Earth Systems Exam 1

ESS and Geography are

-a method (holistic, eclectic)

-spatial and temporal

-Earth Systems Approach

American Association of Geographers (AAG)

governing body over geography

Five themes of geography established by AGG

place, location, movement, region, human-Earth interaction

two most important resources on Earth

water, soil- the medium in which things can grow

the Earth is:

dynamic (always changing) four main subsystems, can be considered one large system made up of many small systems, systems can be very interrelated

Systems Theory

transdisciplinary study of systems

Open Systems

a material system in which mass or energy can be lost or gained of rin the environment

Closed Systems

a system that is completely isolated from its environment

System equilibrium

when the rates of the forward and reverse reactions (inputs and outputs) are equal

System feedback

feedback occurs when output of a system is routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effects

Effects of deforestation

carbon cycle altered, less nutrients added to soil, soils lose moisture because of increased solar radiation, types of plants and ability to support plant growth changes, presence and type of animals altered because of change in plants, lose habitat for both flora and fauna

ESS/Geography is a science that is both 

spatial (studies distribution and form over the surface of the Earth) and temporal (studies change as related to time) 

Why study ESS/ Geography

it provides a linkage between Earth processes

process

a set of actions or mechanisms that operate in a special order

anthropogenic changes

human induced

form

spatial aspect of process

weathering

a chemical or physical process in which rocks exposed to the weather are worn down

erosion

the carrying away of weathered soil, rock, and other materials on the Earth’s surface

lithosphere

rocks and minerals, soil and sediments on Earth

atmosphere

gaseous envelope that surround the Earth

hydrosphere

all waters on Earth- solid, liquid, and gas

biosphere

all flora and fauna on Earth

Nebula

a collapsing cloud of dust that condensed our solar system by slowly spinning

how distance in space is measured

light years

closest star to Earth

about 4 light years away, 24 trillion miles

time to get to and from Mars

224 days there, 227 back

perihelion

when earth is closest to the sun

aphelion

farthest from Earth

temperature of the sun

11,000 degrees Fahrenheit

the sun provides

energy to the earth by solar wind and radiant energy

ecliptic

plane of Earth’s orbit

why the sun is hot

the fusion of hydrogen nuclei which is the process that provides energy to earth

solar wind

takes 3 days to reach earth, consists of electrically charged particles

sunspots

caused by magnetic storms that occur on the sun and accelerate particles; have activity cycle of 11 years

magnetosphere

magnetic field around earth that deflects solar wind

aurora borealis (northern lights)

created by magnetosphere

the hotter the object

the shorter the wavelength

seasons

exist because of variations in the sun’s altitude above the horizon, the sun’s declination (where direct rays strike the earth), and day length

what influences seasonal change

revolution, rotation, tilt, axial parallelism

revolution

requires 365,24 days for one revolution around the sun

rotation

involves the earth turning on its axis

tilt

earth’s axis aligned at an angle of 23.5 degrees

axial parallelism

fact that the angle of tilt stays the same throughout the year

heterosphere

(not uniform) from 50 mi up to exosphere

homosphere

(uniform) from earth surface to 50 mi up; gases evenly mixed except “ozone layer”

thermosphere

top is the thermopause, roughly corresponds with the heterosphere, 50 mi outwards

mesosphere

top is the mesopause, from 30 to 50 mi up, coldest zone

stratosphere

top is the stratopause, from 11 to 30 mi, temp increases with altitude

troposphere

top is the topopause, from surface to 11 mi, home to biosphere, climate and weather

functional

remove harmful wavelengths of solar radiation and charged particles

ionosphere

same area as thermosphere and mesosphere, absorbs shorter wavelengths

ozonosphere

increased layer of ozone, functions to absorb ultraviolet light and re-radiate as ling wavelengths- filtering through ozone removes harmful radiation- less ozone more skin cancer, part of stratosphere, ozone (O3) absorbs UV energy and converts it to heat energy, Chlorine from CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, destroy O3

factors that affect air pollution

wind, shape of landscape, temperature inversions

Anthropogenic Pollution

smog- related to car exhaust

photochemical smog

results from interaction of sunlight and combustion products

industrial smog

produced by combustion by industries (smokestacks)

