Earth & Environmental Science NC Final Review

Name: _________________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _____

This Review Guide outlines the NC Essential Standards for Earth/Environmental Science. Key terms are bolded. You can find PowerPoint’s from the textbook on my class website (mrleehuhs.weebly.com)

EEn 1.1 Explain Earth’s role (position) as a body in space.

1. How is Earth’s motion related to the origin of the galaxy and its solar system? After the Big Bang, the universe is still expanding. Slowly the planets get further away from each other.2. What is Earth’s position in the hierarchy of organization within the universe?Universe is made of galaxies which are made of many stars. Some stars have planetary systems similar to our solar system. Earth is a satellite planet of one particular star.)

3. How do Kepler’s laws describe planetary orbits (esp. Earth’s)? Law 1 ellipse and Law 2 equal area, equal swipe.· Kepler’s laws states that The path of the planets about the sun is elliptical in shape, with the center of the sun being located at one focus. (The Law of Ellipses)

· 4. What is the relative motion of Earth in the solar system, the solar system in the galaxy, and the galaxy in the universe?

a. What motion causes a year? Revolution around the sunb. What motion causes day and night? Rotation on it’s axisc. What initial event do scientists hypothesize caused the universe to expand? Big Band Theory

5. What is precession? How does it change the climate? change in direction of the axis, but without any change in tilt—this changes the stars near (or not near) the Pole, but does not affect the seasons (as long as the angle of 23.5 degrees stays the same) Precession is the change in the shape of a rotation (think about a spinning top that has slowed down).

6. What is nutation? How does it change the climate? wobbling around the precessional axis (This is a change in the angle—½ degree one way or the other. This occurs over an 18 year period and is due to the Moon exclusively. This would very slightly increase or decrease the amount of seasonal effects.)Think about the spinning top example. The angle that the top spins changes as it slows down.

7. What is barycenter? Why does the Sun wobble? the point between two objects where they balance each other (For example, it is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other. When a moon orbits a planet, or a planet orbits a star, both bodies are actually orbiting around a point that lies outside the center of the primary (the larger body). For example, the moon does not orbit the exact center of the Earth, but a point on a line between the Earth and the Moon approximately 1,710 km below the surface of the Earth, where their respective masses balance. This is the point about which the Earth and Moon orbit as they travel around the Sun. Just like the planets orbit the Sun, the Sun (and other planets) orbit the Milky Way Galaxy.

8. What causes the seasons? Change in weather due to Earth’s tilt of 23.5 degreesa. When are winter, spring, summer, and fall in each hemisphere? Relate this to Earth’s tilt. When you are tilted towards the sun it is Summer when tilted away Winter. b. Why are seasons opposite in the Northern and Southern hemispheres?The northern and southern hemispheres are always opposite of each other due to the tile.

9. What force and motion causes the circumference of Earth to be larger around the equator than around the poles?Equatorial bulgeà this explains why the center of the Earth is slightly larger. The Earth rotates at speeds that cause the poles to flatten10. What is fusion? Nuclear fusion is when hydrogen combines together to form helium nuclear a. Where in the universe does fusion occur naturally?(stars do this)

b. How does fission differ from fusion? (Where does fission occur on Earth?) fission is when uranium gets broken down into radioactive material for energy.c. What is combustion? How does combustion differ from fusion or fission? Combustion is burning material to release energy

11. What forms of energy are produced by the sun? Electromagnetic waves are given off from the Sun

a. What are electromagnetic waves?Electromagnetic waves are waves which can travel through the vacuum of outer space. (examples: UV, visible light, xray)b. How are ultraviolet rays filtered or blocked by our atmosphere? Three oxygen atoms creates a protective gas called ozone, which is located in the lower part of the stratosphere.c. How are cosmic rays blocked? collide with the atmosphere

12. By what three processes does the Sun’s energy warm the Earth and its atmosphere?a. What is radiation? the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves b. What is conduction? the process by which heat is directly transmitted through a substance c. What is convection? the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

13. Which takes longer to warm or cool – land or water? Water heats and cools slower than land. The land heats up quickly, and loses heat relatively quickly as well (think about a desert).

a. How does the differential heating of land and water cause wind? As warm air (over land) rises cold air (from over water) moves in to replace rising air. This movement of air is wind. b. How does the differential heating of land and water affect coastal climates? Because the land and water heat at different rates it cause there to be land and sea breezes. These breezes help moderate the climate in coastal areas.

