Term
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Definition
| The over-use of a natural resource as a result of unclear property rights. If ownership of a resource is not established, everyone has an incentive to take as much of it as possible, quickly depleting the resource. A typical example is the decline in the fish population resulting from over-fishing of the ocean. |
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Term
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Definition
| Externalities and External Costs are the impacts of people’s behaviours that are borne by others or the community generally. Externalities are made up of external costs and external benefits. They can be distinguished from internal costs and benefits, which are borne directly by the user. For example, when people use their cars, they incur the internal costs of fuel and wear and tear of their motor vehicle. They also generate greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and noise pollution that adversely impact on the wider community. These are external costs. |
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Term
| Compare and contrast atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars. |
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Definition
(atmosphere is the layer of gasses that surround planets and moons)
Oxygen Carbon-Dioxide Nitrogen
VENUS 0% 98% 0%
EARTH 21% <1% 78%
MARS 0% 98% 0%
In general earth just right, venus too hot, mars too cold. All about the same distance from sun. Venus has no water left. Earth has most CO2 in rocks and has balanced amount of water. Mars water is permafrost. All formed from same material about 4.5 billion years ago. |
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Term
| Carbon Cycle+ fluxes and sinks |
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Definition
All living things made of carbon. carbon does not stay still.
In atmosphere, carbon has some oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide.
Plants use co2 and sunlight to make their own food. carbon becomes part of plant. dead plants are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal and oil over millions years. When we burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as co2.
co2 is a gh gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other gh gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more co2 in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and Earth becoming warmer place.
Fluxes: processes transfer carbon
photosynthesis
respiration
volcanic activity
weathering
burning fossil fuels
fires
Sinks:carbon is found
carbonate rocks
oceans
fossil fuels
soil
atmosphere
biota |
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Term
| nitrogen cycle+ who removes nitrogen and brings it back to the atmosphere? |
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Definition
The Nitrogen Cycle
Take a deep breath. Most of what you just inhaled is nitrogen. In fact, 80% of the air in our atmosphere is made of nitrogen. Your body does not use the nitrogen that you inhale with each breath. But, like all living things, your body needs nitrogen. Your body gets the nitrogen it needs to grow from food.
Most plants get the nitrogen they need from soil. Many farmers use fertilizers to add nitrogen to the soil to help plants grow larger and faster. Both nitrogen fertilizers and forest fires add huge amounts of nitrogen into the soil and nearby lakes and rivers. Water full of nitrogen causes plants and algae to grow very fast and then die all at once when there are too many for the environment to support. DECOMPOSERS. |
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Term
| layers of the atmosphere from earth to space |
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Definition
1.troposphere
2.stratosphere
3.mesosphere
4.thermosphere |
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Term
| Layer where weather occurs? Where is ozone? |
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Definition
1. troposphere
2. between troposphere & stratosphere |
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Term
Tools to find:
1. cloud coverage
2. temperature
3. rainfall
4. wind
5. relative humidity
6. amount of water in air compared to how much it can hold |
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Definition
1. cloud charts
2. thermometer
3. rain guage
4. named for direction it blows from
5. phsychrometer
6. aneroid barometer |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| what causes global winds? |
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Definition
| Unequal heating of the earth's surface due to it's shape, creates areas of different air pressure. Air moves from high to low areas of pressure. |
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Term
3 major prevailing winds in the:
Northern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
What latitude do they occur? |
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Definition
Northern:
polar easterlies-60'
prevailing westerlies-30'
easterly trades- 0'
south easterly trades- 0'
prevailing westerlies-30'
polar easterlies-60' |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Precipitation which is caused by hills or mountain ranges deflecting the moisture-laden air masses upward, causing them to cool and precipitate their moisture. |
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Term
| what are the two main types of ocean currents? |
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Definition
surface currents
deep ocean currents |
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Term
| how are global winds related to surface currents? |
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Definition
| wind causes surface currents |
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Term
| what causes deep ocean currents? |
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Definition
| differences in density and salinity |
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Term
| factors that affect climate |
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Definition
latitude
prevailing winds
proximity to large bodies of water
ocean currents
elevation |
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Term
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Definition
| A momentary change in the climate of planet earth. |
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Term
| what are two major signs of el nino? |
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Definition
tradewinds break down
blob moves east slowly across pacific tropics |
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Term
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Definition
Higher rainfall in west coast of N. and S. America 30'n to 30's
droughts in india and S. africa
reduces atlantic hurricaines
pacific northwest to atlantic northeast mild winters
reduced upwelling so less life |
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