Climate Final COPY Flashcards
(113 cards)
1
Q
system:
A
an object (or group) being studied within a boundary
2
Q
open system:
A
allows energy and matter to flow in and out
3
Q
closed system:
A
allows energy but not matter to flow in and out
4
Q
isolated system:
A
neither matter nor energy can flow across the boundary
5
Q
what 3 components make up the biosphere
A
Atmosphere (air)
Lithosphere (land)
Hydrosphere (water)
6
Q
what is the biosphere?
A
a thin layer of air, land, and water near Earth’s surface
- all life on Earth exists in this layer
7
Q
Atmosphere
A
- a layer of gases surrounding Earth (raising 800+km)
- Divided into four layers found at different altitudes
- temperature fluctuates as you pass through these layers
8
Q
what makes up the atmosphere
A
78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% other gases
9
Q
What are the four layers of the atmosphere in order?
A
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
10
Q
troposphere
A
- first layer of the atmosphere
-0-10km - contains most gases
- only layer with correct temp and oxygen level to support most living things
11
Q
stratosphere
A
- 10-50km
-second layer of atmosphere - contains ozone layer which absorbs most of the suns rays
12
Q
distance of the mesosphere and thermosphere
A
-The mesosphere is the third layer and is 50-80 km
-thermosphere is the last layer of the atmosphere and is 80+ km
13
Q
Lithosphere
A
- Land of biosphere
- solid portion of earth
- home to many micro-organisms, plants and animals
- extends from Earths surface to 100 km below
14
Q
Hydrosphere
A
-Water layer of biosphere
- all water in its three states (l,s,g)
- 97% is salt water in oceans
- contains cryosphere
15
Q
cryosphere:
A
water temporarily frozen in polar ice caps, permafrost, glaciers
16
Q
what kind of energy is solar energy
A
radiant energy
17
Q
does the biosphere absorb or reflect energy from the sun?
A
absorb
18
Q
how does radiant energy travel
A
at different wavelengths
19
Q
what is insolation
A
the amount of solar energy received by a region
eg. a red binder absorbs all colours but reflects red
20
Q
do all warm objects emit energy and if so what is it called
A
yes and it is called infrared radiation
21
Q
how doe the earth maintain its energy and temp
A
by radiating as much energy into space as it absorbs from the sun(radiation budget)
22
Q
what is the radiation budget
A
having a balance of raditaion.
- energy absorbed is equal to the energy released
23
Q
albedo:
A
-how much light an object reflects
- an object’s colour affects the amount of energy it will absorb or reflect
24
Q
what albedo do dark objects have
A
dark surfaces absorb energy and have a LOW albedo - low reflection
25
what albedo do light surfaces have
light surfaces reflect energy and have a high albedo
26
what do greenhouse gases do
- keep the earth warm by holding onto heat
- absorb infrared radiation released from Earth's surface
27
without greenhouse gases how would the average tempurature on earth be
-19
28
climate:
trend in temperature, pressure, humidity, and precipitation over many years
29
weather:
temperature, pressure, humidity, and precipitation at one place and time
30
what affects climate
-global winds
- proximity to large bodies of water
- Ocean currents
- insulation(amount of solar energy absorbed)
31
how is the amount of solar energy absorbed influenced
-tilt of earth's axis relative to the sun
- earth's revolution around the sun
- the shape of the Earth
32
Earth's tilt:
-Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours and orbits the Sun every 365 days
-angle of inclination
- determines length of day throughout the year
33
angle of inclination:
the tilt of the Earths axis (23.5 degrees)
34
how does Earths orbit effect the amount of solar energy absorbed
-at the equator day and night are each 12 hours throughout the year, everywhere else has seasons
- equinox
-solstice
35
solstice:
- one pole is as close as possible to the sun and the other is as far as possible -> summer(end of June) to winter(end of December)
36
at the equator what do the suns rays do and how does affect earths solar energy
- at the equator, sun's rays strike the Earth directly (90 degrees)
- away from the equator, areas receive less solar energy
37
specific heat capacity (c)
amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1g of a substance by 1 degree Celsius
38
H2O has a high heat capacity meaning...