14. What is photosynthesis? a. How is solar energy transformed into chemical energy through photosynthesis? Plants absorb solar energy and convert it into sugar and oxygen. (Carbon dioxide + water -> Oxygen + Glucose/sugar) this takes place in the chloroplast in plant cells

b. What factors affect a plant’s ability to perform photosynthesis? Sun light, temperature and water

15. What is Earth’s magnetic field?

a. What creates the magnetic field? In the Earth the liquid metal that makes up the outer core passes through a magnetic field, which causes an electric current to flow within the liquid metal. The electric current, in turn,creates its own magnetic fieldb. How does it protect us from the harmful effects of the Sun’s radiation? The Earth’s magnetic field allows much of the harmful particles to be deflected away from the Earth (keeping us safe!). The same holds true for radiation.

EEn 2.1: Explain how processes and forces affect the lithosphere.

EEn 2.2: Understand how human influences impact the lithosphere.

1. What are the processes that change one type of rock into another type in the rock cycle? 1) weathering, 2) erosion, 3) deposition, 4) temperature and pressure.

a. What processes form igneous rocks? Igneous rock forms when magma or lava cools and hardens.b. What processes form sedimentary rocks? Sedimentary rock forms when sediment from older rocks gets pressed and cemented together.c. What processes form metamorphic rocks? Metamorphic rock forms when pressure, temperature, or chemical processes change existing rock

2. What is weathering? How is it related to the rock cycle? Weathering breaks down rock into fragments called sediment.

a. What is the difference between chemical weathering and physical weathering? Chemical weathering is when the chemical make up of the rock changes (acid, dissolves). Physical weathering is when the physical characteristics (size) of the rock is changed (broken into smaller pieces) b. What are ways that rocks can be chemically weathered? Temperature change, freeze- thaw, wind, moving water, waves, plant roots Physically weathered? Acid rain or biological acidsc. In which type of climate do rocks experience more chemical weathering? Physical weathering? hot wet climates accelerate chemical weathering while cold dry climates accelerate physical weatheringd. Which types of rocks are more easily physically weathered? Sedimentarye. What type of weathering produces caves and clay? Chemical weatheringf. How does weathering help to make soil? Breaks rocks down into sediment that is the parent material for soils

3. What is soil? Soil is the mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and myriad organisms that together support plant life.

a. How do the three particle types of soil (clay, silt, sand) differ? Sand is largest, than silt, and clay is the smallest. Clay can hold water , silt can sort of hold water, and sand can't hold water at all b. How can a soil texture triangle be used to determine the texture of soil in a location? The soil texture triangle takes the percentages of soil and measures them out to create a class of texture

c. What type of soil is found in the desert, the tundra, the tropical forest, and the temperate (deciduous) forest and grasslands? In the desert there is sand, tundra there is permafrost soil, tropical rain forest there is rich soil fit for lots of plants, temperate forest have normal soil and grasslands have rich soil also

4. What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?Renewable resources are unlimited and nonrenewable resources are limited.5. What consequences do the following environmental issues have on the lithosphere – desertification, monoculture, pesticide use, erosion, deforestation, urbanization? What is each? How can the effects of each situation be prevented or lessened? Why do we use traditional agriculture? Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife and makes the land unlivable. Mono culture is the cultivation of a single crop in a given area which can cause depletion of that areas soil nutrition. Pesticide use is using pesticide to protect plants from harmful insects and when it rains it can be mixed in the run off and flow in a river, killing aquatic life in that area. Erosion is the action of exogenic processes (such as water flow or wind) which remove soil and rock from one location on the Earth's crust, then transport it to another location where it is deposited. This can break down large land forms. Deforestation is when a whole forest is cut down and no trees are planted in its place which can lead to more Co2 in that area. Urbanization is the process of rural areas turning into cities. This causes lots of problems like pollution. Each can be prevented or lessened by planting more different crops and trees for every one you cut down, use renewable resources instead of nonrenewable resources, use less pesticides or contain that area so there is no run off, and don't farm in not so rich soil. We use traditional agriculture because it most practiced.6. What is erosion? Erosion is the process of water,wind, or ice breaking land forms

a. How does water cause erosion? What is a delta? What is an alluvial fan? Water can cause erosion in three forms rainfall, rivers, waves, and floods. A delta is a land form that forms at the mouth of a river, where the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir. An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped mass of alluvium deposited as the flow of a river decreases in velocity.

b. How does wind cause erosion? What is abrasion? What is deflation? What is desert pavement? What is a sand dune?Wind cause erosion by picking up and carrying loose particles which can over time make that object smaller. Abrasion is the

process of scraping or wearing away. Deflation is the removal of particles of rock, sand, etc., by the wind. Dessert pavement is a surface layer of closely packed or cemented pebbles, rock fragments, etc., from which fine material has been removed by the wind in arid regions. A sand dune is a mount, hill or ridge of sand that lies behind the part of the beach affected by tides. c. How do glaciers cause erosion? What is a moraine? What is till? Glaciers cause erosion by slowly moving through land while carving out valleys and shaping mountains. A moraine is a mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity. Till is a sediment consisting of particles of various sizes and deposited by melting glaciers or ice sheets.d. What are the types of mass movements of Earth materials due to the force of gravity? How do the following types of mass movements change Earth’s surface – landslides, slumps, avalanche, rock slide (fall), creep?Mass movement or mass wasting is movements of masses of bodies of soil, bed rock, rock debris, soil, or mud and avalanchese. Which locations would be most at risk for the destruction of buildings due to mass movements? How might this destruction be prevented? which usually occur along steep-sided hills and mountains because of the pull of gravity. This slipping of large amounts of rock and soil is seen in landslides, mud slides. Prevented by leaving vegetation f. What is the effect of human activity on shorelines? What are artificial stabilization efforts used to prevent shore erosion? (What is a jetty, groin, seawall, breakwater?) Human activity on shorelines increases erosion. Artificial stabilization is building hard structures to prevent erosion (usually just makes it occure in another location) or adding sand to the beach (which is temporary) g. What is the effect of human activity on mountainsides? Increase mass movement and erosion What are artificial stabilization efforts used to prevent erosion on mountainsides? Building fences

7. What is the theory of plate tectonics? What tectonic features do scientists look at on a world map that indicates that Earth’s lithosphere is broken into giant plates? The theory of plate tectonics is that they're always moving. Scientists look at crust for faults, trenches, rift valley, mountains and volcanos.8. How are the plates moving at each of the following plate boundaries - divergent, convergent, transform? Divergent- moving away from eachother, Convergent - moving towards one another, and transform is sliding horizontally past one another.a. What might the convection currents in the mantle under each of these boundaries look like? (That is, in which direction are they flowing?)Same as the plates are moving

b. How do the forces of ridge push and slab pull move the tectonic plates? Because gravity pulls or pushes it 9. What geologic events/landforms occur at of the following plate boundaries – divergent, convergent (ocean/ocean), convergent (ocean/continental), convergent (continental/

continental), transform? Answer the following questions. Studying diagrams would be immensely helpful!!

