Environmental Biology Chapter 15-19

What three things make weather happen

1. Temperature (heat)2. Pressure (air pressure)3. Humidity (moisture)

3 main arguments that tell us that climate change is caused by humans

1. climate change corresponds with human activities2. rapid changes in the atmosphere began with industrialization3. modeled simulations of both natural forces and human forces.

external costs of oil each year

5 trillion

what percent of coral reefs are dying?

50%

The reflective capacity of a surface is called:

Albedo Affect

the oceans are called _________________ because they absorb more than 90% of the extra hea

Carbon sinks

Curvature of the winds is called the:

Coriolis effect

T OR F: Dark water and land reflects much more heat back out into space than bright white snow

False

T OR F: The rise of sea level causes storms to move more inland, causing less damage- it spreads it out more.

False

Hazardous Air Pollutants

HAP

Strong air currents high above the Earth caused by warm air meeting cold air in the atmosphere are called:

Jet Streams

Which gas holds 80% more heat than carbon dioxide?

Methane

How the tilt of the Earth, the shape of its orbit, and where its axis is pointing influences climate is called:

Milankovitch cycles

low

Pressure system where the weather is lousy

infrared

Radiation that heats the atmosphere

T OR F: Trees are part of the carbon cycle. They absorb carbon dioxide thereby taking it out of the atmosphere, but when they die, those same trees become a carbon source.

True

soak up using another material

absorb

upper layer of soil that holds both water and air is the zone of _________

aeration

gas mixture that forms the earth's atmosphere

air

uneven heating causes pressure differences

air

layer below the water table that holds water because of the impermeable rock on the bottom

aquifer

well that doesn't require a pump because there is enough pressure in the aquifer

artesian

toxin buildup

bioaccumulate

What do trees release when they die?

carbon dioxide

what greenhouse gas do we have the most of?

carbon dioxide

droplets of water vapor connected to dust particles; they bring weather to an area

cloud

burnable rock made from ancient plants

coal

heat rises, _________ air falls

colder

ocean currents transport heat from warm, tropical water to _______ areas near the poles

colder

permanent loss of water as it moves through the water cycle and changes form

consumption

oceans have 3 layers: surface, upper ocean, and ______ ocean

deep

use this type of agent to separate water from oil

disperse

amount of oxygen is present in water

dissolved

major users of water, agriculture, industry, and _______ production

energy

T OR F: as the atmosphere gets thicker with greenhouse gases, more of the outgoing infrared radiation is trapped and returned to earth, so the temperature goes down

false

________ fuels provide most of the worlds energy

fossil

shale gas is extracted using this way

fracking

The boundary between two air masses of different temperatures and density is called a:

front

gaese that function like a roof keeping the heat in resulting in the Earth's atmosphere being warmed is called:

greenhouse gases

water held underground in the soil or in pores and cervices in rock

groundwater

weather in a high pressure system

happy

Per the CDC, this natural occurrence causes more deaths worldwide than all others combined:

heat

Anthropogenic means caused by:

humans

the amount of moister in the air

humidity

How do we know temperatures and carbon dioxide emission from as far back as 800,000 years?

ice cores

Where do greenhouse gases come from?

industries, forest burning, agriculture

a certain amount of that heat energy goes back into space on a different wavelength. these wavelengths, called _______, are slower and some of them can be captured by greenhouse gases and returned to earth

infared

water soaking into the ground

infiltration

water demand in develop___ countries will continue to increase

ing

there is more water than _________ on earth and it heats quicker then the ocean

land

Most abundantly produced metal air pollutant. (Very bad stuff)

lead

pressure system where the weather is lousy

low

Regular, seasonal rains are called:

monsoon

common component of fertilizer that is soluble in water

nitrate

pollutants released in a wide area from many sources are _____ point source pollution

non

the US is the world's largest producer of this type of energy

nuclear

Pollutant found near the Earth's surface as well as in the stratosphere. It is formed when heat and sunlight cause chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and hydrocarbons.

ozone

current dominate energy source

petroleum

when you know who is causing the pollution; a pipe draining into a river is _____ source pollution

point

a form of precipitation

rain

Radiation that heats the atmosphere, infa___

red

water source is 1% of 1% of our freshwater supply

river

97% of the water on earth is _____

salt

occurs when demand for water exceeds the available amount or when poor quality restricts its use

scarcity

this covers 3/4 of the earth; another word for ocean

sea

a pollutant in water caused by erosion

sediment

when dry air goes down one side of a mountain while the other side gets rain

shadow

weather

short term, day to day atmospheric events regarding heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, ect.

only remove the top layer of oil, leave the water

skim

energy from the sun

solar

water ______ occurs when water supplies are inadequate to satisfy demand

stress

___ and gravity drive the hydrologic cycle

sun

3 layers of the ocean

surface, upper ocean, and deep ocean

top of the zone of saturation

table

one of the three things that make weather happen, quantity of hot or cold

temperature

climate change _________ water supplies with higher evaporation rates and reduced precipitation

threatens

the release of water from plant leaves

transpiration

What are two of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases?

transportation and electricity production

Layer of air immediately adjacent to the Earth's surface is called:

troposphere

T OR F: Cyclonic storms include hurricanes and tornadoes

true

T OR F: Developing countries are leap frogging over fossil fuel use and going straight to solar energy

true

T OR F: Melting of the permafrost layer is concerning since it releases methane gas into the atmosphere. 25. Which gas holds 80% more heat than carbon dioxide?

true

T OR F: The amount of energy trapped by greenhouse gases is now the equivalent to exploding 400,000 Hiroshima sized atomic bombs per day, every day of the year, according to one expert scientist.

true

T OR F: The same extra heat that evaporates water from the ocean pulls moisture even more quickly from the soil.

true

T OR F: There are already more American jobs in the solar industry than in coal mining

true

T OR F: There are no technological or economic barriers to converting to renewable, clean energy, just societal and political will

true

T OR F: Winds carry pollutants around the world causing problems for plants, animals, humans, and even buildings and monuments.

true

T OR F: for the past 33 years, the amount of radiation from the sun is decreasing, but the earth is getting warmer

true

T OR F: given earth's current orbital position in relationship to the sun, historical patterns tell us the earth should be heading gradually into an ice age

true

T OR F: greenhouse gases work like a blanket and a certain amount are necessary or else the earth would be 60 degrees Fahrenheit colder

true

atmospheric gases and how close to the sun is the planet

two conditions that determine planetary temperatures

the suns radiation penetrates the atmosphere and those gases in the form of ________ and warms the earth

ultraviolet radiation

another name for hydrologic (cycle)

water

5 important greenhouse gases

water vapor, nitrous oxide, fluorine gases, carbon dioxide, and methane

area of land that drains into a specific waterbody

watershed

climate

weather conditions in an area over a long period of time in a specific area

By 2050 at its current rate of growth, which renewable energy source will be able to power half of the United States' electrical needs:

wind

permanent east-west prevailing ____(s) that flow in the earth's equatorial region

wind

total amount of water taken but can be returned

withdrawal

area in the soil where the spaces are filled with water is called _________ of saturation

zone