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Enviromental Science > Conditions for life on earth > Flashcards

Conditions for life on earth Flashcards

1
Q

What is the water sphere called?

A

Hydrosphere

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2
Q

What is the gas sphere called

A

Atmosphere

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3
Q

What is the rock sphere called

A

Lithosphere

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4
Q

What is the life sphere called

A

Biosphere

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5
Q

What is sufficient Thor the earth to retain an atmosphere

A

The mass of earth and it’s resulting force of gravity

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6
Q

Which gases did the early atmosphere provide for making biological molecules

A

Carbon Dioxide, methane and nitrogen

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7
Q

Where did these early atmosphere gases come from

A

Volcanic activity

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8
Q

What maintained liquid water

A

Atmospheric pressure and temperature

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9
Q

What is atmospheric pressure

A

The pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere

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10
Q

What would happen to water if atmospheric pressure was too low

A

Liquid water would boil well below 100 degrees

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11
Q

What would happen to water if the temperature was too low

A

Liquid water would turn to ice

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12
Q

What would happen to water if the temperature was too high

A

It would turn to gas

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13
Q

Why is liquid water important

A

It’s essential for life - physiological solvent, transport, coolant and it provides aquatic habitats

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14
Q

What does physiological solvent mean

A

Dissolving chemicals to allow biological reactions in solutions to occur

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15
Q

What is a coolant

A

Eg. Sweating

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16
Q

What is anomalous expansion

A

Where water expands instead of contracting when the temperature goes from 4 degrees to 0 degrees and it becomes less dense

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17
Q

What does anomalous expansion on freezing water create

A

An insulating later that prevents many water bodies from freezing solid

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18
Q

What is a specific heat capacity

A

The amount of energy needed to change the temperature of 1kg of the substance by 1 degree

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19
Q

What does high specific heat capacity of water mean

A

That water bodies change temperature slowly, creating more stable habitats

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20
Q

What is the amount of solar energy reaching a certain area called

A

Insolation

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21
Q

What is a suitable temperature range controlled by

A

Incoming insolation, it’s absorption by the earth’s surface and it’s behaviour in the atmosphere

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22
Q

What is the measure of the ability of surface to reflect light called

A

Albedo

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23
Q

What does a surface need to do to heat up

A

Absorb lots of energy

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24
Q

Why does ice have a cooling effect on the earth’s climate

A

Because it has a high albedo and reflects a great deal of solar energy without absorbing it

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25
Q

Why do darker surfaces have a low albedo

A

Because they reflect little sunlight and absorb most of it

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26
Q

What happens to some of the energy when sunlight is absorbed

A

It’s reradiated as longer wavelength radiation

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27
Q

Which type of radiation is reradiated

A

Infrared

28
Q

What is the greenhouse effect

A

When infrared is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causing the atmosphere to heat up (because infrared has a heating effect on its surroundings)

29
Q

Name 2 common greenhouse gases

A

Carbon dioxide and methane

30
Q

Why does infrared heat

A

Because of its long wavelength

31
Q

How do greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation

A

As vibrations of their chemical bonds — when co2 vibrates it radiates infrared in all directions

32
Q

How was the earth formed

A

By colliding roasting rocks

33
Q

Without the greenhouse effect what degree would the earth be

A

-18 degrees

34
Q

How far is the earth from the sun

A

150 million kilometres

35
Q

What part of the solar system is the earth in concerning distance form the sun

A

The Goldilocks zone

36
Q

What are enzymes

A

Proteins that speed up biological reactions: biological catalysts

37
Q

What happens to enzymes when it gets too hot

A

They denature (unfold and permanently stop working)

38
Q

What results in seasons

A

Earth’s tilted axis as earth orbits the sun, so different hemispheres receive more intense radiation per unit area at different locations around the sun

39
Q

What keeps the earth from wobbling too much on its axis

A

The gravitational attraction from the moon

40
Q

What provides the earth protection from radiation

A

The magnetosphere

41
Q

What produces the magnetosphere

A

Earths molten outer core

42
Q

How does the magnetosphere protect the earth

A

It deflects harmful solar radiation called solar wind

43
Q

What would happen if we didn’t have a magnetosphere

A

The solar wind would blow away our atmosphere and would harm life

44
Q

What does the term biota mean

A

Refers to living organisms in the area, they have a significant impact on the earths environment

45
Q

How was oxygen first produced

A

From photosynthesis of bacteria and then algae and plants

46
Q

What is photolysis

A

When energy from sunlight is used to plug water into hydrogen and oxygen

47
Q

What is a photoautotroph

A

Photosynthetic organisms

48
Q

What is respiration

A

A process by which energy can be released form sugars to allow organisms to power chemical reactions for survival

49
Q

What type of respiration was around W fire oxygen was present in the air

A

Anaerobic, so no oxygen was needed

50
Q

Which type of respiration is more effective? Anaerobic and aerobic

A

Aerobic as more energy is released from sugars

51
Q

What is the difference between an organic and inorganic molecule

A

Inorganic molecules don’t contain carbon (expect CO2) and organic molecules do

52
Q

What does ambient gas mean

A

‘Surrounding’ so it’s the gases that surround us

53
Q

Which atmosphere layer do we live in

A

The troposphere

54
Q

What is atmospheric layer is above the troposphere

A

Stratosphere

55
Q

What layer is in between the troposphere and then stratosphere

A

The ozone layer

56
Q

What was ozone (triatomic oxygen) produced by

A

Chemical reactions involving oxygen and ultraviolet light in the stratosphere

57
Q

Why is the ozone crucial for earth

A

It absorbs harmful UV from the sun, limiting the amount that reaches the earths surface

58
Q

What % of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere

A

0.04%

59
Q

What reduced carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

A

It was reduced by autotrophs, because carbon dioxide is a component in photosynthesis

60
Q

What is carbon sequestration

A

Where photoautotrophs store carbon dioxide in their biomass to grow

61
Q

What do biogeochemical cycles show

A

The flow of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms and the physical environment

62
Q

Name 5 limitations of early monitoring methods

A

Lack of ancient historical data / inability to measure many factors / lack of data collected in many areas / limited reliability of proxy data for ancient conditions / lack sophisticated equipment for accurate measurements

63
Q

Name 5 improved monitoring methods

A

Collection of long-term data sets / use of electronic monitoring equipment / gas analysis of ice cores / isotope analysis of ice cores / improved carriers for monitoring equipment

64
Q

What is proxy data

A

Study of past climates, preserved physical characteristics of the past that stand for weather measurements to enable to reconstruct climate conditions

65
Q

What is dendrochronology

A

Tree ring dating, counting tree rings to find out their exact age to help analyse atmospheric conditions

66
Q

Define climate

A

Long-term weather trends

Enviromental Science (12 decks)

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