2.1: Earth Systems and Resources

what are the atmosphere’s layers are characterized by? What are they caused by?

directional change in temperature; caused by differences in their absorption of solar energy

what factors are characteristic of the different layers of the atmosphere?

temperature, density, atmospheric pressure

what are density and atmospheric pressure are affected by?

gravity’s pull on gas molecules

density

the amount of molecules in a specific volume

atmospheric pressure

force of a column of air

where are density and atmospheric pressure the highest?

at sea level

approaching the top of the troposphere, what does temperature do?

temperature decreases

approaching the top of the stratosphere, what does temperature do?

temperature increases

where is the Troposphere located, and how much of the air mass does it contain?

closest layer to surface, contains 70-80% of the air mass

what two gases make up the troposphere, and in what quantities?

78% N2 and 21% O2

how much water vapor is found in the troposphere at the poles and at the equator?

0.1% at the poles, 4% at the equator

why is water vapor content in the troposphere higher at the equator, and lower at the poles?

more evaporation occurs at the equator

what gases besides N2, O2, and water vapor make up the troposphere?

soot, dust, ozone (O3), and greenhouse gases

list the greenhouse gases

methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, carbon dioxide

what do movements of air in the Troposphere play a key role in?

weather and climate

what can pass through greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?

visible light, some infrared radiation and some UV radiation

when Earth absorbs solar energy, what is it transformed into, and where does it go?

infrared radiation, rises into the lower atmosphere

what happens when infrared reaches the lower atmosphere?

some heat is lost, some is absorbed by greenhouse gases, emitting longer IR wavelengths and heats up the lower atmosphere

What is human enhanced global warming to be caused by? How much of global warming is caused by humans?

burning fossil fuels and deforestation; 90-99%

what is the location of the Stratosphere?

11 (5 at poles) to 30 miles above the Earth

what is the concentration of the Stratosphere?

less dense, but concentration is almost the same. water vapor is 1000x less and ozone is at a higher concentration

what is the location of the ozone layer?

11-19 miles above Earth

what is considered the “global sunscreen of the Earth”

the ozone layer

what is the function of ozone (O3)?

absorbs UV, keeps 95% of radiation from reaching Earth, and keeps O2 in the atmosphere from converting o O3 (a pollutant)

weather

condition of the atmosphere at a specific place and time

weather examples

humidity, wind speed, temperature, rainfall

climate

average of seasonal effects over long periods of time

what is climate an influential cause of?

determining distribution of living organisms and their abundance

what does uneven solar energy hitting Earth depend on?

latitude, the tilt of the Earth, and where the Earth is in its rotation around the sun (seasons)

what is the tilt of the Earth?

23.5

list the three major climate zones

tropical, temperate, polar

location of the tropical climate zone

23.5 N (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5 S (Tropic of Capricorn)

characteristics of the tropical climate zone

region gets most of the sun’s energy as it “yo-yos” as Earth circles the sun

location of the temperate climate zone

23.5 to 66.5 N and S

characteristics of the Temperate climate zone

weather is more variable because high and low fronts are less predictable

location of the polar climate zone

66.5 to 90 N and S

explain the pathways of the convection cells (do this in your head, or draw it out. answer “next question” to get this card right”)

next question

name the three types of convection cells

polar, ferrel, hadley

what is the Coriolis effect

the effect of the Earth’s rotation on moving objects

what direction does the Coriolis effect cause in the Northern hemisphere?

clockwise

what direction does the Coriolis effect cause in the Southern hemisphere?

counter clockwise

what are Prevailing winds/ trade winds, and what causes them?

predictable breezes caused by convection cells coupled with the rotation of the Earth

what direction do North and South Easterlies blow?

east to west

what direction do the North and South Westerlies blow?

west to East

what direction do the Polar Easterlies blow?

east to west

label and understand the directions and locations of the easterlies and westerlies (draw this out or do this in your head, answer “next card” to get this question right)

next card

Doldrums

the lack of wind found at the equator

as the Earth spins around its axis, do the equator or the poles spin faster?

