Prologue
Astronomy
History of Earth
Earth Systems
Weather and Climate
Human Sustainability
100
What is an inference?
A guess or prediction based on prior knowledge.
100
The force that keeps the planets in their orbit
What is Gravity?
100
Who came up with the idea of the supercontinent?
Who is Alfred Wegner?
100
What is the albedo affect?
Answer: The ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight
100
This is a layer of gases that surrounds the Earth that supports life.
What is the atmosphere?
100
What are 2 atmospheric pollutants that are produced from burning fossil fuels?
carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide
200
This type of graph shows a predictable pattern.
What is Cyclical?
200
This is the main cause of tides, or the rise and fall of the oceans.
What is the gravitational pull of the Moon?
200
Name 2 examples of evidence that supports the theory of continental drift.
What is fits together like a puzzle, animal and plant fossils, mountain ranges separated, and climate changes.
200
What was the name of the supercontinent that existed about 300 million years ago?
Pangea
200
What temperature is it at this weather station?
What is 52 degrees Fahrenheit?
200
How does CO2 indirectly harm people?
CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the heating of our planet through the greenhouse effect.
300
What is does Quantitative and Qualitative mean?
Quantitative: data in the form of numbers
Qualitative: description of data
300
What type of planets have no solid surface, made of gas, many moons
What are Jovian planets?
300
What is radioactive decay?
A process where elements break down, or decay, by releasing particles and energy
300
This layer of Earth is composed primarily of solid iron.
What is the inner core?
300
I represent this on a weather map.
What is a cold front?
300
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is a natural process where the Earth's atmosphere traps heat, keeping the planet warm enough for life.
400
In this type of graph, as one variable increases, the other also increases
What is a direct/positive relationship
400
This occurs during a full moon when Earth is directly between the moon and the sun.
What is a lunar eclipse?
400
The oceanic crust ________ when it collides with the continental crust.
What is sinks?
400
These two factors are what cause the seasons on Earth.
What is the Earth's tilt at 23.5 degrees and the Earth's revolution around the sun?
400
The weather is warm, dry, and only a few clouds in the sky. What type of air mass results in this weather forecast?
What is continental/tropical?
400
Why are portions if NYC experiencing higher heat that other areas?
Higher energy usage, less canopy cover, zoning/usage, etc
500
Why do we use scientific notation?
To simplify dealing with very large and very small numbers
500
Why are some constellations visible during summer months and not visible during winter months?
The earth's revolution around the sun prevents us from seeing the same constellation across it's orbit.
500
The idea that our continents have slowly been drifting around Earth is called _______.
What is Continental Drift Theory
500
What are the three types of plate movements?
Answer: What are divergent, convergent, and transform?
500
If pressure is low, what kind of weather might we have?
Lousy weather!
500
Why should nuclear power be adopted across the US?
nuclear power offers nearly zero atmospheric emissions compared to burning fossil fuels for energy.
600
What is the difference between and system and a model?
A system is a collection of interacting or interdependent components forming a whole. A model, on the other hand, is a representation of a system, often simplified, used to understand or predict its behavior.
600
Daily Double!
Determine how many points your group would like to wager and the question will be shown. You will have 90 seconds to answer the question.
Why don't we have a Solar Eclipse every time we have a new moon?
600
This is Era is often called "the age of the dinosaurs"
What is the Mosezoic?
600
What is the mechanism for tectonic plate movement?
Answer: Convection within the Earth's asthenosphere
600
At high pressure centers, where does the wind move AND how does it rotate?
away from the center and clockwise
600
How does mining impact the environment surrounding a mine?
Various: harming human/animal habitats, contaminating water supplies, destroying scenic vistas, reducing tree coverage, etc
700
What are 5 different systems (spheres) of Earth?
Biosphere
Geosphere
Cryosphere
Atmosphere
Exosphere
Anthroposphere
Hydrosphere
700
Explain the difference between a Neap tide and a Spring tide.
Neap - moderate range in tidal height
Spring - extreme range between tidal height
700
What are index fossils?
A fossil that is widely distributed and that only existed briefly.
700
How were seismograms used to infer the structure of the Earth?
Answer: Seismic waves are refracted as they move across boundaries between substances of different densities. The more DENSE the material, the faster the waves can move through it.
700
Finish the song used to describe weather systems:
"Low pressure, Lousy weather,...................?"
Low pressure, lousy weather, counterclockwise, towards the center!
700
How can the cultural attitudes towards adopting nuclear power be changed?
Education, awareness, increasing safety factors, etc