Transcript Earth and Environmental Science

Earth and Environmental
Science
Review for Final Exam
Part 2
Covering Modules 9 - 16
Currents
MODULE 9: Oceans and Beaches
• Rip Current: Cuts an opening in a sandbar and moves straight out into the ocean.
• Long Shore Current: Moving parallel to the shore carrying large amounts of sand.
• Short Distance Current: Surface currents that travel over short distances.
• Deep Current: Caused by differences in water densities.
Water density and wind
patterns are two factors
that cause ocean
currents..
Map of average sea surface salinity.
Credit: Right: NASA, http://aquarius.nasa.gov/education-salinity.html
Below: www.seos-project-edu Global belts of prevailing winds…
Salinity and temperature
are two factors that
affect water density
Average of horizontal and vertical brightness
temperature for incidence angles below 30
degrees for a region of the South Pacific and
Atlantic overlaying a map of salinity available
from NOAA climatological data. According to
the expected results the brightness
temperature decreases for regions with
higher salinity.
Credits: SMOS-BEC
Beach erosion is
natural
Humans try to stop beach erosion by using
1. Sea walls
2. Channel dredging
3. And dune construction
•
www.allhawaiinews.com - 500 × 375 - by Nancy Cook Lauer - NOAA
•
woodsholegroup.wordpress.com - 1117 × 659 NOAA's Coastal Services Center
Upwelling
Upwelling
When nutrient rich cold water rises to the
surface millions of fish follow because of the
food in the water.
Coastal currents, surface water, and upwelling
Credit: Credit: Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Upwelling-labels-en.svg /
CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
Thermocline layer
Has the greatest daily changes in
temperature.
(Picture: Map of average sea surface temperatures. Credit: meted.ucar.edu)
More than 70% of the entire
earth’s surface is covered by
water.
El Niño is the
phenomenon of
ocean currents that
changes weather
patterns around the
Earth.
Sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean (above). El Niño
is characterized by unusually warm temperatures and La Niña by
unusually cool temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. Anomalies (below)
represent deviations from normal temperature values, with unusually
warm temperatures shown in red and unusually cold anomalies shown
in blue.
Ocean temperature distribution (top panel) that characterize El Nino
(left) and La Nina right episodes in the Pacific Ocean. Changes from
mean temperatures are shown in the bottom panel..
Credit: NOAA http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/
MODULE 10: Water Resources and
Water Quality
Fresh water
Water that plants and animals need to drink
makes up only about 3% of the earth’s water
supply.
Fresh water is found in rivers, lakes, icebergs
and underground in aquifers.
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/photos-land.html
Page Contact Information: Howard Perlman
Page Last Modified: Monday, 17-Mar-2014 11:03:28 EDT
Water Resources and
Water Quality
MODULE 10:
The layers of an aquifer from bottom to top are:
1.
zone of saturation
(All pores are filled with water.)
2. water table
(the highest underground level at which the
rocks and soil in a particular area are completely
wet with water.)
3. zone of aeration
(All pores are filled with air.)
Top: www.srh.noaa.gov
Right: nerrs.noaa.gov
The Water Cycle
• Condensation
• Precipitation
• Evapotranspiration
Fresh water to drink
Ground Water, USGS General Interest publication
What is groundwater?, USGS Open-File Report 93-643
Coastal Ground Water at Risk, Saltwater Contamination along the Georgia coast
What makes an artesian well special?
• Water is under pressure in an
artesian well. These wells are
usually very deep and the water
is cold.
• Protect fresh water supplies
• Conservation and alternative
methods of obtaining fresh
water are ways we can protect
our drinking water supply.
Groundwater discharge, USGS - The water cycle
Ground-Water Depletion Across the Nation USGS Fact Sheet 103-03
MODULE 11: Atmosphere and Weather Systems
Gases in the air
Trapped!
• Nitrogen is the most abundant
gas in the atmosphere.
• Animal respiration (breathing)
requires Oxygen.
