Sphere Interactions
Which parts do the cryosphere and biosphere consist of?
Ice, Snow, Glaciers
All living things: plants, animals, bacteria
Wind is an example of...?
Convection
To compare how different types of materials affect the speed of ice melting, Sarah designed an experiment. She placed equal amounts of ice cubes on three separate plates, each with a different material underneath: one with aluminum foil, on with a cotton cloth, and one with plastic. She placed each plate in the same temperature room. Sarah then measured how long it took for the ice cubes to melt completely, recording the time at five-minute intervals for 30 minutes.
What is the independent, dependent, and control variable?
Independent: The type of material under the ice cubes (aluminum, foil, cotton, and plastic)
Dependent: The time it takes for each ice cube to melt
Control: Equal amounts of ice cubes every time
What does the cryosphere consist of?
Ice, Glaciers, Snow
Define a land breeze
Caused by Convection
At Night
From land ------> to water
Land cools faster at night than the water
The transformation of water to vapor in liquid form is called...?
Evaporation
If a pot of water is being heated by a flame. Think of where the warmer regions and cooler regions would move around the pot as it is heated. Where does the warm water go? Where does the cool water go?
The warm water rises: it becomes less dense as it heats
The cool water sinks: it becomes more dense as it cools
Olivia wanted to create a model to demonstrate how plants help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. She filled 4 containers with equal amounts of soil and planted a small seedling in two of them. The other two containers were left without plants, but they also contained the same type of soil. She placed the containers near a window for sunlight, with two containers in direct sunlight and two in a shaded area. Olivia monitored the carbon dioxide levels in the containers over the course of a week. Study the lab setup below.
Identify the Independent, Dependent, and Control variable
Independent: The plant in the containers or the empty container
Dependent: The measured carbon dioxide from each container
Control: The type of soil in all the containers
What does the biosphere consist of?
Plants
Animals
Bacteria
Define a sea breeze
Caused by Convection
During the Day
The sun heats the land and water evenly
The land heats up faster
From sea --------> to land
The atmosphere can trap greenhouse gases, as more greenhouse gases build up our Earth is getting warmer and warmer. What does this mean for the cryosphere and the hydrosphere?
The icebergs and glaciers in the cryosphere are going to melt, into water and add to the hydrosphere
The sun is shining down on the beach, it is evenly heating both the sand and the water using radiation. Is the water or the sand going to heat up faster?
The land.
The land starts at a higher temperature, and it takes less energy to heat it.
What does the geosphere consist of?
Earth, rocks, dirt, soil, minerals
What causes global winds and jet streams?
Radiation and Convection
The uneven heating of the Earth cause the hot air to move up and the cool air to take its place.
A student is working on a science fair project about the water cycle. After conducting some research, they discover that heat from the sun warms the Earth's surface, causing water to evaporate from oceans and lakes. As the warm, moist air rises, it cools as it reaches higher altitudes. This cooling causes the water vapor to condense and form clouds. The downward movement of cooler air fills the space left by the rising air, creating wind. How do these processes work together to result in cloud formation and wind?
Radiation: The sun heating the Earth's surface
Convection: The warm air rising, and the cool air filling the empty space
What does the hydrosphere consist of?
Water, lakes, rivers, oceans, rain, ground water
What does the ozone layer in the atmosphere do?
The ozone absorbs a large amount of radiation, without it more radiation would reach Earth and would affect plants and animals
How are wind patterns created?
The sun shines down the Earth
The radiation is uneven
It heats the air, which then rises
Cool air moves in to fill its place
For her science project, Maria gathered data for the month of January and February and compared the average daily temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) and the amount of snowfall in inches (in) in two major cities in Colorado, as shown in the table below.
Average Temperature and Snowfall totals
Parker, CO 2°C 4in
Vail, CO -8°C 36in
Why is Maria's project NOT a science experiment?
She is missing...
Independent Variable: What is measured
Dependent Variable: What is changed
Control Variable: What stays the same
What does the atmosphere consist of?
***What are the layers of the atmosphere in order?
The gases surrounding the Earth
Troposphere, Stratosphere (Ozone), Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere