Year 10 Environmental Sciences

Question 1

What is the Carbon Cycles?

Answer 1

The storage and cyclic movement of organic and inorganic forms of carbon between the bio, litho, hydro, and atmosphere.

Question 2

Define ‘Carbon Sinks’

Answer 2

Anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases.

Question 3

Define ‘Carbon Source’

Answer 3

Anything that releases more carbon than it absorbs.

Question 4

Describe Earth’s structure

Answer 4

Earth is made up of the biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere.

Question 5

What is the Biosphere?

Answer 5

The layer of the planet where life exists.

Question 6

What is the Hydrosphere?

Answer 6

Contains all the water found on Earth, whether it is trapped ice, stored underground as groundwater, or found in the atmosphere as vapour.

Question 7

What is the Lithosphere?

Answer 7

Includes the crust, the upper mantle, and the uppermost layers of the Earth’s structure. There are two parts; oceanic and continental, which are broken down into 15 tectonic plates.

Question 8

What is the Atmosphere?

Answer 8

The layer of gas that extends from the surface of the water, land, and mountain ranges into space.

Question 9

What four elements make up the Carbon Cycle?

Answer 9

Respiration, Photosynthesis, Decomposition and Industrial.

Question 10

What is respiration?

Answer 10

Most organisms get energy by combining oxygen from the air with food. CO2 is released back into the environment because we breathe in oxygen and release CO2.

Question 11

What is photosynthesis?

Answer 11

Plants, algae, and some bacteria take in CO2 from the environment and use it to make food. O2 is released back into the environment.

Question 12

What is decomposition?

Answer 12

Fungi and some bacteria get energy by breaking down waste and the remains of dead organisms into smaller molecules, releasing CO2.

Question 13

What is industrial?

Answer 13

Burning fossil fuels and trees releases CO2 into the environment.

Question 14

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 14

Buried organic materials, like plants and animals, are transformed into crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by heat and pressure over millions of years. When burned they release CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Question 15

What are the main types of fossil fuels?

Answer 15

Oil, coal, and natural gas.

Question 16

What is the purpose of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 16

Nitrogen is needed by living organisms to make proteins. It exists in the atmosphere as gas but requires converting so plants can access it and absorb the nutrients.

Question 17

What is ammonification?

Answer 17

When nitrogen enters the atmosphere through the decomposition of protein in dead organic matter. Liberates a lot of energy which can be used by the saprotrophic microbes.

Question 18

What is nitrification?

Answer 18

a process carried out by nitrifying soil bacteria, transforms soil ammonia into nitrates, another form of nitrogen that plants can incorporate into their tissues.

Question 19

What is nitrogen fixation?

Answer 19

The process by which nitrogen is taken from its molecular form (N2) in the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds useful for other biochemical processes.

Question 20

What is atmospheric pollution?

Answer 20

Contributes to the eutrophication of water bodies. Happens inside the internal combustion engines of cars.

Question 21

What is eutrophication?

Answer 21

The gradual increase in the concentration of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other plant nutrients in aging water bodies such as a lake.

Question 22

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 22

The rise in temperature that the Earth experiences is because certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun’s rays.

Question 23

How do greenhouse gases work?

Answer 23

Sunshine enters the Earth’s atmosphere passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth’s surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed the energy is sent back into the atmosphere.

Question 24

What are the main greenhouse gases?

Answer 24

Water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane.

Question 25

What is the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 25

The process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms.

Question 26

What is step 1 of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 26

A special type of bacteria called nitrogen-fixing bacteria take in atmospheric nitrogen and produce ammonia.

Question 27

What is step 2 of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 27

Other bacteria use this ammonia to produce nitrates (NO2) and nitrates (NO3).

Question 28

What is step 3 of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 28

The nitrates are used by plants to make amino acids which are then used to make plant proteins.

Question 29

What is step 4 of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 29

Plants are consumed by other organisms which use the plant amino acids to make their own.

Question 30

What is step 5 of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 30

Decomposers convert the nitrogen found in other organisms into ammonia and return it to the soil. A few of these types of bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere, but this amount is small.

Question 31

What is denitrification?

Answer 31

Changes nitrate into nitrogen gas. This process removes bioavailable nitrogen and sends it back to the atmosphere.

Question 32

What is the weather?

Answer 32

An areas short term or current state of conditions such as factors related to wind, temperature, cloudiness, and rain.

Question 33

What is climate?

Answer 33

A region’s average weather conditions over a long term.

Question 34

What is climate influenced by?

Answer 34

Albedo, Gases in the atmosphere, ocean currents and wind.

Question 35

What is albedo?

Answer 35

The ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight (heat from the sun).

Question 36

What is the ozone layer?

Answer 36

Lies in the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere. Allows visible and infra-red radition/light from the sin through but absorbs damaging UV light.

Question 37

What breaks down the ozone layer?

Answer 37

Halons and Chlorofluorocarbons are released into the atmosphere, causing a hold in the ozone layer.

Question 38

Give two examples of ozone-depleting chemicals?

Answer 38

CFC’s and Halons.