Earth Science Test #2
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Composition of the Earth's atmosphere
-
78%N
21%O
1%CO2,AR,Ne,He,Ch4,H,etc.
also present:water vapor (^41%), O3 (ozone) aerosals:dust, pollen, sea salt, soot, ash - Ozone
- a molecule of oxygen containing three oxygen atoms
- Origin of the atmosphere (sources of gases)
-
1.The early stage rich in H & He, etc.
2.Degassing/Outgassing stage-volcanos-gives us N, CO2, CH4, H20.
3.Oxygenation stage-dissociation H20 - Troposphere
- 5-10miles altitude (about 7 miles), contains 75-90% of Earth's atmosphere. Responsible for most weather patterns (greenhouse effect) Temp down is about 3.5F every 1,000ft
- Stratosphere
- about 7-35 miles altitude-contains most ozone
- Mesophere
- about 35-50 miles
- Thermosphere
- about 50-435 miles
- Ionosphere
- about 30-250 miles altitude containse ionized gas N, O2
- Cause of mirage
- caused by a refraction of light in warm or cool air. Two types: 1. looming-if it is in the sky 2. "water on highway"
- Cause for rainbows
- refraction of light as it passes through rain.
- Greenhouse effect
-
the warming of Earth's atmosphere by heat radiated from the Earth's surface.
1. about 50% of sunlight reaches Earth's surface.
2. Light warms Earth.
3. Heat is than radiated from Earth's surface (long waved radiation)
4. This heat energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases (co2, h20)
(DRAW A PICTURE) - Hurricane season
- June 1-November 30
- Area of formation (latitude)
- Between 5-20degrees N/S latitude
- What causes a hurricane?
-
Coriolis effect- deflection of free-moving objects (air, water, air planes) due to the Earth's spin.
Latent heat- "hidden heat"-heat energy that is either gained or loss during a change in physical state-breaking or formation of atomic bonds. - Tropical Wave/Disturbance
- "t wave" moving thunderstorms in tropics
- Tropical depression
- cyclonic movements, winds up to 38mph
- T storms
- winds 39-73mph, named storms
- Hurricane
- winds greater than or equal to 74mph
- Storm surge
- the rise in sea levels as Hurricanes makes landfall. Caused by low pressure and high winds that "pile" water up at shore.
- Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale
-
Cat 1-74-95mph, surge 4-5, damage minimal
Cat 2-96-110mph, surge 6-8, moderate
Cat 3-111-130mph, surge 9-12, extensive
Cat 4-131-155mph, surge 13-18, extreme
Cat 5-greater than 155mph, surge greater than 18, catastrophic - Thunderstorm formation
-
1. Cumulus Stage-low pressure, warm, moist air rising usually for afternoon or evening (rising air-updrafts). As warm air rises, it expands (in lower pressure air/atmosphere)&cods(adibotic cooling).-cooling results in condensation to form tiny raindroplets or ice crystals.
2. Mature stage- accumulaton of water and/or ice crystals can no longer be supported by the warm updrafts-so precipitation begins-rain does not begin because warm updrafts support the water & ice release of latent heat fuels updrafts cloud sometimes called a thunderstorm.
b. rain is preceded by cool downdrafts
c. as rain begins, warm updrafts increase rapidly, increading the height of the cloud.
d.dominated by both warm updrafts &cool downdrafts
e. lightening and thunder produced
3. Dissipative stage-cool drafts dominate, precipitation stops and storm deprived of moisture - Earth sun relations
- tilt axis 23.5 degrees, orbit is elliptical
- Perihelian
-
Earth is closest to the sun
91,000,000miles (Jan3rd) - Aphelion
-
farthest from the Sun
94,000,000 miles (July 4th) - Solar Radiation
-
Electromagnetic radiation
Sunlight 43% visible, 49% infrared 7%UV less than 1% x gamma, radio waves - When light reaches Earth it may be (name three different occurences)