-it absorbs a lot of energy before increasing temp and takes a long time to cool
39
phase change:
- a change in state of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
- always involve energy changes, but never temperature changes
40
what happens to energy during melting and boiling
energy added to the system is used to overcome forces of bonds that hold molecules together
41
what happens to energy during freezing and condensing
energy is released as heat as bonds/forces reform
42
solid to liquid:
melting
43
liquid to solid:
freezing
44
liquid to gas:
evaporation
45
gas to liquid:
condensation
46
solid to gas:
sublimation
47
air to solid:
deposition
48
heat of fusion(Hfus):
amount of heat (kJ) required to convert 1 mole of solid to liquid or liquid to solid
- melting, freezing
49
heat of vaporization(Hvap):
amount of heat (kJ) required to convert 1 mole of a liquid to a gas or gas to liquid
- evaporating, condensing
50
during a change in state how is energy released and absorbed
- energy is absorbed to break up bonds (endothermic)
- energy is released in formation of new bonds (exothermic)
51
When do you use Q=mc^T
-when there is a change in temperature
- ^ means change
- Q is in jouels
52
when do you use the equations Q = nHf or Q= nHv
- when there is a change of state/phases
- nHf is solid<--> liquid
- nHv is liquid<--> gas
- no temp change
- Q is in kilojoules (kJ)
53
what factors affect climate:
-insolation
-precipitation
-humidity
-air pressure
-daylight hours
- albedo
- cloud cover
- mountains
- latitude
- temp
- oceans
-winds
54
why is solar energy not absorbed equally on earth?
because of the Earths spherical shape, the tilt of its axis, and its revolution around the Sun
55
what helps distribute solar energy around the earth
wind and water currents
56
thermal energy transfer:
- movement of thermal energy from an area of high temp to an area of low temp
57
what kind of energy is the energy we receive from the Sun
radiant+solar energy
58
how does radiant energy travel
in waves and is reflected or absorbed
59
how is solar energy transferred
conduction and convection
60
conduction:
direct contact between particles of two substances
61
convection:
movement of a fluid like air or water
62
wind:
movement of cool air from high pressure to low pressure
63
how does air travel in convection currents?
hot air from the equator travels toward cooler air at the poles in convection currents
64
what is air veering sideways called?
The Coriolis effect
- wind currents tend to veer sideways from their original path due to Earth's rotation on its axis
65
what causes the Earth's spin
winds shifting
66
what are jet streams
- currents of extremely fast-moving air located in the stratosphere
- influences precipitation and storms
-flow from West to East in the northern hemisphere
67
El nino:
-disruption in the Pacific Ocean where water temp increases and wind direction reverses
- causes heavy rainfall over North America and drought in Australia and SE Asia
- western north America experiences warming
68
La Nina:
-occurs when winds increase in strength and cool surface water
- causes high precipitation in SE Asia
-eastern north america experiences warming
69
unique properties of water:
- it has a low albedo and absorbs most of the solar energy striking it
-high specific heat capacity, so it can absorb large amounts of energy without changing temperature
70
High Hvap (heat of vapour/evaporation) requires....
a lot of energy to break strong bonds between molecules to evaporate
71
high Hfus(heat of fusion) must...
lose a lot of energy in order to freeze
-when things freeze they expand
72
hydrologic cycle:
water is constantly moving in the biosphere through the hydrologic cycle
73
what effects earths climate and weather systmes
-phase changes that occur in water cycle impact earth climate and weather systems
74
when water vapour condense to liquid:
-thermal energy is released into the atmosphere warming air
- warm air rises which can start thunderstorms or even hurricanes
75
what causes currents
-warmwater has a lower density so warm water rises and cool water sinks causing currents
- wind and earths rotation also play a role in ocean currents
76
In which direction do currents go:
because of the Coriolis effect, currents in the North go clockwise, and in the South go counterclockwise
77
Gulf stream:
warm current that begins in the Caribbean and carries warm water up to Canada and the UK where it is called the: North Atlantic Drift
78
why is it difficult to change the temperature of water and the environment around it
water has a high capacity for heat making it difficult to change its temperature
79
how does the ocean affect climate?
