Milankovitch Cycles
eccentricity - planets shape as it orbits the sun
axial tilt - Earth is tilted on its axis which causes seasons
Precession - earth’s slow wobble as it spins on its axis
Greenhouse effect
the atmosphere allows sunlight to reach earth’s surface but prevents heat from escaping
Global Warming
the slow increase in average temperature across the globe, resulting in glaciers melting, sea levels rising, severe storms, ocean acidification
short term carbon cycle
plants use carbon in photosynthesis then die and release carbon, this keeps it at a reasonable level
Long term carbon cycle
carbon is released into the atmosphere, acid rain dissolves rocks which form calcium carbonate, which is then absorbed into the ocean which kills coral and re-releases carbon into the atmosphere, which is a vicious cycle
albedo effect
reflection of insolation due to dust/ash in the air and leads to global cooling
insolation
incoming solar radiation, a measure of the solar energy striking a specific area over a set amount of time
energy flow equation
energy flow = mass x specific heat x temp change
Q = m x c x ~t (~ = change)
heat island effect
change in environment due to urbanization, which causes urban areas to be warmer which creates a heat island
ice cores
a sample of ice taken from a glacier that shows the past climate conditions of that area (dust, seasalt, ash, change in seasons, etc.)
electromagnetic spectrum
infrared - longer waves which are absorbed by gas which warms the atmosphere
visible - shorter wavelength which makes it visible to humans
water conservation
low flow faucets, short showers, dry cooling towers, drip irrigation, water recycling, desalinization
ocean pollution
the ocean is extremely polluted with microplastics that destroy the wildlife
artificial eutrophication
when a fertilizer or detergent contaminates water which causes algal blooms and therefore oxygen depletion
biomagnification
toxins moving up the food chain
Primary water treatment
meant to take large chunks out of water using (netting, etc.)
secondary water treatment
takes smaller particles out of water (coffee filter, sedimentation, aeration, etc.)
Tertiary water treatment
get rid of toxins (reverse osmosis, chlorine, etc.)
water usage
agricultural uses the most amount of water, recreational uses the least amount, industrial and household use same amount of water
point source pollution
the exact place the pollution came from is easily identified (oil spills, drainage ditches, etc.)
non point source pollution
when it is difficult to identify the source of a pollutant (fertilizers, pesticides, soap, etc.)
ocean acidification
the excess carbon in the atmosphere gets absorbed into the ocean which results in it being more acidic
sewage
household waste from toilets, sinks, showers, etc.
inorganic chemicals
pollutants that aren’t carbon based which lead to biomagnification (salts, acids, toxic metals, etc.)
sediment
bits of rock and dirt
synthetic organic compounds
carbon based pollutants (detergents, oils, industrial waste, pesticides, etc.)