a. At which boundary is seafloor spreading occurring? Divergentb. Which of the boundaries form fissure volcanoes, a rift valley, or a midocean ridge? Divergent

c. Which of the boundaries form volcanic islands? Convergentd. Which of the boundaries form a volcanic mountain range near a coastline? Convergente. At which boundary is an ocean trench present?Convergentf. What forms an ocean trench? One plate sliding under another plateg. What is a subduction zone? What often forms above a subduction zone? A subduction zone is the area where one plate is pulled under another. This often forms a trench. h. Where is the ring of fire? Pacific Oceani. At which boundary are folded mountains (such as the Appalachians) formed? Convergent (Continental/Continental)

10. How did the Appalachian Mountains of N. Carolina form? When the North American Plate smashed together it created the Appalachian mountains. They have eroded since then.

a. What type of boundary created the Appalachian Mtns? Convergentb. When did these events occur?roughly 480 million years agoc. What is a fall zone?The fall line is an area of eroded rocks between the piedmont and costal plains.d. How were our barrier islands formed? Barrier islands have formed because of deposition on sediment

11. What is a volcano? rupture on the crust of Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from

a. What is the difference between magma and lava? Magma is below the surface - lava is aboveb. How does a shield cone (Hawaii) form? What effects does that have on the lithosphere? landforms with gently sloping sides, formed from nonexplosive eruptionsc. How does a cinder cone (Central America) form? What effects does that have on the lithosphere? Cinder cones are the steepest of volcanoes mildly explosived. How does a composite volcano (Mt. St. Helens/ Vesuvius) form? What effects does that have on the lithosphere? alternating layers of lava and layers of pyroclastic material, which have flowed down on different sides of the volcano at different times.e. What is a lahar? mud flow A lava flow? lava flowing down a hillside A pyroclastic flow?fragmented rock, crystals, ash, pumice, and glass shardsRead more: http://www.scienceclarified.com/landforms/Ocean-Basins-to-Volcanoes/Volcano.html#ixzz3wPfkSNMJ How does each affect the lithosphere?f. What is volcanic ash? How does it affect the atmosphere and global temperatures? Volcanic ash consists of very fine rock and mineral particles less than 2 mm in diameter that are ejected from a volcano - it decreases global temperatures by blocking sunlightg. Where do most volcanoes form? At plate boundries What is a hot spot volcano? a thin spot in the mantle where magma reaches the surface (examples hawaii and yellowstone)

12. What causes an earthquake?Earth quakes are sudden movements of a fault

a. What is stress? pressure on the fault What do - compression, tension, shear - result in? faults b. What is a fault? a break in the rocks that make up the Earth's crust, along which rocks on either side have moved past each other

c. What type of stress and rock movement are found at each of the 3 types of faults - reverse, normal, strike-slip?

d. What are seismic waves? an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.

i. How do the following types of seismic waves - primary,(pushing and pulling) secondary (up and down, or side-to-side) , surface (side-to-side)- move the rocks through which they travel? Which are fastest? P waves will go fastest .Which do the most damage? Surface ii. What does a Travel-Time Graph show? (You should be able to use one!) used to determine the distance to an epicenter based on the amount of time that earthquake waves have traveled. iii. What is the focus of an EQ? point below the surface where the eq occured What is the epicenter? point above the surface where the eq occured How can an EQ’s epicenter be located? (Be able to locate the epicenter if given the arrival times of P-waves and S-waves.) using graph calculate distance and triangulate 13. How do the following scales - Richter measures magnitude 1-10 Modified Mercalli based upon what people in the area feel I- XII- measure the intensity of earthquakes? What numbers are used by each? What does each successive number represent? Richter - each whole number step represents a ten-fold increase14. How is a seismic intensity map made? show lines of equal felt seismic intensity Which of our states have the highest seismic risk? Alaska What is North Carolina’s seismic risk? low- moderate Is it the same across the state? no higher in the mnts.15. Where on Earth do most EQs occur? (If plotting the locations of EQs on a world map, what pattern would you see?) plate boundaries 16. How do the following EQ hazards - pancaking flattened soil liquefaction soil behaves like water, fault scarp small step or offset on the ground surface, tsunami giant wave that is caused by earthquakes – affect the lithosphere and human life and property? All can cause damage to buildings and hurt or kill people17. What precautions can be taken to prevent the loss of human life and destruction to property due to EQs? find safe place below table or desk, doorway, or open area

18. Where is each located - crust, upper mantle, asthenosphere, lower mantle, core?

EEn 2.3: Explain the structure and processes within the hydrosphere.

