Unit 4 - Climate Change Flashcards
What is the Earth’s Climate System made up of?
Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, Atmosphere & Biosphere.
What is the Hydrosphere?
made up of all the water on the Earth.
- Heat Sink
- cools the surface (evaporation), reflects energy (ice & snow), and it keeps the Earth warm (water vapour).
- Ocean Currents - warm water rises, cool water sinks. (moves water and energy across the Earth).
What is the ccomponents of the Water cycle?
Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation & Collection.
What is the Lithosphere?
made up of all the land on Earth.
- Location - continents are constantly moving, which is affecting air and ocean currents.
- Mountains & Volcanoes - mountains affect temperature, wind, and precipiation patterns & volcano gases contribute to the greenhouse effect and the ash and dust reflect the sun’s energy, therefore cooling the Earth.
What is the Atmosphere?
made up of the atmosphere and air.
- Concentration of Gases - there is a high amount of greenhouse gases affecting Global Warming.
- Layers - the atmosphere acts as a protective blanket, keeping the Earth warm and screening the harmful UV rays.
- Convection Currents - air circulation affect the climate (air near the ground is warm and rises, as it gets higher it cools and sinks.)
What are the Layers of the Atmosphere?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere & Thermosphere.
What is the Biosphere?
made up of all living creatures in the Kingdoms of Life.
- Plants & Other Producers - carbon sinks, decreasing temperatures
- Organisms - use oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, increasing temperatures.
What are some Anthropogenic sources of gases?
Carbon Dioxide - burning coal, oil, gas, and natural gas, cement making, and deforestation.
Methane - coal mining, production of pretroluem, natural gas leaks, landfills and cattle.
Nitrous Oxide - burning coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas, and fertilizers.
What are some Natural sources of gases?
Water Vapour - water evaporation, plants, animals, some bacteria, fungus and protista due to aerobic cellular respiration.
Carbon Dioxide - all living organisms due to cellular respiration, fires, volcanoes, and decay.
Methane - bacteria in swamps, wetlands and permafrost; vents in the Earth’s crust
Nitrous Oxide - bacteria in oceans and warm soils.
Natural sinks of Greenhouse Gases?
Water Vapour - used in photosynthesis
Carbon Dioxide - used in photosynthesis, absorbed by oceans.
Methane - converted into carbon dioxide by soil bacteria.
Nitrous Oxide - moves into stratosphere & destroyed by UV light.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
gases in the atmosphere absorb energy from the sun and trap heat radiated from the Earth.
What is some evidence of Climate Change?
Tree Rings, Fossils, and Ice Cores
What are the three ways to transfer energy?
Radiation, Conduction & Convection.
How does Radiation transfer energy?
Radiation is a wave energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. It can travel through the vacuum of energy. When radiant energy is absorbed by an object, it causes thermal energy of the object to increase.
How does Conduction transfer energy?
It is the transfer of heat energy through an object from the warmer to the colder particles. Particles close to the heat source warm up and vibrate faster, colliding with other particles and some of their energy is transferred “down the line”.