-when wet air cools, the water in the ocean falls as precipitation
- when sun warms areas around oceans, the land warm faster than the water
Land and sea breeze
80
whats a sea breeze
land warm air rises and cool water air moves in onto land
81
whats a land breeze
at night, water cools slower than land, so air over water is warmer
82
how do mountains affect climate:
- wet air water blows onshore and up mountains
- it loses moisture as orographic precipitation
-chinooks
83
chinook:
pressure increases, and warm dry air moves over the other side of the mountains
84
how does energy travel from/into the biosphere?
energy is either absorbed from or released into the biosphere
85
what type of system is the earth?
closed
86
what does it mean when we say that water is a polar molecule?
This means that in the water molecule, one side is positively charged and the other side is negatively charged.
87
what are the 6 biomes
tundra, taiga, grasslands, temperate deciduous forest, desert, tropical rainforest
88
tundra:
-permafrost, bitter cold, and high winds means no trees or tall plants
- little annual rainfall, averages less than 25 cm per year, but accumulation on top of permafrost
- animals: arctic hare, lemmings, caribou, arctic fox, wolf
- winters are long and cold and summers are short and cool
- coldest biome
89
taiga: (boreal forest)
- largest terrestrial biome
- dominated by cone-bearing, evergreen trees(coniferous)
- adapted to heavy snowfall
- 35-100 cm of precipitation per year
-
90
grassland:
-deep, rich topsoil means a lot of conversion to agriculture
- seasonal drought, occasional fires and grazing by large mammals prevent shrub and tree establishment
- prolonged dry season, 25-75 cm of annual precipitation
91
temperate deciduous forest:
- mid-latitudes, with enough moisture to support trees
- deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter
- 75-100 cm of precipitation each year
- animals: deer, fox, squirrel, mice, snakes, many bird species
92
desert:
- driest biome
- less than 25 cm per year, rate of evaporation exceeds precipitation
- supports limited plant life because the soil retains little to no moisture
- animals: lizzards, rattlesnakes, vultures, desert toirtoise, coyotes, gila monsters
93
tropical rainforest:
- greatest diversity of plants and animals
- closed tree canopy
- pronounced vertical layering
- temperatures vary little each month
- rainfalls nearly every day, this biome has the highest average precipitation
94
what is the greenhouse effect?
the process through which heat is trapped near the Earth's surface by substances known as 'greenhouse gases.'
95
what is a biome?
a biome is a large geographical region with a specific climate that the plants and animals that inhabit it are adapted to
96
what kind of systems are cell and biomes
open systems(exchange matter and energy with surroundings)
97
how is the distribution of earths biomes affected
by the amount of solar energy and precipitation received by different regions
98
ecosystem:
community of living organisms that interact with eachother and with the non-living, physical environment
99
habitat:
place where an organism lives or is usually found
100
what is climate change?
- Earth's climate is changing
- this is evident in increasing average air and ocean temps, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising average sea level
101
what are the greenhouse gases?
- water vapour
- CO2
- N20
- Methane
-Halocarbons
-Ozone
102
where is water vapour found?
part of the hydrological cycle
103
what is CO2
the burning of fossil fuels
104
carbon sink definition
anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases eg. trees remove carbon
105
why is deforstation bad
- when trees are cut and burned, CO2 is released into the atmosphere
- roots decay, releasing more CO2 and methane from the soil
- fewer trees absorb less CO2 for photosynthesis
106
what increases the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere
greenhouse gases, deforestation, urbanization
107
exosphere:
fifth and outermost layer of the earths atmosphere
108
radiation:
energy that comes from a source and travels through space at the speed of light
109
humidity:
amount of water vapour in the air
110
natural greenhouse effect:
- a natural process that warms the earth's surface
-
111
enhanced greenhouse effect:
where extra greenhouse gases in our atmosphere trap too much of the suns energy
112
113
equinox:
day hours = night hours -> 2x per year: spring(end of march) and fall(end of september)
