Atmosphere Composition
Is air a homogeneous or heterogeneous mixture? What does this mean?
Air is a homogeneous mixture, meaning we can't see the individual components.
What is the chemical formula of water?
H2O
Where do we have solid water, liquid water, and gaseous water on the planet? (3 places)
Solid water is found at the poles and in glaciers, liquid water is found in oceans, lakes, rivers, and underground, and gaseous water in found in the atmosphere.
Give 3 ways that we use different types of rocks.
Building materials (cement, concrete), ornamental rocks (marble, granite), source of fossil fuels, and source of minerals for electronic devices.
What does it mean if a rock is "permeable?"
Water can flow through it, slowly.
What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen
What is special about the density of water when it's a solid compared to when it's a liquid and what effect does this have?
Solid water (ice) has a lower density than liquid water, which is the reason ice floats. This allows organisms to survive under the ice in the winter.
What is groundwater and where is it stored?
Groundwater is water that's under the Earth's surface, it is stored in aquifers. The water comes from melting ice and rainwater or surface water.
What is a quarry?
A deposit from which we extract very heavy rocks as blocks or slabs.
What does "water is a universal solvent" mean?
What is the importance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Autotrophs need carbon dioxide to carry out photosynthesis.
What is surface tension?
A property of water that allows small objects (like insects) to float on the water. Since water molecules adhere to each other so well, they can support very light objects on the surface before they break through.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The natural greenhouse effect reduces temperature changes and avoids extreme temperatures. However, as the amount of greenhouse gases increase, too much heat is being trapped and the Earth is warming too much.
What is geodiversity? Name 3 geological areas in Spain.
Geodiversity refers to the geological variety of a region. Spain has several geological areas including: siliceous area, calcareous area, clay area, volcanic area, coastal area.
Which property of matter is fixed when particles are in a gaseous state?
Mass is fixed; volume and shape are variable.
Explain the difference between natural and artificial atmospheric pollution and give an example of each type of pollutant.
Natural pollutants come from natural phenomena (dust in deserts, ash from volcanoes) and artificial pollutants from from human activity (radioactivity, light, noise, gases from factories).
How does water help with nutrient absorption in plants?
Water is a good solvent, meaning is can transport mineral salts from the ground water into plants. It is also used to eliminate waste substances.
Other planets in the Solar System have water, but not in all three states (solid, liquid, gas.)
How does the geosphere interact with the other layers of the Earth?
All living things inhabit the outer layer of the geosphere. The geosphere provides mineral salts and supports live, it also interacts with the atmosphere and the hydrosphere in the water cycle.
How much of the atmosphere is oxygen?
21%.
What does the ozone layer do and what are the dangers of depleting it?
The ozone layer protects the Earth from the sun's UV radiation. If humans are exposed to UV radiation it can harm our skin (skin cancer), immune system (high risk of infection), and eyes (cataracts).
What is capillarity and how is it helpful for plants?
Capillarity is water's ability to travel up narrow tubes against gravity; this is helpful for plants to get water and nutrients from their roots to their leaves.
Explain the water cycle.
The sun heats the Earth's surface, and water evaporates and plants release water vapor into the atmosphere. The water vapor cools down and forms clouds, eventually precipitating as rain, snow, or hail. Melted water from snow and ice join surface water, forming runoff that goes from the surface to the sea, helped by gravity.
What are the four stages of soil formation and explain each briefly?
Initial stage:bedrock begins to weather.
Subsoil: bedrock weathers more, creating a layer of minerals with the simplest living things.
Young soil: inhabited by mosses, plants, and invertebrates; forms the humus of the A horizon.
Mature soil: has all components of soil and forms the structures of the different horizons.
What is the difference between a mine and a quarry?