Earth Science Flashcards Based on the Study Guide

Earth Science Final SG

How much water is in the ocean?

The ocean contains about 97% of the Earth's water

How much freshwater is there? Where is it found?

Approximately 3% of the Earth's water is freshwater, mostly found in glaciers, ice caps, and underground aquifers.

What is water withdrawal

The amount of water diverted/ removed from its source - Portion may be returned after

What is water consumption?

Measures water withdrawn + permanently removed from its source, resulting in a loss to the hydrosphere.

How does irrigation impact water supplies

Irrigation can significantly decrease water supplies by increasing water consumption for agriculture, leading to depletion of surface and groundwater resources.

Artesian

Confined aquifer

Mineral/Spring

Unconfined aquifer

Purified

Tap water

Laws on bottled water

FDA

Laws on tap water

EPA (Safe Drinking Water Act) regulates public drinking water quality.

What are the problems with bottled water

Bottled water can be less regulated than tap water, leading to potential contamination. Additionally, environmental concerns arise from plastic waste and resource use in production.

How have oil spills impacted the oceans

Mammals - Penetrates fur, causes hypothermia

Birds - Penetrates feathers, preventing flight

Fish and Plankton - Oil is directly toxic to them

Benthos - Oil sinks to the bottom of the sea and suffocates benthic communities

Coastal ecosystem - oil washes up on shore

How have people tried to clean up oil spills

Absorbers, booms, dispersants, skimmers

Stages of cultural eutrophication

The process whereby a body of water becomes overly rich in nutrients, leading to excessive growth of algae and depletion of oxygen, negatively affecting aquatic life.

oligotrophic

Bodies of water that are low in nutrients, typically supporting a diverse and healthy ecosystem.

eutrophic

Bodies of water that are high in nutrients, often resulting in excessive algae growth and decreased oxygen levels, which can harm aquatic life.

Mesotrophic

Bodies of water with moderate nutrient levels, supporting a balanced ecosystem between oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions.

Hypereutrophic

Bodies of water that have extremely high nutrient levels, leading to severe algal blooms and significant oxygen depletion, adversely affecting aquatic organisms.

What is the difference between point and non point source pollution

Point source pollution comes from a single, identifiable source, such as a pipe or drain, while non-point source pollution originates from diffuse sources, like agricultural runoff or urban stormwater.

What is an aquifer? How is it used?

Underground formations of rock and sand that hold water - they can store and transmit groundwater used for wells and irrigation.

Problems with aquifers

Decrease in river flow

Lowering of lake and reservoir levels

Sedimentation - Degradation of water quality, and land sinking.

Areas that are affected by water scarcity

-Naturally arid places

-Heavily populated

-Intensive crops + animals

Distillation

Boils water and collects the steam

Osmosis

Passes pressurized (salt) water through a filter Turing it into fresh water

What are the drawbacks to osmosis?

-Brine

-High costs

What effect does plastic pollution have on seawater

Introduces harmful chemicals and disrupts marine ecosystems.

What are the greenhouse gases

that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Where do greenhouse gasses come from when they enter the atmosphere

Human activities

• Burning of fossil fuels

• Deforestation

• Agricultural practices

  Release carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

What is the carbon sink

A natural reservoir that absorbs and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate climate change.

Examples of carbon sink

include forests, oceans, and soil that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Carbon cycle

The process by which carbon is exchanged among the atmosphere, land, ocean, and living organisms, involving photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.

How is the carbon cycle impacted by photosythesis and respiration

Photosynthesis captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce glucose, while respiration releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, creating a balance in the carbon cycle.

Permanent gasses in the atmosphere

Gases that remain consistently present in the Earth's atmosphere, including nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide.

What adds methane into the atmosphere

Fossil Fuel extraction

Cow Farts

Decomposition of Plant Matter

Milankovitch Cycle

long-term changes in Earth's orbit and axial tilt that affect climate patterns and contribute to the timing of ice ages.

-Eccentricity (shape of orbit)

Obliquity (Axil Tilt)

Precession (Wobble of axis)

Ablation (reduction)

How does the Milankovitch cycle affect earth

Altering solar radiation distribution, which influences seasonal and latitudinal climate patterns, contributing to the onset and retreat of ice ages.

Effects and Impacts on climate change

Rising Water levels

Growing seasons become longer or shorter

Insect ranges - moving to cooler regions

Coral bleaching

Hurricane bleaching and intensity

Proxy Data

Preserved data from natural sources

-Ice cores

-Tree rings

-Ocean sediments

Ice cores

Have bubbles of atmosphere which provide historical climate data.

Climate refugee

Individuals forced to leave their homes due to climate-related factors such as extreme weather, sea-level rise, or resource scarcity.

(Many in Sub-Saharan Africa, Alaska)

Albedo

High albedo - reflects more sunlight, cooler

Low albedo - Absorbs more sunlight, hotter

Ozone layer

Region in the stratosphere - absorbs the sun’s harmful UV rays

How does the ocean conveyer belt affect climate and weather

Redistributes heat around the planet. It transports warm water from the equator to polar regions, influencing weather patterns and climate zones.

Most productive renewable/inexhaustible energy sources

Include solar energy, wind energy, geothermal and hydrothermal energy

Biofuels

Renewable energy sources made from organic materials, such as plants and animal waste, that can be used for fuel.

Pros and Cons of biofuels

Pros - Renewable, reduce greenhouse gas admissions, can be produced from waste materials

Cons - Deforestation, influence food prices (raise them), high costs

How does an energy plant work?

