Earth Science Final Review Flashcards

Flashcards to help students review Earth Science topics including atmosphere, weather, climate, ecology, and astronomy.

What are the layers of the atmosphere from top to bottom,

Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere.

How does dew form? Why do droplets form on the outside of a cold glass?

Air cools to the dew point, causing condensation. A cold glass causes the air around it to reach the dew point.

What are the three types of energy transfer and define them?

Convection (flow of heated substance), Conduction (heat by touch), Radiation (heat through open space).

What is a land breeze and what is a sea breeze?

land breeze- at night, air moves toward the water as land cools more rapidly than water

sea breeze-
A convection current blows wind from the cooler sea toward warmer land
During the day

What is ozone?

The thin layer of air that protects the Earth’s surface from extreme temperatures and harmful Sun rays

What is radiation?

Energy transferred in rays or waves/through empty space

What is conduction?

Transfer of energy when molecules have direct contact

What is the Coriolis Effect?

The Earth's rotation causes air and water to turn right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.

What is condensation?

Water vapor in the atmosphere cools and changes to liquid form.

What is ultraviolet radiation?

One type of energy from the sun, can cause skin cancer

What is the troposphere?

Lowest layer of atmosphere, contains most mass, where humans live, contains most of the water vapor and gases.

Where is ozone located, and what is its function?

Located in stratosphere, this gas molecule contains 3-atoms of oxygen and protects Earth from ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Why are there little or no clouds in the stratosphere?

Very little moisture ever makes it all the way up to the stratosphere.

Explain why atmospheric pressure at the top of earth’s atmosphere is less dense than at the bottom.

There is less atmosphere above that is pushing down.

Explain the process of a convection current in the atmosphere.

Warm air is light and rises. Cold air is heavy and sinks. As cold air pushes up warm air, the warm air cools, sinks, and the cycle repeats. This creates a convection current.

What forms wind?

Forms when air in an area of high pressure moves to an area of lower pressure

What are trade winds?

Between the equator and 30° Latitude (north and south) are steady winds that blow in tropical regions. Early sailors used in their trade routes

What are doldrums?

Along the equator, low pressure, low wind

What is a jet stream?

Located in the upper troposphere, narrow belts of strong winds

What is an attribute of a hurricane?

Needs warm water to provide energy

What is a tornado?

Twisting grey funnels of wind extending from a cloud

What is a blizzard?

Huge snowstorm

What is a thunderstorm?

Intense lightning and loud noise are also present

What is condensation?

Change from a vapor to a liquid

What is conduction?

How energy is transferred to your feet from a hot beach

What is evaporation?

Change from a liquid to a vapor

What is infiltration?

Water soaks into the ground

What is ozone?

Type of oxygen molecule containing three oxygen atoms

What is precipitation?

Rain, snow, or sleet

What is radiation?

Energy transfer by waves or rays

What is the stratosphere?

Layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer

What is the troposphere?

Lower layer of the atmosphere where weather happens

What are westerlies?

Wind system over North America

How do latitude, elevation, topography, closeness to water, and ocean currents influence climate?

Higher latitudes are colder. Poles are cold, equator is warm; the higher the elevation, the colder it gets; mountain range will have cooler and wetter conditions on the windward side and the leeward side will be warmer and drier; water moderates temperatures, warmer winters and cooler summers; warm currents = warmer climate, cold currents = cooler climate

Why do we have seasons?

Tilt of Earth’s axis (23½°)

r

What is a common misconception about why we have seasons?

The idea that seasons are due to Earth's varying distance from the sun.

What are the two main characteristics of an area's climate?

Temperature and precipitation is the two main characteristics.

What are abiotic factors?

Nonliving parts of the environment

What is ecology?

Study of organisms and their interactions with the environment

What is a population?

Members of a single species that live in an area

What is the biosphere?

Region of Earth that supports life

What is a community?

All the populations that live and interact in one environment

What is a habitat?

Type of environment in which a particular species lives

What are biotic factors?

Living parts of the environment

What is an ecosystem?

Union of organisms and abiotic factors

What is the importance of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Decomposers break down complex organic compounds into simpler nutrients that can be used by producers as food.

What is a niche?