• Animal respiration releases
Carbon Dioxide
• Ultra Violet (UV) radiation from the sun is trapped by
Ozone gas in the stratosphere.
(www.eoearth.org )
Acid rain forms as gases react with water vapor in the atmosphere
and form acids which return to Earth’s surface in the form of
precipitation. (www.esrl.noaa.gov )
The pH scale
The measure of the acidity of a liquid sample is referred to as "pH." Acidic substances
(like lemon juice) have low pH values, while basic substances (like ammonia) have high
pH values. The pH scale runs from 0 (acid) to 14 (basic), with 7 being neutral.
http://www.hubbardbrook.org/6-12_education/Introduction/Intro13.htm
Discovery Chanel video on acid rain in Washington, DC
http://news.discovery.com/earth/videos/earth-acid-rain-eating-washington-dc.htm
Winds blow from the ocean to land during the day because
Atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases.
Map of major surface winds, Credit: CC-By-CN-SA, Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton CollegeImage 2 of 2
MODULE 12: Climate and Biomes
Every living thing in an ecosystem is important because all living things
play a role in an ecosystem no matter how big or how small.
https://buffonescience9.wikispaces.com/UNIT+6+-+Ecology
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Biomes
• The interaction of organisms with
their environment is the best
definition of what an Ecosystem.
• Invasive species are those that are
not native to an area, but have
come in and they have no natural
predators. They take over the
habitats of native species.
•
Labels: burmese python, invasive species Source is the Global Invasive Species Database. Images are from Wikimedia Commons
and are under Creative Commons licenses or are copyright free: one, two, three.
•
Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta ). Photo Credit: April Nobile, AntWeb, California Academy of Sciences, 2000-2008
• NC is in the Temperate Deciduous
Forest biome.
• Coastal plains, mountains and
piedmont make up NC biomes.
• Coastal Plains is the largest.
• Vegetation and Climate are the 2
main factors that determine a
biome.
MODULE 13: Air Pollution and Global Change
Indoor air pollution
Landfills
• carbon monoxide
• pet dander and
• Radon
.
• Clay and plastic are used as
liners in waste disposal at
landfills.
•
Picture by Environment Canada
•
http://obrien-envproject.wikispaces.com/Brianna+Ahner
Barrier Islands
Formed by receding glaciers 18,000 years
ago. Global warming is causing problems
with the weather. Below: Creative Commons: flkr.com
Global Warming is also called Climate Change and it
IS causing problems with the weather around the
world.
Ozone
Ground level ozone is dangerous and is
a cause of photochemical smog.
http://cleanaircarolina.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Charlotte-0408.jpg
http://cleanaircarolina.org/?page_id=1519
Stratospheric ozone protects us
from UV (ultraviolet) radiation.
earthobservatory.nasa.gov - 540 × 327 - Search by image
Stratospheric ozone processes the stratospheric ozone
layer shields life on Earth from the Sun's harmful
ultraviolet radiation.
MODULE 14: Meteorology
What is the first step of a tornado
formation?
• Wind traveling in two different
directions.
• Convection is hot air rising and
cool air sinking
• Rotation is a major indication of
the type of weather
phenomenon called a Tornado.
A tornado descends from the mesocyclone of a
thunderstorm over New Mexico.
A. T. Willett/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Thunderstorms and
tornados are NOT
associated with warm
fronts.
Tornadoes don't just pop into existence -- they
develop out of thunderstorms, where there's
already a steady, upward flow of warm, lowpressure air to get things started.
https://www.google.com/search?q=thunderstorms+and+tornadoes&client=firef
ox-a&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=xscrU4feKKSQ0AHwo
4CIDA&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=933&bih=425#facrc=_&imgdii=_
&imgrc=_QgemEtKwdS3M%253A%3BGhGtRhJdpjICOM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftamutimes.tam
u.edu%252Ffiles%252F2013%252F06%252FTornadoesforming.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftamutimes.tamu.edu%252Ftag%252Fth
understorm%252F%3B1250%3B1013
Low pressure system
Moist and sinking air is associated with a
low pressure system. the probability of
precipitation would be high.
http://brianmejia.wordpress.com/termsconcepts/
A front
The boundary between a mass of warm air
and a mass of cold air is called a front.
