Term
Know the three types of systems, and the characteristics that distinguish them. |
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Definition
isolated system - no exchange of energy of material across the system boundary closed system - energy can be exchanged across the system boundary, but materials can't open system - both energy and material can be exchanged across system boundary |
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Term
| Which of the three system types is it most useful to classify the Earth as, and what does this classification imply about the internal conditions of the Earth system? |
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Definition
It is mostly useful to consider the Earth as a closed system - the amount of matter in a closed system is fixed and finite - matter and energy exchanges within the system make subsystem interdependent -if changes are made in one part of a closed system, the results of those changes will eventually affect other parts |
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Term
When constructing systems models (a.k.a. box models), what are the definitions of the following terms: reservoir, flux, residence time, turnover time, source, sink, perturbation, positive feedback, and negative feedback. |
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Definition
reservior - a place where material is held for a period of time flux - the movement of material between reservoir residence time - the average time a unit of matter (atom, molecule, compound) spends in a given reservoir)turnover time - the amount of time it takes a resorvoir to gain a completely new set of materialsource - inputs to a given reservoir sink - outputs to a given reservoirperturbation - a sudden change in the source and/or sink fluxes to/form a reservoirfeedback - occurs when an initial change in a particular reservoir (subsystem) causes change in other reservoirs which result in further change in 1st reservoirpositive feedback - an inital change in a reservoir leads to changes in the system which cause a further change in the initial reservoir in the same directionnegative feedback - an initial change in a reservoir leads to changes in the system which reverse the change in the initial reservoir |
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Term
What are the three “ultimate” natural sources of energy for the Earth system? |
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Definition
| solar energy, geothermal energy, tidal (gravatational) energy |
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Term
Know the first and second laws of thermodynamics. |
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Definition
1st law - the energy involved in any physical or chemical change is neither created nor destroyed, but merely changed from one form to another 2nd law - energy always changes from a more useful, more concentrated form to a less useful, less concentrated form |
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Term
Know what to call the movement of material between the subsystems of the Ecosphere. |
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Definition
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