-
1. Scattered-by clouds, dust
2. Reflected (off of Earth's surface)
3. Absorbed by the clouds-albedo atmosphere or surface about 50% - Where is there more heat?
- The Earth is warmed differentially (more heat in the equator)
- As warm air rises (low pressure)
- cool air sinks (high pressure)-atmospheric convection
- Average depth of the ocean
- 2.3 miles
- Name the 5 oceans and get a brief location of them
-
1. Pacific-largest and deepest ocean (2.65miles)
2. Atlantic-S-shaped ocean formed by the breakup of Pangia
3. Indian Ocean-forms by the breakup of Afric, Anartica, Australia, and India
4.Artic-shallowest, largely covered in ice for much of the year
5. Antartic (Southern ocean)-any water south of 50degreeS, flows around Anartica (thermal isolation) - Origin of ocean water
-
1. Dewatering of Earth's interior by volcanism. Gases in an average Hawaiian eruptions: 70%-H20, 15%C02, 15%N,S,Cl, Ar
2. Condensation from Earth's early atmosphere
3. Comets - Average salinity in parts per thousand
- 34.73%
- Dissolution of Salt
-
Na+Cl->Na++Cl- cation & anion
(Sodium and Chloride) - Salinity Classifications
-
Fresh-0-0.5%
Brackish-0.5-3%
Normal Marine-30-40%
Hypersaline-40-80%
Brine- greater than 80% - Why is the sea salty?
-
1.Source of sal a. cations (Na,Ca, Mg, K)-derived primarily by the erosion of rocks on Halite land b. anion (cl-,so-4)-derived primarily from volcanic emissions
2. salts are mixed in ocean Mixing time-1,000-1600years
3. Salts get concentrated in the ocean overtime
4. Ocean stays constant salinity
5. So, salts are being removed from ocean as fast as they are delivered to ocean "steady state ocean." - What causes lightning and thunder
- by both warm updrafts and cool down drafts. Thunder is caused by the rapid heating of the air.
- % volume of water of hydrosphere in ocean
- 97.5%
- The ocean covers how much of the Earth's surface?
- 71%
- Average depth of the ocean (in miles)
- 2.3 miles
- Name four types of ocean sediments
- Terrigenous or sillicicate, authigenic, biogenic, volcanic
- Terrigenous
-
Also known as sillicicate.
little settlements of silicon, land originated from land erosion. Includes: quartz sand. It is delivered to the ocean by rives, wind, turbidity currents (generated by Earthquakes) ice-from galaciers (break off into icebergs) - Authigenic
-
Known as hydrogenous.
sediment that precipitates out of sea water. lime stone (some types), salts (evaporite minerals)-halite (NaCL) and gypsum (CaSO4), phosphorite-used in a lot of common household items. - Biogenic
-
shells (tests) of marine plankton. Corals and mollusk-shells.
-plantoxic ooze-made of the shells of plankton
-fossil fuels which consists of petroleum and natural gas-forms from sappropel-burned-heated to ~120degree-210degrees F.
-gas hydrates-natural gas in permafrost - Volcanogenic
- ash, cinders(pebbles)
- Cosmogenic
- micrometeorites, dust from space
- Motion of water in a wave is
- orbital
- Wave base is
- depth to which waves disturb water
- Surface layer
- (surface mixed zone)-only about ~2%(by volume) of ocean water. In the photic zone,well oxygenated, 0-150m depth, contains much marine life, warm
- Deep Water
- (deep zone) consists of 80% of ocean water, -1degree-3degreeC temperature (doesn't freeze because it is salt water), a photic zone (dark, cold, near freezing, no sunlight)
- Transitional layer (zone)
-
Pycnocline-18% of ocean water by volume. Zone of rapidly changing density (w/ depth). Density=temperature & salt (salinity)
Pynocline-thermocline (change of temperature w/ depth)+ halcline (salinity). - Surface ocean circulation: is driven by
- wind
- Why do gyres move in an large, circular/oval current fashion?
- Gyres flow clockwise in the N. hempisphere & counterclockwise in the S. Hempisphere=due to the coriolis effect. and due to the confining influence of the continents, also Ekman Transport.
- Deep sea circulation:also called what?
- density-driven circulation
- Deep sea currents
-
heavy water sinks, horixontal & vertical, also called thermahaline circulation (temperature and salinity)
-begins in high latitude waters (polar waters), seawater freezes, only ~15% of salt is incorporated into the ice. - What is upwelling?
- The rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water, is a common wind-induced vertical movement.
- Cause of tsunamis?
- tidal waves, seismic sea waves. Long-wavelength waves (up to 125 miles), wave periods of 10-20 minutes, move up to greater than or equal to 400mph. Waves up to 100ft high caused primarily by:Earthquakes.
- Tidal currents
-
Flood tides-rising currents
Ebb tide-receding time
Slack water-in between high and low - Tidal Ranges
-
Different of average high and low tides
macrotidal->4 meters
mesotidal- 2-4 meters
microtidal <2m - Types of tides
-
diurnal-1 high & 1 low tide per tidal day
2. semi-diurnal-2 equal high & low tides per tidal days.