Benefits Clean Air Act

total direct cost: $523 billion, direct monetized benefits $5.6 to $49.4 trillion, average of $22.2 trillion, on average 230,000 fewer deaths in the US each year because of 

transmission

passage of short and long wave energy through the atmosphere

isolation input

all radiation arriving at earth’s surface both direct and diffuse (scattered)

refraction

insolation enters atmosphere from empty space to atmospheric gas, and it changes speed and shifts direction in a bending action 

albedo and reflection

reflective quality of a surface; represents energy returned directly to space without being converted to heat or doing work

clouds and albedo (forcing)

clouds cool earth by reflecting isolation back to space, but also warm earth by longwave radiation emitted from earth (greenhouse forcing)

scattering

as radiation goes through the atmosphere molecules are re-directed as atmosphere thickens

absorption

assimilation of radiation and conversion from one form to another

conduction

molecule to molecule transfer of heat energy

convection

physical mixing with a strong vertical motion

advection

when convection involves a strong horizontal motion

earth re-radiation (greenhouse effect)

earth emits re-radiated energy in infrared wavelength which can get trapped in the earth’s atmosphere as it is absorbed by CO2, methane, water vapor…

the principle

fluid when heated expands and cooled contracts

latitude

insolation single most important factor

altitude

in troposphere (lower atmosphere) lapse rate temperature change = 3.5 degrees F/1000 ft

cloud cover

type, height and density related to temperature at surface (50% of earth cloud covered)

land-water heating difference

different physical nature of substances account for heating differences

related general effects

marine versus continental influence

ocean currents and sea surface temperatures

ocean currents like the Gulf Stream and the Peru currents transport warmer or cooler water throughout the earth’s ocean

three levels of atmospheric circulation exist

primary (generally planet wide), secondary (migration of high and low-pressure systems), tertiary (local winds and temporal patterns)

mercury barometer/aneroid barometer

measuring air pressure

wind

produced by spatial differences in air pressure

two principal properties of wind

direction and speed

speed

measured using an anemometer

direction

measured by wind vane

wind

named by direction

pressure gradient force

drives air from high pressure area to low causing wind

isobar

lines of equal barometric pressure on a map show pressure difference

Coriolis force

surface winds do not blow in straight lines because of this force

geostrophic winds

created when pressure gradient and Coriolis force combine, winds in upper troposphere and they blow along isobars rather than across

friction force

effect of surface texture, extends to height of about 500 meters

atmospheric patterns of motion

spatially are areas dominated by high or low pressure

equatorial low-pressure trough

where Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCX) is located, very wet area because of convergence of warm moist air

subtropical high

exists between 20 and 35 degrees N&S, broad high-pressure zone, dominated hot dry air, clear and cloudless skies

subpolar low and polar front

dominant as Aleutian and Icelandic lows in winter and weaken/disappear in summer

polar high

pressure cells, weak high pressure that develop in arctic (weaker) and Antarctic (stronger) in winter

upper atmosphere circulation

flow dominated by westerly geostrophic winds that undulate and are called Rossly Waves and Hadley Cells which mix cold and warm air giving rise to weather systems

jet stream

irregular concentrated band of wind that occur at several locations spatially

polar jet stream

meanders between 30 and 70 degrees

subtropical jet stream

20 to 50 degrees

local winds

form in response to local terrain

land-sea breeze

different heating characteristics of land and sea create winds

daytime: land heats raster than water

night: land cools faster than water

mountain-valley breeze

mountain air cools rapidly at night and valley air heats during day, warm air rises upslope day, cool air subsides downslope to valley at night 

katabatic winds

gravity drainage winds, thought of as larger scale mountain valley winds, layer of air in highland area cooled, becomes denser and flows downslope