Environmental Science Exam Review

What does CER stand for? Why do we use it?

Claim Evidence Reasoning. Used to backup a claim.

What is the Carbon cycle?

Transfer of Carbon through the Atmosphere

What contains Carbon

Almost Everything

Name the main carbon sources

Fossil Fuel Combustion, Ocean-Atmosphere Exchange

Name the main carbon sinks

Ocean, Forests, Soil,

Name some nitrogen reservoirs

Atmosphere, Surface Water, Ground Water, Fertilizers, Soil.

What are the 3 main processes in the water cycle?

Precipitation, Evaporation, Condensation

What are the 3 types of rocks?

Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic

How are igneous rocks formed?

Solidifying molten lava

How are sedimentary rocks formed?

Compacted sediment

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

High heat and pressure

What is mechanical weathering?

Physical disintegration of rocks with no chemical change

What is chemical weathering?

Disintegration of rocks caused by a chemical reaction

What is frost wedging?

Water leaking into cracks in a rock and freezing causing it to expand. As this continues the crack grows until the rock breaks.

What are the 3 main types of erosion?

Water, Wind, Temperature

How are weathering and erosion different?

Erosion is the process where rock particles are carried away.

Weathering breaks down rocks without displacing them.

What are the the layers of the earth?

Crust, Mantle, and Core.

What is the temperature, density, and pressure trend?

Cold on the outside and hotter the deeper you go. Density and pressure increase the deeper you go.

What is the asthenosphere?

Soft layer of mantle where pieces of the lithosphere move.

Where are plate tectonics located?

In earth’s mantle

What are the 3 plate boundaries and explain each one?

Divergent - Two plates pull away from each other

Convergent - Two plates collide

Transform - Two plates slide past each other

What are convection currents?

Heated mantle material rises from deep inside the mantle while cooler material sinks.

What is the ring of fire and how did it form?

A large ring of volcanoes formed by plates moving past each other forming volcanoes and causing frequent earthquakes.

What two forces cause motion?

Gravity and Friction

About how much to tectonic plates move in a year?

0.6 inches

What provides the thermal energy used in convection currents?

Thesun provides the energy in convection currents.

What is the soil made up of?

Minerals (45%) Air (25%) Water (25%) Organic Matter (5%)

How much of our soil is usable?

1/32

What are the layers of the soil in order?

O (Organic)

A (Top Soil)

E (Eluviated)

B (Subsoil)

C (Weathered)

R (Rock)

What are some types of soil erosion?

Rill, Splash, Gully, Sheet, and Wind

Why is soil management important?

Soil is the foundation of where our food comes from.

What are some types of soil management?

Adding fertilizers, using mulch, or adding plants to keep top soil protected.

What are some sources of water pollution?

Heavy metals, heat, phosphorus, nitrogen, oil, etc.

What is the difference between non-point and point source pollution?

Non-point: Multiple sources

Point: One source

What is ocean acidification?

The changes in the chemistry of the ocean that relates to the amount of carbon dissolved in water. The ocean sea water is at an 8.1 on the pH scale after dropping .1 units.

How does the carbon cycle connect with ocean acidification?

More Carbon Dioxide is getting absorbed by the ocean causing it to become more acidic.

What is pH?

How acidic or basic something is.

What is permafrost?

Permanently frozen layer under earths surface. Usually remains below 0 degrees celsius for at least two years.

Where is permafrost typically found?

Below the ocean floor?

What are the concerns about the thawing permafrost?

It leads to the degradation of roads, homes, and changes the land for about 4 million people.

How does permafrost connect to carbon?

Permafrost accounts for nearly half of all organic carbon stored within the planet’s soil. Once thawed, microbes eat the material, which releases carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.

What is albedo?

What percentage of the incoming solar radiation (sunlight) is reflected by a surface.

What are feedback loops?

Something that speeds up or slows down a warming trend. Positive feedback accelerates a temperature rise and negative feedback slows down the temperature rise.

How does sea ice affect earth’s temperature?

The ocean reflects 6% of the incoming solar radiation, while sea ice reflects 50-70%. This keeps the surface of ice cooler. Without sea ice, there is no albedo, forcing the earth’s energy budget to change. 

How does albedo connect to the carbon cycle?

For example, when we burn coal, oil, wood, and other fuels, the carbon byproduct (soot) is released into the atmosphere and eventually deposited back on earth. The dark particles land on snow and ice, decreasing albedo.

What are the layers of the atmosphere?

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere

What are the three types of energy/radiation in the atmosphere? What do they do?

Radiation is the transfer of energy across space in the atmosphere; conduction is the flow of heat from a warmer object to a colder object; convection is the transfer of heat by air currents.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is the temporary behavior of the atmosphere, whereas climate is the average weather over a long period of time.