Steam spins a turbine connected to a generator which produces energy

Renewable energy that doesn’t need a turbine

Solar power which harnesses sunlight using photovoltaic cells to generate electricity.

What does efficiency mean for an appliance

Efficiency refers to how effectively an appliance converts energy input into useful output, minimizing energy waste.

What happens to energy if efficiency is low

Energy is wasted as heat.

Fossil fuels

Made from decomposed plants and animals that have been buried under layers of sediment and rock for millions of years, resulting in coal, oil, and natural gas.

What chemicals do fossil fuels contain

Hydrocarbons, along with sulfur, nitrogen, and trace metals.

Where are fossil fuels found

Coal deposits, oil reservoirs, shale

Characteristics of Igneous rock

include being formed from cooled magma or lava, having a crystalline texture, and varying from fine to coarse-grained depending on the rate of cooling.

Characteristics of sedimentary rock

Formed from particles and organic materials; usually layered and may contain fossils.

Characteristics of metamorphic rock

Formed under heat and pressure from existing rock, typically featuring foliation or banding and often containing minerals that were not present in the original rock.

Phaneritic

Slow cooling of magma allows large crystals to form

Aphanitic

Fast cooling allows smaller crystals to form

How are igneous rocks rocks classified

• Composition

• Texture and origin

Volcanic

Ignous rocks that harden at Earth’s surface

Plutonic

Magma hardens inside the Earth

Lithification Processes

Compaction - sediments accumulate through time

Cementation - Cementing materials carried by water and drip through pore spaces between particles and harden

Detrital rocks

Formed from transported solid particles

Chemical rocks

Formed by precipitation of dissolved substances

Metamorphic changes (Contact)

rocks when they are touched by hot magma but don’t melt

Metamorphic changes (Regional)

Large scale deformation occurs during earthquakes, increased pressure and temperature

Definition of rock

A naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineral-like matter.

Definition of mineral

A naturally occurring inorganic substance with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure.

Characteristics of minerals

-Natural Occurring

-Inorganic

-solid

-Orderly internal structure

-Definite chemical composition

Agents of weathering rocks

Water, ice, plants, animals, weather, acid rain

Big bang evidence

Cosmic microwave background radiation

Doppler Effect

• redshift of galaxies.

Abundance of light elements

Lifecycle of a star

Nebula - Protostar - Nuclear fusion - Main sequence star - Red giant or Red super giant - (If low or medium mass) - Planetary nebula - white dwarf - black dwarf (if high mass) - Supernova - Neutron stars - Black holes

Order of the universe

Universe - Galaxies - Solar systems - Stars - Planets - Moons - Asteroids

Terrestrial Planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

Small rocky dense, few moons

Jovian Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Large, gaseous, low density, no solid surface

How are stars formed

Gravity causes clouds of molecules to contract until nuclear fusion turns light elements into heavy ones

How to calculate the eccentricity of ellipses

Distance between foci divided by the length of the major axis.

Evidence of Earth’s rotation

includes the Coriolis effect (objects moving on Earth are deflected due to Earth’s rotation , Foucault's pendulum, and the apparent motion of stars.

Moon phases

New moon - Waxing crescent - First quarter - Waxing gibbous - Full moon - Waning gibbous - Last quarter - Waning crescent

Moon formation

Believed to be the result of a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body, leading to debris accumulation that formed the Moon.

What causes seasons

Tilt of the Earths axis and the orbit around the sun

Solstice

Occurs when the sun reaches its greatest distance north or south of the equator twice a year

Summer - June 21

Winter - December 21

Equinox

Halfway between the solstices 12 hours of daylight

Spring - March 21

Fall - September 22

Eclipses

Events where one celestial body moves into the shadow of another, causing a temporary obscuration. There are two main types: solar and lunar eclipses.

What is environmental science

The study of interactions between the natural environment and human activities, focusing on issues such as pollution, conservation, and sustainability.

Tragedy of the Commons - Examples

situations where shared resources are overused, such as overfishing in common waters or deforestation of public lands. (Also global warming)

Biodiversity - How have humans impacted it

Humans have significantly impacted biodiversity through habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and overexploitation of species, leading to declines in species populations and loss of ecosystems.

How have humans impacted extinction rates

Human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change have accelerated extinction rates, leading to loss of species at an unprecedented pace.

Anthropocentric

a perspective that places humans at the center of consideration, often leading to environmental degradation due to prioritizing human needs over ecological health.

Anthropogenic

related to environmental changes caused by humans

Ecocentric

a perspective that values ecological health and biodiversity, placing the well-being of the environment at the forefront of ethical considerations.

Effects of climate change on people and populations

refer to the various impacts that rising temperatures, sea levels, and extreme weather events have on human health, safety, food security, and economic stability.

Your Impact on Earth

lifestyle choices affect the environment, including resource consumption, waste generation, and carbon emissions.

Carbon Cycle - How do fossil fuels effect it

Fossil fuels disrupt the carbon cycle by releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when burned, contributing to climate change and altering natural carbon balance.

More carbon dioxide in the environment heats up the atmosphere

by promoting the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming and climate change.

How do infrared and ultraviolet light affect us

Infrared light can cause warming, while ultraviolet light can lead to skin damage and increased risk of cancer.

What is infered light

a type of electromagnetic radiation with longer wavelengths than visible light, which can increase temperature and has applications in various technologies.

What is ultraviolet light

Ultraviolet light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that is not visible to the human eye, emitted by the sun, and can cause skin damage and increase the risk of skin cancer.