Earth Science Test II (SPRING2025)

The difference in % distribution of land and water in Northern/Southern Hemispheres

Northern: 61% water and 39% land

Southern: 81% and 19% land

Bathymetry

the measurement of ocean depths and the charting of the shape or topography of the ocean floor (primary instrument: echo sounder)

3 major features of a passive continental margins

1. found along costal areas that surround the Atlantic Ocean

2. not associated with plate boundaries

3. few earthquakes

passive and active continental margins differences

passive: Atlantic, lacks tectonic activity, wide, gentle slopes

active continental: pacific, sediment, narrow, steep slopes

3 types of seafloor sediment/description

Terrigenous: form continental rocks, every part of the ocean receives some, fine particles remain suspended for a long time, red/brown color due to oxidation

Bigenous: shells/skeletons of marine plants, siliceous oozes made of skeletons of diatoms/radiolarians, microscopic organisms product calcareous oozes, phosphate-rich materials

Hydrogenous: minerals crystallize from seawater, and common types are evaporites, metal sulfides, calcium carbonates and manganese nodules

2 most abundant elements dissolved in seawater

sodium and chloride

factors affecting seawater density

salinity and temperature (greatest influence)

plankton, nekton, and benthos description

plankton: algae, animals, bacteria, and most of the earth's biomass

nekton: swimmers, animals able to move through the breadth of the ocean

benthos: bottom dwellers, greatest numbers of species exist on shallow costal floor, and lives in deep waters/darkness

energy transfer between trophic levels

Energy decreases as it moves up trophic levels because energy is lost as metabolic heat when the organisms from one trophic level are consumed by organisms from the next level.

cold front

forms when cold air moves under warm air which is less dense and pushes air up (produces thunderstorms heavy rain or snow

warm front

a front where warm air moves over cold air and brings drizzly rain and then are followed by warm and clear weather

3 factors affecting height, length, and period of a wave

wind speed, length of time wind blows, and distance wind travels (fetch)

motion of floating object as a wave passes

up/down, slightly forward/backwards, circular orbital motion

ways that waves cause erosion

impact: concentrated against the sides and ends of headlands that project into the water, whereas wave attack is weakened in bays

abrasion: sawing and grinding action of the water armed w/ rock fragments

hard stabilization examples

jetties, breakwaters, and seawalls

spring and neap tide differences/explanation

neap: moderate tides when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other

spring: usually high tides, twice a month when the sun, moon, and earth align

Weather versus climate description

weather: a short period of time, constantly changing

climate: measured regularly, constant

Elements of weather and climate

temperature, humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, air pressure, wind speed/direction

Ozone molecule/ importance to life on earth

- 3 atoms of oxygen

- absorbs the harmful UV radiation

In order from the Earth, the four layers of the atmosphere/describe

troposphere: temperature decreases w/ an increase in altitude (all weather occurs here)

stratosphere: temperature increases at the top

mesosphere: temperature decrease w/ height until, at mesopause (approximately 80km)

thermosphere: contains only a tiny fraction of the atmosphere's mass

Cause of the seasons

gradual change in the angle (altitude) of the sun above the horizon is main reason

Relative humidity

a ratio of the air's actual water-vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor air can hold at that temperature and pressure

How clouds form

water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into tiny drops that get heavy enough and fall as rain

3 characteristics of clouds

cirrus: high, white, and thin

stratus: globular cloud masses often associated w/ fair weather

cumulus: sheets or layers that covers much of the sky

Difference in rain, drizzle, and mist size

rain: large drops

drizzle: medium drops that can be felt

mist: very small, can be seen but hard stop, and doesn't fall to the ground

Formation of Hail

during thunderstorms; fast updraft meets supercooled H2O droplets in cloud & form large pieces of ice (too heavy = they fall)

Air pressure defintion

force exerted by the weight of the air above

3 factors that combine to form wind

air pressure gradient, Coriolis effect, and friction

Coriolis effect influences air movement

right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Souther Hemisphere

2 basic wind measurements

direction and speed

El Nino

(oceanography) a warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time (heavy rain)

La Nina

"Normal" year, easterly trade winds and ocean currents pool warm water in the western Pacific, allowing upwelling of nutrient rich water off the West coast of South America.

definition of air mass

large bodies of air: 1600km (1000miles) or more across and perhaps several km thick

Stages of how a thunderstorm forms

cumulonimbus clouds, heavy rainfall, gusty winds, occasional feature hail, warm moist air rises, instability (lifting) of air masses due to unequal surface temperatures

Compare hurricane eye and eye wall

eye: center, the profile of hurricane, 20km, precipitation ceases, the wind subsides, the warmest part of the storm, air descends, heat by compression

eye wall: low-pressure gradient causes air to rush to the center/rotate, near the center. rising air, intense connective activity, wall of cumulonimbus clouds, greatest wind speeds heaviest rain fall

kinds of damage that occur from a hurricane

flooding, wind damage, storm surges, tornadoes, power outages, and street damage

C02 effect

global warming, ocean acidification, and changes in ecosystems and weather patterns, potentially impacting human health and food security.

problems for aerosols and sea level rise

- human health and the environment, impacting respiratory systems, climate, and air quality.

- accelerate sea ice melting and contribute to sea level rise,