What are the personal weather instruments and what do they measure? 

Anemometer - wind speed

Wind Vane - wind direction

Barometer - atmospheric pressure

Hygrometer - humidity 

Lightning Detector - lightning strikes

Rain Gauge - rainfall

Thermometer - temperature

What are the 4 main compounds that make the atmosphere?

Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide.

What percentage of the atmosphere can water vapor make up?

4%

What are two ways that air pressure can be increased or decreased?

Adding molecules to a container (increase) or adding/subtracting heat.

Why does pressure rise and fall twice a day?

Heat from the sun causes this.

Please explain the three ways that energy is transferred in the atmosphere: Conduction, convection, radiation.

Radiation is the transfer of heat energy through space by electromagnetic radiation. Conduction is the transfer of heat energy from one substance to another or within a substance. Convection is the transfer of heat energy in a fluid.

Why is air a poor conductor of heat?

This is because it is not solid and will never be in constant contact. Heat conduction transfer needs direct contact.

Describe how greenhouse gasses move and produce heat.

Greenhouse gasses heat up the atmosphere because they vibrate more than other molecules.

How does earth balance incoming and outgoing energy?

Energy comes in from the sun but then get s reflected back (high albedo), and some gets trapped in the atmosphere (greenhouse effect).

What is the basis for the greenhouse effect?

This is that some radiated energy will dissipate into space, but a significant amount of heat will be observed by the atmosphere.

Why aren’t the poles getting colder and the tropics getting hotter?

The heat near the equator doesn’t remain isolated there; about 20% of it is transported to the poles before it is emitted. 

Why does the tilt and curve of earth matter? What is the tilt of the earth?

It brings the seasons. The tilt of the earth is 23.5 degrees.

What are the three factors that can cause changes to earth’s energy balance?

Variation in the sun’s energy reaching the earth, changes in reflectivity of earth’s atmosphere and surface, and changes in the greenhouse effect.

What are the types of precipitation?

Rain, sleet, snow, hail.

What are condensation nuclei?

Particles of dust or smoke in the atmosphere that are essential for precipitation.

Where does precipitation originate?

It is always fresh water, even if it’s from the ocean. 

What are the three main sources precipitation in the US?

Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico.

What are the layers of the ocean and how much light is in each layer?

Epipelagic Zone - sunlight zone; most visible light exists here

Mesopelagic Zone - twilight zone; sunlight is very faint

Bathypelagic Zone - midnight zone; constant darkness

Abyssopelagic Zone - pitch black

Hadalpelagic Zone - so dark that life cannot exist  

What are the 2 types of currents and how do they function?

Surface currents are driven by the global wind system that are fueled by energy from the sun. Deep currents are caused by the differences in water densities.

What direction do surface currents flow in both hemispheres?

The currents in the northern hemisphere move clockwise up from the equator toward the polar regions and back. The currents in the southern hemisphere flow counterclockwise up from the equator toward the polar regions. 

What are the two factors that cause ocean currents?

Wind, and the rotation of the earth.

Where do warm currents come from? What about cold currents?

Warm currents come from the equator and move towards poles. Cold currents come from the poles and move toward the equator.

What is upwelling and what does it do?

A deep water current that brings deep nutrient rich water to the surface. This causes colder temperatures on the surface.  

What is the coriolis effect and how does it connect to currents?

The rotation of earth deflects the atmosphere toward the right in the northern hemisphere, and towards the left in the southern hemisphere, resulting in curved paths.

What are the 3 types of cells in order?

Hadley, Ferrel, Polar

What is the jet stream, where is it, and what direction does it move?

Narrow bands of strong wind in the upper levels of the atmosphere that travel west to east.

What is Newton’s law of motion and how does it connect to the force that causes air to move?

Every object moves in a straight line unless acted upon by a force. Some amount of force has to be exerted upon the air to begin its motion.

What is the difference between cold and warm fronts?

Cold fronts displace a warmer air mass; while warm fronts are the leading edge of a warm air mass that is replacing a colder air mass.

Name the four types of air masses and describe the temperatures and moisture that comes with it?

Maritime Tropical - Moist and warm; forms over warm water

Continental Tropical - Dry and warm; forms over warm land

Maritime Polar - Moist and cold; forms over cold water

Continental Polar - Dry and cold; forms over cold land

How do clouds form?

Small particles of water or ice that forms when water vapor condenses in the atmosphere

What are the four core types of clouds?

Cirro - Wispy clouds

Cumulo - Cotton Ball clouds

Strato - Blanket like clouds

Nimbo - Combination of all