fertilizers
chemicals that enhance the growth of plants but can lead to artificial eutrophication
pesticides
chemicals that repel insects from plants
oxygen demanding waste
sewage, manure, dead animals and plants
Alfred Wegener
came up with theory of supercontinent Pangea and plate tectonics
erosion
movement of rock particles from one place to another
weathering
the process of breaking rocks into smaller pieces
seafloor spreading
divergent plate boundary where magma fills the space and cools which forms new seafloor
epicenter
where an earthquake starts, above focus on the surface of the Earth
focus
the place inside the earth where an earthquake starts
Newton’s laws of motion
Law of inertia - anything in motion or not in motion will remain that way unless acted upon by an unbalanced force
Law of f=ma - force = mass times acceleration
Law of action and reaction - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
net force
both forces are added together
Newton’s second law formula
force = mass x acceleration
Centripetal Force
as something moves in a circular motion there is constant unbalanced force since it's always accelerating
Kepler’s Laws
Law of ellipses - every planet has an elliptical orbit
Law of equal areas - a planet is equally distant from the sun
Law of harmonies - the closer a planet is to the sun the faster it orbits
Kinetic Energy
Energy an object has because its in motion
Kinetic Energy Formula
Ke = ½ mass x velocity^2
Law of conservation of energy
energy cannot be created or destroyed it just transfers and transforms to other types such as heat, light, and sound
Kepler’s third law formula
t^2 yrs = r^3 AU
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
a balanced force results in something remaining stationary, net force of 0, unbalanced forces occur when the net force is not 0 and results in motion
momentum
quantity of motion (ex. throwing a ball, car in motion)
Momentum Formula
P= mass x velocity
law of universal gravitation
The gravitational force of an object depends on its mass and distance from other objects
law of universal gravitation formula
G = (6.673x10^-11 x m1 x m2)/2
Energy Conversions (between kinetic and potential energy)
potential energy switches to kinetic when an object goes from being at rest to being in motion
Gravitational forces
forces that pull things toward another, the more mass and closer the distance is between two objects the stronger the gravitational force will be
Elastic collisions
both momentum and kinetic energy are stored which results in an object bouncing or rebounding upon collision
Inelastic collisions
kinetic energy is not conserved, instead it is converted to sound, light, heat, or other energy
Perfectly Inelastic Collisions
the max amount of energy is moved making the collision extreme, both objects move in the same direction
Mass and weight
mass is the total amount of matter in an object whereas weight is the total amount of gravitational force being exerted on an object
Laws of stratigraphy
law of superposition, original horizontality, cross cutting relationships, and lateral continuity
law of superposition
the layers on top are youngest and the ones on bottom are oldest
law of cross cutting relationships
if a layer cuts across other rocks it is younger
original horizontality
rock layers are horizontal because gravity
lateral continuity
layers of sediment initially extend laterally but might be separated by erosion
absolute age
an exact age number of a rock
relative age
how old a rock is in relation to another rock
primary seismic wave
longitudinal wave that travels faster than other waves, compresses Earth’s crust it moves back and forth. Alternatively compresses and expands the material they pass through. This can cause ground to buckle and fracture.
secondary seismic wave
transverse wave that moves slowly, Causes materials to shake at right angles to the direction of the wave motion, Causes ground to shake up, down, and sideways like a snake.
surface seismic wave
across earth’s surface, more elliptical, more destructive than P+S waves. Can cause buildings to collapse, damage to foundations of buildings because of the longer wavelengths and rolling action.
convergent boundaries
plates move together/collide with a compressional stress
causes Trenches, earthquakes, volcanos, mountain ranges and tsunamis
divergent boundary
plates move apart from each other with tensional stress creates rift valleys, mid -ocean ridges, earthquakes, and volcanos.
transform fault
plates move past each other with a shear stress. This stress creates earthquakes the most which is a constructive process.
mechanical weathering
Rocks are physically broken down into smaller pieces, Abrasion, Ice wedging
chemical weathering
Process that breaks down rocks by chemical reactions (substance changes into another substance), Acid rain, carbon dioxide, oxidation, water, living organisms (produce acid)
half life formula
decayed mass/total mass=fraction=how many half lives have passed….. time/# of past lives
how long to decay formula
decayed mass/total mass=fraction=# of past lives… time x # of past lives.
mass formula
total time of decay/half-life=#of past half-lives=fraction,,, fraction x original mass
carbon pools
Vegetation (biomass)
Soils
Fossil Fuels (hydrocarbons)
Atmosphere (Carbon Dioxide, Methane)
Surface Ocean and Marine life (Organic Matter)
Deep Ocean
Sedimentary Rock (Limestone)
carbon fluxes
Movement of Carbon from one pool to another
Photosynthesis
Respiration- putting carbon back into the atmosphere
Combustion (Isn’t natural)
Erosion/weathering
Defusion
Ocean mixing (Upper+Deeper)
Sedimentation (Weathering)
Volcanos (erupt and release carbon)
Decomposition (Break down gets into soil and produces methane)
unconformity
gap in rock record where erosion could’ve occured