Extreme warm periods

A

greenhouse or hothouse periods

50
Q

extreme cold periods

A

icehouse periods

51
Q

factors of long-term climate change

A 
Positions of continents
Volcanism
Uplift
Life evolution
Mass-extinction events
52
Q

short term climate change

A

​Holocene maximum
Medieval Warm Period
Little Ice Age

53
Q

factors of short-term climate change

A 
Solar fluctuations
Milankovitch Cycles
Plinian eruption​s
Ocean currents
Albedo
54
Q

consolidates and

summarizes studies on climate change

A

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

55
Q

are used to study climate in detail. These
models take present-day factors such as atmosphere composition, ocean
currents, global orbit, topography, etc., and calculate how they affect the
climate.

A

Global Climate Models (GCMs)

56
Q

Large ice shelves in Antarctica and Canada are observed to be breaking apart. Greenland’s ice sheet is melting quickly.
Arctic sea ice has been retreating every year. In addition, mountain glaciers worldwide have been rapidly retreating.
Organisms such as maple trees are also beginning to respond to the warming climate. Warmer weather lessens the sugar content of the maple tree’s sap.
Permafrost has been observed disappearing. Permafrost is the ground layer that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years, which is usually found in high latitude areas.

A

Evidences and effects of global warming

57
Q

Models predict that by 2150, global temperatures will have risen by 5 to 11 °C. Certain phenomena as a result of this are more likely to occur. These include a shift in climate belts, rise of the snow line in mountains, stronger storms, rising sea levels, increased wildfires, and a change in ocean currents.

A

random

58
Q

symbolizes the five major climates

A

A,B,C,D,E

59
Q

symbolizes the seasonal temperature and precipitation.

A

f,m,s,w

60
Q

Some subdivisions are for extremely specific climates that are not widespread

A

S, W, T, F

61
Q

_ letter is related to temperature variations and allows complete description of climate types B, C, and D

A

third

62
Q

are formed by converging trade winds around the equator, leading to tropical air masses

A

Low-latitude climates

63
Q

examples of low-latitude climates

A

Tropical Moist Climates (Af)
Wet-Dry Tropical Climates (Aw)
Dry Tropical Climate (BW)

64
Q

examples of biomes that are inhabited by Group I climates

A

rainforest
savanna
arid desert

65
Q

are formed by converging tropical and polar air

masses

A

mid-latitide climates

66
Q

Group II climates

A

Dry Mid-latitude Climates (BS)
Mediterranean Climate (Cs)
Dry Mid-latitude Climates (Bs)
Moist Continental Climate (Cf)

67
Q

biomes that are inhibited by group II climates

A

steppe
chaparral
grasslands or praire
dedicous forest

68
Q

Group III climates

A 
Boreal forest climate (Dfc)
Tundra Climate (E)
Highland Climate (designated H)
69
Q

Group III biomes

A

Taiga
Tundra
Alpine

70
Q

five major climates

A

Moist
Tropical Climates, Dry Climates, Humid Middle Latitude Climates,
Continental Climates, ​ and​ Cold Climates

71
Q

the change
in Earth’s climate over a span of
years

A

Climate change

72
Q

branch
of science that deals with
climates prevalent at particular
times in the geological past

A

paleoclimatology

73
Q
  1. The Earth’s atmosphere formed initially from volcanic gases
    and comet impacts during the planet’s early years.
  2. CO2 and water vapor dominated the earliest composition.
  3. When much of Earth cooled down, the water condensed as
    rain, forming early oceans. CO2 is soluble in water, and its
    atmospheric concentration decreased, leaving behind
    mostly nitrogen gas.
A

Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans

74
Q

are the first
oxygen-producing
organisms.

A

cyanobacteria

75
Q 
Loss of carbon dioxide
after photosynthetic
organisms evolved led to
“\_\_”
conditions in the Huronian
glaciation.
A

snowball earth

76
Q

dictate ocean current
patterns and change the
latitude of landmasses.

A

Positions of continents

and continental drift

77
Q 
increases the
concentration of the
atmosphere’s greenhouse
gases over time, causing
global warming.
A

Volcanism

78
Q

exposes certain elements

to weathering

A

Uplift

79
Q 
refers to the
extinction or appearance of
certain organisms which
led to great climate
upheavals as discussed
earlier.
A

Life evolution

80
Q 
(large numbers of species die
in a short time period) can
indicate a sudden and violent
change in climate, with
long-lasting effects.
A

Mass-extinction events

81
Q

exhibited
warmer global temperatures which caused ancient
civilizations to thrive.`

A

Holocene maximum (Holocene Optimum)

82
Q

unusual warmth which happened 700 to 1,200 years ago,
resulted in larger amounts of harvest which directly affected
the prosperity of human civilization.

A

Medieval Warm Period (Medieval Climatic Optimum),

83
Q

was
a cooling period which
occurred 200 to 600
years ago.

A

Little Ice Age

84
Q 
affect the
amount of energy Earth receives.
Sunspots appear on the sun every
9 to 11 years, releasing large
amounts of radiation.
A

Solar fluctuations

85
Q

refer to changes
in the tilt of Earth’s axis, the precession
cycle, and the eccentricity of the orbit.

A

Milankovitch Cycles

Science (49 decks)

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