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
