Question | Answer |
The modern atmosphere contained oxygen that was probably produced by___ in the process of_____. these phytoplankton were thought to have produced the first oxygen in our atmosphere | cyanobacteria in the process of photosynthesis |
The % of carbon dioxide in the atmoshpere is___which why a small increase can have a large affect | 0.01-0.1% |
compared to the size of the earth, the atmosphere is a ______ _____ | thin shell |
the five layers of the atmosphere are... | Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposhere |
most of our weather takes place in____ and is ozone is harmful because_____ | the troposhere, defective for humans and life |
the ozone layer is located in the _____ because ____ | stratosphere "upper atmosphere", it absorbs harmful UV rays |
most of our air (99%) is located in what two layers | stratosphere, troposhere |
temperatures in the thermosphere can go up to... | 2000 degrees Celsius! |
the_____is where radio waves can be reflected around the world | thermosphere |
what are the tree types of heat transfer | convection, conduction, radiation |
seasons on earth are caused by the ____ of ____degrees of the planet | tilt of 23.5 degrees |
what accounts for our changing weather | The atmosphere's continual struggle for temperature balance (air temperature)
AIR PRESSURE?? |
what causes air pressure? | caused by the weight of the air pressing
down on the Earth, the ocean and on the air below |
list some types of precipitation | rain, snow, sleet, hail
air containing water vapor cools in atmosphere and
therefore condenses to form droplets of liquid water |
what causes winds to spiral on the surface of the Earth? | falling of high to low pressures (Coriolis effect) CAUSED BY PRESSURES VS. SPEED? |
what is the rain shadow effect? | Prevailing winds
pick up moisture
from an ocean.
On the windward
side of a mountain range,
air rises, cools, and
releases moisture.
On the leeward side of
the mountain range, air
descends, warms, and releases
little moisture. THIS MAKES |
organisms living in an ____ zone are limited to access by light, nutrient availability, and amount of dissolved oxygen in the water | aquatic |
the two most important factors that determine the climate of an area are_____ and ______ | precipitation and temperature |
climate is the most important factor that determines where a ____ is found | biome |
the coral reef is to water environments as the _________ ______ is to land environments with regards to biodiversity | tropical rain forest |
what's a lake overturn in a freshwater lake? | layers in fall and spring (stratification) MIX
the benthic (bottom layer) goes to the top layer |
estuaries exhibit _______ and _______ because of tides flowing in and out and the hot sun rising and setting | salinity and temperature |
the desert biome is what? | -has succulent plants (like catci) that hold lots of water in spongy tissue
- some living organisms "barely cling to life as it is"
-dry and inhospitable
- threats: off roading, mining, overgrazing |
greenhouse gases | water vapor (h2o)
carbon dioxide (co2)
methane (CH4)
hydrofluorocarbons (SF6-sulfur hexafluoride) (HFC)
perfluorocarbons (PFC)
nitrous oxide (n2o) |
air at the lower latitudes near the _____ tends to heat up and rise. it's at zero latitude | equator |
the grassland biome is what? | has prairie dogs, insects, coyotos, hawks, foxes
- fire is danger
threats: fire, farming, development |
the abyssal zone is what? | -deepest zone in the ocean
-has hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean
-organisms here get their oxygen from chemosynthesis that come from chemical compounds NOT the sun |
ecosystems with the highest NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIIVTY per unit area are found in the ____ zone of the ocean | coastal |