the equator spins faster than the poles

list the properties of Air, Water, and Land

1. oceans absorb heat from air along with differences in density, producing hot and cold currents

How is heat transferred from the Ocean to the atmosphere?

sun evaporates ocean water (mostly at equator)

what do convection cells move, and in what direction?

air, heat and moisture. move vertically and by latitude

what do prevailing winds, Earth’s rotation, and geographical feature create? What do these do?

currents, they redistribute heat which influences climate and vegetation

What happens when oceans absorb heat from the air?

creates differences in density and produce hot and cold currents

Ocean conveyer

a circuit caused when waters “convection cells” are blocked by land massesh

how does water behave as it travels from the tropics to the poles?

warm water flows on the surface at the tropics, and cools and sinks as deep ocean currents

upwellings

when water from the depths comes up, bringing nutrients to the surface

how does the atmosphere affect the ocean?

currents are affected by the winds

how does the ocean affect the atmosphere?

heat from the ocean affects temperature and moisture of convection cells

Why is Great Britain mild and rainy, although it is the same latitude as Quebec?

water and air warmed in the Caribbean travels through the Caribbean Current to the Gulf Stream through the north Atlantic drift

what is the normal pattern of “El Niño”?

occurs every 5 years

what normally happens during non El Niño years?

the tropical easterlies push warm water across pacific from the Americas to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Australia

how is the S.E Asia region affected during non El Niño years?

increased rainfall

what happens during non- El Niño years in equatorial America

upwellings along the coast of cold water to replace the warm water traveling west

what happens with the wind during ENSO years vs strong ENSO years?

prevailing winds weaken, during strong years the winds change direction (west to east)

what happens in the S.E Asia region during El Niño years and why?

less warm water means decreased rainfall, which could lead to drought

what happens to the coast of the Americas and the middle of the pacific?

warmer water stays in the middle of the pacific, or goes to coast of the Americas during stronger years, increasing rainfall, but also suppresses upwellings

what do the suppressed upwellings along South America during El Niño do?

less nutrients means less phytoplankton which means less fish and marine mammals

where does El Niño cause drought?

Southern Africa, S.E Asia region, northeastern south america

where does El Niño cause unusually high rainfall?

Western Africa, mid-pacific, southeast North America, northwestern and southeastern south america

where does El Niño cause unusually warm periods?

northeast Asia, northwest and northeast north america

what happens during La Niña?

weather pattern overcorrects itself

warm water around S.E Asia causes higher rainfall

upwellings along equatorial pacific

cause an increase in Atlantic hurricanes

how does the absorption of heat differ between water and land?

heat is absorbed and released more slowly by water

how does water moderate weather and climate?

creates more moderate temperature swings, when temp cools down, heat is released, when temp goes up, heat is absorbed by water

rain shadow

moist air from the ocean flows up a mountain, cool air and precipitation, and cool dry air flows along the leeward side

in the northern hemisphere, which side of a mountain is warmer and gets more sun

the southern side

in the southern hemisphere, which side of a mountain is warmer and gets more sun?

the north side

list the 3 ways cities can affect and create local weather patterns

concrete and asphalt absorb heat= urban heat islands

buildings block wind flow

pollution creates smog and haze

what factors determine the locations of biomes?

greenhouse effect, convection cells, climate zones, local topographical features

what are biomes characterized by?

similar climate, soil, vegetation, and animal type

biome diversity

the variety of earth’s biomes

how does a lower to higher elevation affect climate and vegetation?

tropical to temperate to coniferous forests to tundra plants to mountain ice and snow

how does the movement from equator to poles affect climate and vegetation?

tropical to temperate to coniferous forests to tundra plants to ice and snow

what are the two key components that determine a biomes location?

temperature and precipitation

how does precipitation affect a biomes location?

rainfall determines if it is a desert, grassland, or forest

how does temperature affect a biomes location?

determine what kind of desert, grassland, or forest