EEn 2.4: Evaluate how humans use water.

1. When sea ice melts, the water gets cold and salty and sinks - why? cold water is dense and sinksa. Where does cold water from the poles go? towards the polesb. What does deep ocean water do as it reaches the equator and warms? it rises heats and flows back toward the polesc. What is an upwelling? which deep, cold water rises toward the surface What causes it? caused by wind

2. How do each of these processes of the water cycle work? evaporation , transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration. evaporation is a liquid becoming h20 vapor, transpiration water leaving plants, condensation is vapor to liquid (makes clouds) precipitaion is water falling to earth and infiltration is water going into the soil 3. What is the connection between surface water and groundwater? How does each turn into the other? both can recharge the other4. What are the following parts of a river? – river, tributaries feed a larger water way, watershed all the land that drains into a body of water, divide highland that separates watersheds, floodplain land adjacent to rivers that floods periodically meander curve in the river , headwaters the start of the river often in the mountains, and mouth where the river empties into the ocean5. Where does water in a river flow the fastest? inside of the curve the slowest? outside of the curve Which part of a meander would be eroded more – the inside or outside? (Hint, where is water moving fastest?)6. What causes floods? How do groundwater levels affect flooding? flooding occures when rain or snow melt happens faster than it can infultrate the soil. This happens when rivers are high and groundwater is high. 7. List threats to the Yadkin-PeeDee River. Sedimentation, water pollution, decrease water 8. What is eutrophication? What can speed it up? build up of plant concentrations - can be sped up by excess plant nutrients (from fertilizers or animal waste) 9. Where would the following types of wetlands be found in N. Carolina – bogs mountains, swamps coastal plains, marshes coastal plains?

a. What are two important functions of wetlands? filter water, store water, habitatb. What human activities can degrade (harm) our wetlands? draining, saltwater intrusion, urbanization or converting to ag land, pollutionc. What are three ways our wetlands can be preserved? support agencies that protect wetlands, avoid construction near, 3Rs

d. What is an estuary? the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream. Where does the fresh and salt water come from? fresh water from river saltwater from ocean (makes brackish water) How would an upstream drought affect the water in an estuary? water would become more salty

10. Where is most of Earth’s water? oceans Where is most of Earth’s fresh water? ice caps and glaciers11. How are the following terms describing groundwater defined – porosity, aquifer, aquiclude, zone of saturation, water table? 12. What is a well? a hole drilled into the ground to access water contained in an aquifer. 13. The following are consequences of the overuse of groundwater…

a. What is drawdown? a lowering of a reservoir b. What is aquifer depletion? Using groundwater faster than it is replenished (often for ag)c. What is subsistence? when water is taken out of the soil, the soil collapses, compacts, and dropsd. What causes salt-water intrusion into wells in coastal areas? movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers replacing the freshwater that was removed

14. What are some threats to our groundwater supplies? overuse/depletion, contamination, NO3a. What substance is drawn up when wells are over pumped? salt water or minerals b. Can most chemical contaminants be easily removed from groundwater? noc. How can our groundwater be protected and restored? 1.Identify and eliminate pollution sources. 2.Monitor pollution. 3.Pump groundwater to surface and treat it.