Cold Fronts - Geography For Kids - By
KidsGeo.www.kidsgeo.com - 288 × 216 - Search by
imageCold Front
The four stages of
hurricane
development
video.nationalgeographic.com - 356 × 200 Search by imageKatrina Extreme: Mississippi
Destruction
• Tropical wave
• tropical depression
• tropical storm
• hurricane
Danger
Eye Wall. The eye wall surrounds
the eye. The strongest winds and
heaviest rains are found in the
eye wall, making it the most
dangerous part of the hurricane.
Hurricanes - Structure | State Climate Office of
North Carolinawww.nc-climate.ncsu.edu 723 × 543 - Search by imageHurricane Eye Wall.
The Coriolis effect describes how Earth’s rotation steers
winds and surface ocean currents. Unlike land, air and water
move freely (in the absence of obstacles). The Coriolis effect
causes the path of a freely moving object to appear to curve.
This is because Earth is rotating beneath the object. So even
though the object's path is straight, it appears to curve. The
curve appears to be to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.
It appears to be to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Right: (Coriolis Effect | CK-12 Foundationwww.ck12.org - 800 × 531
The Earth's rotation makes global winds
seem to curve.
coriolis2.gifwww.srh.noaa.gov - 195 × 195
education.gsfc.nasa.gov
Is this an example of the Coriolis effect?
Does Coriolis determine which direction water in a toilet will swirl?
Unfortunately, no. Friction and the power of the flush have too big an
influence. But in the atmosphere and oceans, Coriolis affects flow direction.
The Earth's rotation
makes global winds seem
to curve.
This is the Coriolis effect.
Coriolis Effect and
Frictionwww.earthonlinemedia.com 400 × 300 - Search by imageFigure 6.9 The
influence of the Coriolis force on wind.
Courtesy NASA JPL (Source)
MODULE 15: Planetary
Motion
Kepler determined the nature of the forces
that keep the planets in their orbits.
What was Kepler’s 2nd law states:
Each planet revolves so that an imaginary
line connecting it to the sun sweeps over
equal areas in equal time intervals.
The Astronomical Unit - Tutorials - The Heliocentric
Revolutionastunit.com - 600 × 400 - Search by imageAnnounced first 2
laws of planetary motion in 1609. Announced 3rd in 1618.
The shape of an orbit is elliptical.
Elliptical
NASA Satellites: April 2012nasa-spacestation-info.blogspot.com - 707 × 480 - Search by image
Elliptical Galaxies - Zoom Astronomywww.enchantedlearning.com - 311 × 237 - Search by
image
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/25497/1/bulge
Precession
Earth's axis slowly but continuously points in
different directions in a path called
precession.
Credit: Visible Earth
Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC
To see a very short video showing precession click below.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Milankovitch/Images/
milankovitch_precess_high.mov
Seasons
The tilt of the earth as it circles the sun is the
reason that we have seasons.
NASA – NOAA
www.thorntonweather.com - 413 × 227 -
MODULE 16: The Sun’s
Energy
The sun produces energy
through nuclear fusion.
Right: File:Sun poster.svg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below: Taken by Hinode's Solar Optical Telescope on January 12, 2007, this image of the
Sun reveals the filamentary nature of the plasma connecting regions of different magnetic
polarity.
Radiation
The term used to describe how the Sun heats
the Earth is Radiation.
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/radiationenergy-transfer/
The greenhouse effect
Images courtesy of NASA : Climate Change: Causesclimate.nasa.gov - 560 × 347 -
The process by which the sun's energy
is absorbed by the Earth and reradiated at longer wavelength.
Good luck on the final exam.
•“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.“ – Edward Gibbon
•“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.“ – Thomas Jefferson