Unit 4 Flashcards
Where does the sun shines the most/least at different times of the year?
Most: Summer solstice in June for Northern Hemisphere
Least: December Solstice For Northern Hemisphere
Opposite for Southern Hemisphere
Equal: Autumnal and spring equinox
What are the layers of the atmosphere and its composition?
Layers:
- troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere
Composition:
- roughly 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon and the rest is trace gases
What occurs in the troposphere?
The troposphere is where most weather occurs
What occurs in the stratosphere?
The stratosphere contains the ozone layer which protects from harmful UV radiation
What occurs in the mesosphere?
The mesosphere is where most meteors burn up
What occurs in the thermosphere?
The thermosphere is the highest layer where temperatures rise due to solar radiation absorption, where Northern lights occur
What occurs in the exosphere?
The exosphere is the outermost layer where particles can escape into space
How and why do large bodies of water impact the climate and weather of nearby land areas?
Latent heat capacity of water-
water moderates the temperature of nearby land by absorbing heat and releasing it more slowly than land
How do circulating air currents influence climate and weather patterns?
Uneven heating of the earths surface which results in warm damp air that goes into the atmosphere. Creates distinct weather patterns due to the rising and falling of cool and hot air
What is the Coriolis effect?
Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere
How does the tilt of the Earth on its axis influence the intensity and duration of sunlight in the Northern and Southern hemispheres?
Earth’s tilt causes different seasons depending on which hemisphere is tilted more directly towards the sun, resulting in longer daylight hours and more intense sunlight during summer in that hemisphere and opposite for the other Hemisphere
What are El Nino and La Nina causes and effects? (Specifically, how do conditions caused by these phenomena affect food webs?)
Causes: Trade winds weakening (El Nino) or strengthening (La Nina)
Affect:
El Nino create a block of warm water, blocking the nutrient-rich water available for phytoplankton growth, leading to decrease in pop of animals that feed on phytoplankton.
La NIna results in more precipitation and storms in west near Australia, less precipitation in South America. As well as more fish population
What are the soil horizons and the general characteristics of each layer of the earth?
Starts at earth’s surface
O - contains organic matter A - mixed organic matter and minerals (topsoil) E - eluviated, which means metals, minerals, and nutrients have been leached out B - accumulation of metals, minerals, and nutrients. No oxidation occurring C - least weathered, similar to parent material
How do pressure changes and particles differ, in each layer of the atmosphere?
The atmosphere contains particles that are affected by gravity which results in pressure. Air pressure consistently decreases due to fewer air molecules present at higher altitudes, resulting in a lower density of particles in higher layers
Troposphere: Most pressure
Thermosphere: Least pressure
How do you identify where certain tectonic activities are happening on a global scale?
Earthquakes, mountain building and volcanic activity occur mostly at the boundaries of the moving plates.
What types of soil increase or decrease porosity and permeability?
Porosity: measure of the ability of a soil unit to hold water
Permeability: measure of the ability of water movement in soil
Soil with smaller particles has higher porosity but lower permeability, while soil with larger particles has lower porosity but higher permeability a mixture of elements can have both
What is the cation exchange property?
A elements ability to exchange or hold cations from other elements
How do you use the Soil Texture Triangle?
1.
Locate the percentage of sand on the triangle’s base and follow the line that goes up and to the left.
2.
Locate the percentage of clay on the triangle’s left side and follow the horizontal line to the right until it meets the line for sand.
3.
Follow the line from the point where the sand and clay lines meet up to the right until you reach the silt percentage scale.
4.
The soil texture is determined by the area of the triangle where the point falls
Which types of particles/characteristics increase and decrease Water Holding Capacity and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)?
Clay and high organic matter content increase both and sandy particles and low organic matter content decrease both
How do global wind patterns (e.g. Hadley Cells, Trade Winds) influence environmental conditions on the surface of the Earth?
Distributing heat and moisture unevenly across the globe, leading to distinct climate zones with varying precipitation levels
What happens at divergent and convergent plate boundaries? Where are they located?
Divergent: tectonic plates move apart, causing new crust to form as magma rises from the Earth’s mantle - Found along Mid Ocean Ridges
Convergent: plates collide, leading to either one plate subducting beneath the other or crumpling together to form mountain ranges - found where continental and oceanic plates meet
What is the definition of Temperature Inversion?
A layer in the atmosphere where the air temperature increases with height, which is the opposite of normal atmospheric conditions. The molecules in the hot air expand causing it to be less dense and ride . When it rises it trapped the cool air below it. This is due to regional conditions, River valleys, LA, etc. Wind movement and solar radiation breaks the inversion.
What factors could cause an increase in turbidity?
Increase in temperature and erosion
