Earth's Spheres
Which branch of Earth science studies weather and climate?
Meteorology
Latitude measures distance in which directions from the equator?
North or south.
What is a system?
A group of interacting parts that form a complex whole.
What is a renewable resource?
A resource that can be replenished over a relatively short period of time.
What makes a hypothesis scientific?
It can be tested using evidence.
Name Earth's four major spheres.
Geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
Longitude measures distance in which directions from the prime meridian?
East or west.
What are Earth's two major energy sources?
The Sun and Earth's interior.
What is a nonrenewable resource?
A resource that cannot be replenished in a short period of time.
What is the independent variable?
The factor that is intentionally changed in an investigation.
Which branch of Earth science studies rocks, Earth's materials, and Earth's history?
Geology
What do contour lines connect?
Points of equal elevation.
What is the difference between an open system and a closed system?
In an open system, matter and energy can enter and leave. In a closed system, energy can enter and leave, but matter generally remains within the system.
Is coal renewable or nonrenewable?
Nonrenewable.
What is the difference between a controlled experiment and an observational study?
In a controlled experiment, a scientist deliberately changes a factor while controlling other important conditions. In an observational study, scientists observe and collect information without deliberately manipulating the condition.
After several days of heavy rain, water soaks into the ground, causes a landslide, and destroys plants on a hillside. Identify three Earth spheres involved and explain how the change moved from one sphere to another.
Two hikers are trying to reach the same mountain summit. Route A crosses an area where contour lines are very close together. Route B crosses an area where contour lines are farther apart. Which route has the gentler slope, and what evidence from the map supports your answer?
Contour lines that are farther apart indicate a gentler slope. Closely spaced contour lines indicate a steeper slope.
Earth receives energy from the Sun, releases energy back into space, and receives very small amounts of matter from objects such as meteoroids. Scientists still describe Earth as essentially a closed system. Explain why.
Earth is considered essentially closed because energy regularly enters and leaves, but very little matter enters or leaves compared with the enormous amount of matter already in the Earth system.
Two communities need energy. Community A relies heavily on coal. Community B relies heavily on sunlight. Classify each resource as renewable or nonrenewable and explain why the classifications are different.
A scientist wants to determine whether water temperature affects how quickly ice melts. She places equal-sized ice cubes into water at 10°C, 25°C, and 40°C and measures the time each cube takes to melt.
A volcanic eruption sends ash into the atmosphere. The ash blocks some sunlight, temperatures temporarily decrease, and plant growth is affected. Identify at least three spheres involved and create a cause-and-effect chain showing the linked effects.
Geosphere: volcanic eruption → Atmosphere: ash enters the air and reduces incoming sunlight → Biosphere: plant growth is affected.
A topographic map has contour lines at 200 m, 250 m, 300 m, 350 m, and 400 m. On the eastern side of the mountain, the lines are tightly packed. On the western side, they are widely spaced.
What is the contour interval, which side is steeper, and which side would probably be easier to hike? Explain all three answers.
A volcanic eruption releases ash into the atmosphere. The ash affects incoming sunlight, which changes temperatures and can affect plants. Explain why this is an example of linked effects in the Earth system AND identify Earth's two major energy sources.
It demonstrates linked effects because a change in one part of Earth's system causes changes in other parts. The eruption begins in the geosphere, affects the atmosphere, and can then affect the biosphere. Earth's two major energy sources are the Sun and Earth's interior.
A community discovers a large deposit of a nonrenewable resource. Using it could provide jobs and useful materials, but extracting it could also affect land and water. Explain two Earth-system consequences the community should consider before deciding how to use the resource.
Disturbing the geosphere through excavation or land alteration.
Affecting the hydrosphere if sediment or pollutants enter water.
Affecting the biosphere through habitat changes.
Human use of resources can produce linked effects throughout the Earth system.
A student says:
“Students are slower at identifying ink colors when the written word and ink color do not match.”
Using our classroom experiment, explain how you would scientifically test this claim. Your answer must include: