Science - E&E CHAPTER6 (Global systems)

Earth's Spheres

The Biosphere contains the Lithosphere, Atmosphere, and Hydrosphere.

Earthquakes

Affect the Biosphere, Lithosphere, and Hydrosphere.

Mudslide

A rapid downhill movement of a mixture of water, rock, and soil.

Landslide

The movement of rock, earth, or debris down a slope.

Liquefaction

The process by which a solid behaves like a liquid due to an increase in temperature or pressure.

Effects of Earthquakes on the Hydrosphere

Earthquakes can cause tsunamis, change river courses, cause landslides blocking rivers, and destroy dams leading to massive floods.

Effects of Tropical Cyclones on biosphere

Destruction of habitats due to uprooted trees, animals and plants washed into flooded rivers

Effects of tropical cyclones on lithosphere

erosion of land and waterways due to torrential rain and floods, sediment carried in rivers lead to blockage of river mouths wih salt

Effects of tropical cyclones on atmosphere

intense low-pressure systems in warm tropics (>26.5°C), wind speeds 63 km/h to over 200 km/h, large high clouds from evaporation over warm water, spiraling clouds causing destructive effects, continued heavy rainfall post-cyclone leading to further flooding

Short term effects of volcanic eruptions

Heavy rain and Lightning formation

Long-term effects of volcanic eruptions

Cooling effect, acid rain, new islands, burnt ecosystems, delay in regrowth (germination)

Nitrogen Cycle

The process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms.

Nitrification

The biological oxidation of ammonia or ammonium to nitrite and then to nitrate by nitrifying bacteria.

Denitrification

The process of converting nitrates into nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria.

Carbon Cycle

The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms.

Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.

Weather

The day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere in a specific location.

Climate

The long-term averages of weather conditions typically over 30 years.

Greenhouse Effect

Natural process where gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the Earth.

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

Increased trapping of heat in the Earth's atmosphere due to human activities, leading to global warming.

Global Warming

The Earth's temperature rising due to human activities increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Methane Release

Rising temperatures lead to melting permafrost, releasing trapped methane, creating a positive feedback loop.

Nitrous Oxide

N2O, 300 times more potent than CO2, is almost 18% higher than pre-Industrial Revolution levels and is produced in car exhausts and from forest burning.

Ice Loss Effects

Ice's reflective nature cools Earth, acts as a blanket on ocean water reducing heat transfer, and changes in ice can alter deep currents and global climate.

Carbon Dioxide Absorption

Surface ocean water absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, and cold dense water sinking carries CO2 with it, acting as a pump to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Ozone Depletion

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) break down to release chlorine, destroying the ozone layer, recognized in the 1970s, leading to bans and the Montreal Protocol in 1987.

Climate Change Predictions

Computer models predict temperature increases in the northern hemisphere, decrease in snow-covered areas, sea ice reduction, increased extreme weather events, and changes in precipitation patterns.

Coral Bleaching

Corals are sensitive to temperature changes, expel photosynthetic protists when stressed, leading to bleaching, affecting the food chain and biodiversity.

Kakadu National Park Impacts

Climate change affects fire patterns, sea levels, and storm activity, leading to saltwater flooding, invasive species, and ecosystem alterations in Kakadu National Park.

Species Migration

Climate change causes species to move, impacting ecosystems, like the long-spined sea urchin moving to Tasmania and Kookaburras hunting at higher altitudes.

Rising Sea Levels

Geological history shows sea level fluctuations, and the melting of land ice could lead to a rise in sea levels, affecting coastal cities and causing economic impacts.