Spheres
The blanket of air surrounding Earth.
Describe the atmosphere.
The combustion equation.
Identify what this this equation is showing:
Oxygen + fuel --> waste products + energy
Climate is a set of long-term averages whereas weather is the short-term conditions of the atmosphere.
Contrast weather and climate.
Blows East to West.
Describe the normal direction of tradewinds across the Pacific ocean.
Helps determine species density.
Identify a use of the data gathered by quadrat sampling.
Bogong moth, yellow-tailed cockatoo, axlotl, sea slugs.
List 4 examples of biotic factors.
(organisms of the week)
When Carbon is absorbed by the ocean, it dissolves to form carbonic acid, which decreases the ocean’s pH.
Explain how the ocean becomes acidic.
The natural effect is necessary to sustain life on Earth, whereas the enhanced effect has a negative impact on Earth.
Contrast the natural and enhanced greenhouse effects.
Tradewinds strengthen, causing warm water to gather in the West of the Pacific ocean.
Describe La Nina.
Temperature and precipitation data.
Identify the elements needed to describe climate.
Sand, plateau, boulder.
Identify 3 examples of the geosphere in a desert ecosystem.
Cultural burning.
Identify the type of burning done by Indigenous Australians which results in a 'cool' fire to reduce fuel load but also has cultural significance.
Longwave solar radiation.
Identify the wavelength of light that greenhouse gasses interact with.
Tradewinds weaken or reverse, causing warm water to spread across the Pacific ocean (concentrated in the East).
Describe El Nino conditions.
TDS.
Identify the water quality factor that measures the amount of dissolved solids in water.
Photosynthesis is a process involving living things in the biosphere whereby carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere.
Describe how the Biosphere and Atmosphere can interact with an example.
It is higher than ever before, by about 30%.
Describe the current level of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
As the Earth warms, more water is evaporated. This causes the greenhouse effect to intensify, causing more warming and further evaporation.
Explain how increased evaporation maintains global warming.
A thicker layer.
Identify the thickness of a layer of ice in an ice core when there is a higher snowfall year.
Low quality water.
A high turbidity typically indicates...
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from fossil fuel emissions is dissolved into the hydrosphere, causing oceans to acidify.
Describe how the Hydrosphere and Atmosphere can interact with an example.
Symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae are expelled.
Identify the reason corals lose their colour when 'bleached'.
The positive feedback loop initiated by melting permafrost.
Identify the process described here: parts of the Earth that are usually frozen all year round, melt, causing greenhouse gasses like methane and carbon dioxide to release. This increases warming, causing more frost to melt and creates a positive feedback loop.
Reduces biodiversity.
Identify the impact of climate change on biodiversity.
Low pH.
Contaminated waters and soils typically have a...