15. What are 4 important uses of freshwater in our country? Agriculture, transportation, recreation, drinking!a. How water use differ in different parts of our country? Eastern states - cooling, energy production, and manufacturing. Western states - irrigationb. How is water used in NC? public use (drinking), energy, industryc. What are dams built for?control flooding, energy production, manage water resources (drinking water

16. What is the difference between point (have a single point of origin) and nonpoint pollution?(come from a wide variety of places can’t identify source) What are examples of each? Include sedimentation and stormwater runoff in your answer. Nonpoint sourcescome from widely spread areas and cannot be identified and cleaned up as easily.

… Two examples a.pesticides and fertilizers from farms and yards b.oil and gasoline from parking lots from storm water runoff - often carries sediment that leads to sedimentation

1.Point sources have a single point of origin (often a piped discharge. Three examples include (but aren’t limited to)…

a.sewage b.spills c.industrya. What are sources of arsenic in groundwater? from bedrock or runoff from mining

b. What is the difference between groundwater and surface water pollution? not much especially because they move between ground and surface Which is easier to pollute? surface To clean up? surfacec. What chemical & physical factors affect the quality of NC streams? pH, DO, turbidity d. How is the biotic index used to determine the quality of water in a stream? is a scale for showing the quality of an environment by indicating the types of organisms present in it. It is often used to assess the quality of water in rivers.e. Where is a stream most affected by pollution – headwaters or mouth – and why? Gains pollution the entire length so it accumualates

17. How is water treated to make it potable (drinkable)? It is physically cleaned by filters, biologically cleand with bacteria and then chemically treated w/ UV and/or Cl

a. What is the effect of population growth on potable water sources? more people means more demand on clean drink water. Also more people increase water pollution and water diseases.b. What two laws were passed to ensure clean, drinkable water? Safe drinking water Act and clean water act

18. How can farmers, industries, every day people conserve water? Trickle irrigation, recycled water/gray water, turn water off when not in use, do not dump waste into storm drains, limit fertilization

EEn 2.5: Understand the structure of and processes within our atmosphere.

1. What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? Nitrogen By what percent? 78 The second most? Oxygen By what percent? 212. What are the functions/importances of the following substances in the atmosphere… oxygen need for animal to breath, carbon dioxide plants need for photosynthesis and is greenhouse gas, ozone blocks UV radiation, water vapor water cycle and greenhouse gas, water clouds/rain, ice clauds/precip., dust nuclei of condensation and salt nuclei of condensation, combine with rain3. What are the characteristics and composition of the 5 layers of the atmosphere – troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere? What is found in each? is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer. 2) Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer absorbs harmful rays from the Sun. 3) Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere. 4) The thermosphere is a layer with auroras. It is also where the space shuttle orbits. 5) The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere.

a. Where is the ozone layer? stratosphere Why is it so important to life on Earth? blocks UV radiationb. How does the temperature, pressure, & density vary as one moves up the troposphere? decreasec. What characteristic is used to identify the layers of the atmosphere? temperatured. Why is the thermosphere said to be the hottest layer when it feels so cold up there? it is the closest to the sun, therefore there are extremely hot molecules, but there's so much space, that the molecules don't touch, therefore they don't have the ability to create friction.

4. How much of the sun’s energy does Earth’s surface absorb? What happens to the rest of it? 51%5. What is dew point? What does it tell us? the atmospheric temperature below which water droplets begin to condense and dew can form.6. If warm air and cold air collide, which will rise? warm air

a. Why does warm air rise? less denseb. Why does cold air sink? more dense

7. What creates wind? air moving due to uneven heating of the earth’s surface (warm air rises cold air moves in)8. What is relative humidity? the amount of water the air is actually holding compared to how much it can hold

a. What instrument is used to determine relative humidity?hygrometer - Psychrometerb. How is a relative humidity chart used?