3. mixed semi-diurnal- 2 unequal high & low tides per tidal day - Neap tides
- lowest tidal range, occurring near the times of the first and third quarter phases of the moon.
- Spring tide
- highest tidal range that occurs near the times of the new and full moons.
- Wave-cut platform
- a bench or shelf in the bedrock at sea level, cut by wave erosion
- Sea arch
- an arch formed by wave erosion when caves on opposite sides of a headland unite
- Sea stack
- an isolated mass of rock standing just offshore, produced by wave erosion of a headland.
- Fjord
- A steep-sided inlet of the sea formed when a glacial trough was partilly submerged
- Beach
- unconsolidated sand, an accumulation of sediment found along the landward margin of the ocean or a lake.
- Centrifugal
- solar bulge
- Centripital
- lunar bulge
- Continental Margins
- That portion of the seafloor adjacent to the continents. It may include the continental shelf (average depth to shelf edge is 140 meters), continental slope(submarine canyons, turbidity currents, and continental rise.
- Ocean Basins
-
Area of the deep-ocean floor between the continental margin and the mid-ocean ridge.
Mid-ocean Ridge-~40,000 miles-rises
~1.25 miles above sea floor. Volcanic rift, ridge, rift at top, hydrothermal vents - Abyssal plains
-
Very level area of the deep-ocean floor, usually lying at the foot of the continental rise.
Hills-not flat, rises - Guyot
- The large circular surface current pattern found in each ocean.
- Seamount
- An isolated volcanic peak that rises at least 1000 meters (3000 feet) above the deep-ocean floor.
- Spit
- An elongate ridge of sand that projects from the land into the mouth of an adjacent bay.
- Baymouth Bar
- A sandbar tat completely crosses a bay, sealing it off from the open ocean
- Barrier island
- A low, elongate ridge of sand that parallels the coast.
- Dunes
- A hill or ridge of wind-deposited sand.
- Coastal Submergent Coast
- common drown river valleys, fjords, estuaries
- Emergent Coast
- common terraces, stair stepping look
- Wave refraction
- bending of waves as they approach the shore.
- Longshore drift
-
the movement of sand along the shore.
2 Processes a. Long shore current-shore parallel current that results in waves stricking the shore in a slight angle.
b. beach drift, zig zag movement of sand along the beach face, that results from the swash & backwash of the breakers. - Cell circulation
-
a coastal circulation system created by a balance btw:
a. mass transport-mounding, piling up of water near the beach due to incoming waves.
b. longshore current-caused by lateral water flow from mass transport
c. rip currents-shore perp current created by the convergence of two longshore currents (rip tide or undertow) - Signs of a rip current
- Cuspate beach and discontinous sand bar
- Beach erosion
-
75% of US coastline is eroding. Beach erosion of accretion controlled by:
a. sediment supply-rivers, wave erosion of mainland
b. fair weather wave energy
c. storm frequency & intensity
d. relative sea level change - Controlling beach erosion
-
a. beach nourishment-dredging off shore sands, trucking sand
b. graynel jetty
c. breakwater
d. seawall - Pelagic Organisms
- water itself, phytoplankton and zooplankton
- Benthic Organism
- sea floor zone
- Photic vs. Aphotic xone
-
Photic-the upper part of the ocean into which all sunlight penetrates
Aphotic-The portion of the ocean where there is no exposure to sunlight - Equation for Photosynthesis
- 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6 O2
- Trophic pyramid
-
Phytoplankton-zooplankton-1st level carnovares-2nd level carnivorees-3rd level carnivores-Top carnivores
10% food transfer up each level - Two primary controls on Marine Primary Productivity
-
1. The production of food energy by autotrophs (self-feeders) primarily by photosynthesis
2. Phytoplankton-90%-98% of all ocean productivity seaweed (macroalgae)-2-10% - Over the past 100yrs, Earth's climate has warmed about
- 1 degree C
- Over past 100 years, sea level has risen about
- 4-8 inches
- Sea level is presently rising about
- 2 mm per year
- Hypsithermal Interval
- 7,500-5,000 years ago. Peak warming after the ice age. Temperatures up to 2 degrees C above present. Anartica grew-more percipitation present in the air.
- Medieval Climate Optimum
- 1000-1300AD, colonization of Greenland by the Vikings, Period of warming
- Little Ice Age
- 1400-1900AD- 1-2 degree C cooler climate expanded glaciers in Northern Europe.
- Global Human population
- 6 billion
- 3 strategies recommmended by ecologist to conserve endangered species
-
1. Save habitat
2. Save keystone species
3. Save indicator Species-endemic, specialize species requires pristine habitat. example: beach mouse