Pollutants
Name three greenhouse gases
Methane (CH4), CO2, N2O (nitrous oxides), CFCs, H2O
Name two factors that affect weather and climate.
Angle of insolation, duration of insolation, clouds, water, landforms, life forms, the atmosphere, greenhouse gases, Milankovitch Cycles, albedo
What are the four spheres of Earth?
Hydrosphere, Lithosphere/Geosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere
True or false: Climate change is exclusively caused by humans
False.
It happens naturally, but humans are accelerating the process
Which domain of life contains exclusively organisms made up of eukaryotic cells?
Eukarya
Name three different types of mining
Strip, subsurface, open pit, mountaintop removal, placer, solution
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place (immediate), while climate is long-term trends in weather over time
Give an example of a positive feedback loop
Chickens -> Eggs -> Chickens
Warmer climate melting ice, leading to lower albedo, leading to more ice melt
Overdrawing your bank account leads to less money which makes it more likely to overdraw
Name three different types of mining
Strip, subsurface, open pit, mountaintop removal, placer, solution
True or false: A community is a group of interacting individuals of the same species
False
(communities include different species)
Name two key types of Particulate Matter AND what units they are measured in
PM2.5, PM10, microns/micrometers
BONUS: What is a micrometer in scientific notation? (10-6)
What is the name of the southern oscillation cycle that moves moisture and heat back and forth across the Pacific, causing impacts that affect other regions around the globe?
El Nino/La Nina
What are the three domains of life on Earth?
Eukarya, Archaea, Bacteria
Name three potential impacts of climate change on human health
Injuries, fatalities, asthma, cardiovascular disease, more disease vectors, more allergens, water quality impacts, malnutrition, forced migration, civil conflict, heat stroke…
Name the five characteristics that all living things need to be considered “living”
Life span, DNA, cell, response to environment, exchange matter and energy
Give an example of a SECONDARY air pollutant
Ground-level ozone = NOx + VOCs
Smog = NOx + VOCs + PM
Hadley cells lead to extreme wet areas at ____ degrees latitude and extreme dry areas at ____ degrees latitude
0; 30
Name the five layers of the atmosphere that we discussed in class in order from CLOSEST to Earth to FARTHEST from Earth.
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
What are the two layers of the atmosphere where ozone is typically found AND in which one is ozone good and in which one is it bad?
Stratospheric ozone = good, Tropospheric ozone = bad
What are the three evolutionary mechanisms responsible for biodiversity and variation in life on Earth?
Gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection
For each of Earth’s spheres, name one impact that pollution can have on that sphere
Hydrosphere: increasing acidity, particles, pollutants into water, water carrying pollution
Lithosphere: acid rain degrading rock, destruction of rocks/minerals, overuse of resources
Atmosphere: climate change, decrease protective ozone, smog, transport of pollutants
Biosphere: death of trees, reduction in efficiency of plant/animal life/reproduction, human health, clean water/food impacts…
Name the three Milankovitch cycles that affect insolation and therefore long-term climate. (Use the scientific names, not the casual names).
Eccentricity, obliquity (tilt), and precession (wobble)
Give an example of a bottom-up controlled ecosystem.
Phytoplankton drive zooplankton which support higher aquatic predators
Explain the concept of a climate “tipping point” and give an example of one possible feedback loop that might lead to a climate tipping point.
A positive feedback loop where once we hit a point, a see-saw flips and climate change starts accelerating even more quickly because new mechanisms get put into play. Ex: Melting permafrost releasing CH4, Loss of ice reducing albedo, Deforestation enhancing CO2, Melting sea ice shutting down the thermohaline circulation
What are the 7 categories of classification for classification in the Domain Eukarya?
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species