9. How are clouds formed? What part of the water cycle is involved? Air rises, as it rises it cools and condenses around a nuclei of condensation, the water droplets join together to make clouds (evaporation and condensation)

a. What is the lifted condensation level? the pressure level a parcel of air reaches saturation by lifting the parcel from a particular pressure levelb. What is orographic lifting? from warm air rising over mountains

10. What is the difference between weather and climate? weather is the current conditions- changes often, Climate is the average of the weather over a long period of time11. What are the location and characteristics of the 5 major air masses that affect the weather of the USA? continental tropical, maritime tropical, continental polar, continental tropical, Arctic

12. What is the location (by latitude) and wind direction of the each of the global wind systems… polar easterlies, prevailing westerlies, trade winds. Which is responsible for the movement of

weather across the USA? Prevailing Westerlies 13. What is a jet stream? Narrow bands of fast, high altitude westerly winds 14. What are the horse latitudes and the doldrums? What causes them? Area of high pressure (little wind or rain) - named this because ship would get stuck with no wind to move ships15. What causes the four types of fronts - cold, warm, stationary, occluded? Identify symbols for each & describe the weather & clouds each causes. What happens to temperature of an area after

each passes?

16. Be able to read a weather map! What are isobars? lines of equal pressure Isotherms? lines of equal temperature What type of wind is represented by isobars that are close together? (strong or weak?)17. Describe the 2 types of pressure systems – high and low. Recognize the symbol for each. What kind of weather do they cause?

A high pressure system is a whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds symbol is a big blue H. A low pressure system is a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy weather with strong winds symbol is a big red L.

18. What kind of data is collected by the following weather instruments – thermometer temperature, barometer atmospheric pressure, anemometer wind speed, hygrometer (psychrometer) humidity, ceilometers height of clouds 19. What type of data do radiosondes collect – in general and specifically? atmospheric conditionsWhat is radar? send out electromagnetic waves similar to wireless computer networks and mobile phones. The signals are sent out as short pulses which may be reflected by objects in their path (such as rain)

a. What is radar used to track? rain, stormsb. What is Doppler radar used for? used in weather forecasting measures the direction and

speed, or velocity, of objects such as drops of precipitation. 20. How is a station model read? Why are station models used? Station models are symbols surrounded by numbers that are used to convey a huge amount of information in a small space.

21. Where do the majority of thunderstorms occur in the USA? FL and Plain states a. When and where do the following types of thunderstorms occur – sea breeze Forms because of temperature differences between the air over land and the air over water., orographic? Forms when an air mass rises as a result of orographic liftingb. Where is the safest place to be during a thunderstorm? inside (interior room or away from windows)

22. What is a tornado? violent whirling column of air in the sky in contact with the grounda. Review the Enhanced Fujita Scale. What does it measure? When and how does it measure that? it ranks tornadoes by their destruction level and wind speed. b. Where is Tornado Alley? is an area of the Great Plains on eastern Kansas and Oklahoma and including parts of the surrounding states, where tornadoes are frequent. c. Which 2 air masses create tornados? During which month do most tornadoes occur? Hot air masses and cold air masses. They occur during march and the summer.d. Where is the safest place to be in during a tornado? is flat in a ditch or ducked in cover inside (interior room)

23. What is a tropical cyclone? (a hurricane?) A Low pressure system that forms over a warm tropical air system.

a. Where do cyclones derive their energy? What causes them to lose strength?Stored within water vapor contained in moist air and it stops by cold water.

b. Which direction do hurricanes spin and which way do they usually move in the N. hemisphere?They spin counterclockwise and move north east.c. Which wind system pushes them back to the east?they are moved by global winds.

d. Do winds increase or decrease as a hurricane strengthens? What about air pressure?The winds increase and the air pressure decreasese. What does the Saffir-Simpson Scale classify?It measures the wind speed of a hurricane on a scale from 1-5.

24. Hurricane Hazards…a. Where are the strongest winds in a hurricane? eye wallb. What is a storm surge? What kills 9 out of 10 people who die in hurricanes? a store surge is the rising of the sea from atmospheric pressure changes and wind storms Storm surges are the number one causes of death from hurricanes.c. What is the number 1 safety tip for surviving a hurricane? evacuate it told to, Stay in doors and stay away from windows and all glass.