The role an organism plays in its environment

What is symbiosis?

Interaction between two species

What is climate?

Typical weather pattern of an area over time

What is a biome?

Large group of similar ecosystem containing certain organisms

What is carrying capacity?

Maximum number of organisms that can be supported

What is a tropic level?

Each step in the food chain

What is a population?

All one species, ex. a herd of Wildebeest

What is a community?

A group of many populations of different animals. Example -- Wildebeest, Zebra, Bermuda grass, Candelabra tree, Dung beetle, etc

Compare and contrast density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors.

Both limiting factors will limit population size. Density dependent factors only play a role when the population is high. Density independent factors will limit population even if the population size is already low.

What types of things do organisms compete for?

Food, water, space, mates

List four factors whose combined effects determine the growth rate of a population.

Birth rate, death rate, immigration, emigration

What is primary succession?

Begins in a place without any soil. Example: Slides of volcanoes, Landslides, flooding

What is secondary succession?

Begins in a place that already has soil and was once the home of living organisms. Occurs faster and has different pioneer species than primary succession. Example: after forest fires

What is Mutualism?

Both benefit (clownfish and a sea anemone)

What is Parasitism?

One benefits and the other is harmed or killed. (tapeworm and human)

What is Commensalism?

One benefits and the other is not harmed or helped. (barnacles on a whale)

What is a predator?

Species that feeds on another species

What is carrying capacity?

Exponential growth followed by a plateau

What are density-independent limiting factors?

Factors that affect all populations in the same way

What are density-dependent limiting factors?

Factors that limit a population when a pop. density is high

What is prey?

Species that serves as food for another species

What is predation?

Interaction in which one species feeds on another

Name the planets in order from the sun.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

The inner planets are also known as what?

The Terrestrial Planets

The outer planets are also known as what?

The Gas Giants

Which planet is the largest of the gas giants?

Jupiter

Which planet is Earth’s “twin” or “sister”?

Venus

Which planets all have rings?

Outer Planets: (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

Which planet is nicknamed “The Red Planet”?

Mars

Which planet completes one revolution in 365.25 days?

Earth

Which planet has The Great Red Spot?

Jupiter

Which planet could float on water due to a density of less than one?

Saturn

Which planet is the only planet known to support life?

Earth

Which planet's Carbon Dioxide in atmosphere causes runaway greenhouse effect?

Venus

Which planet has Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the solar system?

Mars

Where is the asteroid belt found?

Between Mars and Jupiter

What is the shape of Earth’s orbit?

An ellipse

How long does rotation take to complete on Earth?

24hrs

How long does revolution take to complete on Earth?

365.25 days

What are the two solstices? When do they occur and why?

Winter solstice: 1st day of winter. The sun is the lowest above the equator for the year. Summer solstice: 1st day of summer. The sun is the highest above the equator for the year.

Is the far side of the moon always dark?

No, the moon rotates so it has day and night just like Earth.

Explain why the Earth has seasons

Tilt on its axis and orbit around the sun

Why is it warmer in the summer than in the winter?

The Earth receives more direct radiation from the sun in the summer.

What does fusion have to do with stars?

Fusion is how every star produces its energy. Stars combine light elements (hydrogen) into heavier elements (helium) to produce heat & light.

How does sun produce energy?

Sun produces energy by fusing hydrogen into helium.

What are sunspots?

Dark, cooler areas on the Sun’s surface are called sunspots.

What causes prominences?

The Sun’s magnetic field that is associated with sunspots may cause huge arching columns of gas called prominences.

What is photosphere?

The surface of the sun is called photosphere.

What percentage of stars are main sequence stars?

About 90 percent of all stars are main sequence stars.

What color are the hottest stars in space?

The hottest stars in space are blue/violet in color.

Why do the positions of the constellations appear to change throughout the year?

Earth’s orbit

What color are the coolest stars in the sky?

The coolest stars in the sky are red in color.

What determines the color of a star?

The color of a star is determined by its surface temperature.

What are the layers of the atmosphere from top to bottom, and how does temperature change in each layer?

Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere. Temperature varies; Thermosphere (increases with altitude), Mesosphere (decreases), Stratosphere (increases), Troposphere (decreases).