Climate Quiz 1 Flashcards
(55 cards)
what is the difference between weather and climate?
weather looks at a particular place or time and uses meteorological terms whereas climate exists consistently over a long period of
what is the biosphere
the layer of earth that has the conditions to support life
what is the hydrosphere
component of the biosphere that contains water in all forms
what is the atmosphere
component of the biosphere that is composed primarily of gases
what is the lithosphere
- component of the biosphere that makes up the outer layer of earth and extends 100 km below the surface
- made of rocks, minerals, and solid elements
- home to microorganisms, plants and animals
- warmed by the sun
what is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere, and what does it do
nitrogen which is required for plant growth via bacteria conversion but does not support combustion
what is the second most abundant gas in the atmosphere and what is it used for
oxygen which is used in chemical reactions and creates/releases fuel
what are the two other main gases that makeup the atmosphere
carbon dioxide and argon, plus other gases
how many atmospheric layers are there
4
what determines these layers
average air temperature
what are the atmospheric layers from greatest to least altitude
thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere
whats the thermosphere
layer farthest from the earths surface that cannot support life
whats the mesosphere
third layer above earths surface that cannot support life
whats the stratosphere
second closest layer to earth’s surface that contains the ozone layer along with most of the ozone in the atmosphere
what’s the purpose of the ozone layer
it absorbs UV rays from the sun, heats up the stratosphere and protects living organisms from UV rays
whats the troposphere
the layer of atmospheric gases 0-10 km from the earth’s surface that has oxygen levels and temperature conditions to support life
what happens to temperature in the troposphere as the altitude increases
it decreases
what does it mean in the troposphere if the temperature is increasing
you are decreasing in altitude
whats an inversion
a reversal of normal temperature patterns seen in the troposphere that may trap unusually cold air close to the ground due to less air circulation
how do living things deal with climate
through adaptation
whats an adaptation
any change an organism makes to become more suited to its environment
whats dormancy
period where growth in an organism becomes very slow
whats anecdotal evidence
evidence that relies on reports from people about certain events and how they interpret them over time. it has not been tested for bias and has also not been tested to see if it applies to situations other than the particular events reported
whats scientific evidence
facts that rely on collected evidence, which ensures it is as unbiased as possible. it reflects general situations instead of just particular events and is usually collected by trained scientists and is checked by other scientists.