25. How does acid rain form? Gases like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide react with tiny droplets of water in clouds to form sulphuric and nitric acids. The rain from the clouds falls as very weak acid also known as acid rain

a. What human activities alter the pH of rain to cause acid rain?Electricity generation, factories, and motor vehicles.

b. What can coal-burning power plants do to prevent acid rain?The power plants burn coal which creates more SO2 than burning natural gas. they can add scrubbers to remove pollution from emissionsc. How does sea water acidification affect the oceans? As it becomes acidic it affects ocean life (especially coral and shelled organisms)

26. How do the following activities affect the quality of atmospheric composition? a. How do aerosols affect the atmosphere? They release CFC b. How do chlorofluorocarbons affect the atmosphere?break down the Ozone layer (ozone depletion or ozone hole)c. How does burning of wood or fossil fuels affect the atmosphere? increases CO2 which contribute to global warming d. How do industrial byproducts affect the atmosphere? Global warming and acid raine. How does over-farming affect the atmosphere? equipment releases CO2, uses up water, land can become dry (dust blown up and land more arid)

Look at each of the activities above. How can people reduce their negative impact on the atmosphere for each activity? Don’t use or use less, conserve, educate

EEn 2.6: Analyze patterns of global climate change over time.

EEn 2.7: Explain how the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere individually and collectively affect the biosphere over time.

1. What are 3 factors that describe the climate of a location? Elevation, closeness to water, Winds, ocean currents 2. Where are each of the following climate zones is located - tropics, temperate, polar?

a. In general, what temperatures would you experience in each zone?b. Why does it get colder as one moves toward the poles?

3. What is the rain shadow effect? What does it create on the leeward side of a high mountain range?

4. How do ocean currents affect climate?a. Which current affects our climate? California’s?b. On which coast would you find cold currents? Warm currents?

5. How do coastal climates differ from continental (inland) climates? Why?6. What does the Koeppen classification system classify?7. Which climate zone, class, and subclass do WE live in?8. What is a microclimate? Give an example.9. Are coastal areas cooler or warmer than inland areas in the winter? (Think about the difference in temperature between Clemmons and Wilmington.)10. What is a heat island? Give an example.11. What is a biome? What do the terms biotic factors and abiotic factors mean?12. What are the characteristics of the six biomes… How can you describe the climate of each? What plants and animals live in each? What adaptations must the plants and animals have to survive in each biome? What air mass is each affected by?

a. Tundrab. Taigac. Deciduous forestd. Deserte. Grasslandsf. Rain forest

13. Which biome is most of North Carolina in?14. What is an ice age? How does an ice age affect sea level?15. What is El Niño?

a. Which current is affected? How does pressure change in the Pacific Ocean?b. Which global wind system weakens? c. Why is the cold upwelling along the Peruvian Coast so important?d. What happens to the fisheries when the water warms? e. How does it affect the California coast? The Gulf Coast? The Atlantic?

16. How do the absence (or presence) of sunspots affect Earth’s climate? Why was the Maunder Minimum (Little Ice Age) so cold?17. How does a more elliptical orbit affect Earth’s climate?18. How do large volcanic eruptions affect Earth’s climate?19. How does extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect Earth’s climate? (Answer this question with the standard statement about CO2 being a toxic, greenhouse gas that causes global warming - for your Exam!)

a. How do changes in global temperatures affect agriculture?b. How do changes in global temperatures affect species diversity (esp. amphibians)?c. How do changes in global temperatures affect ecosystem balance?d. How do changes in global temperatures affect weather events?e. How do changes in global temperatures affect sea level? (esp. during warming) Related to this…

i. How do glaciers affect sea level? ii. How does plate movement affect sea level?

f. How are the shorelines and barrier islands of NC affected by sea level rise?g. How do changes in global temperatures affect ocean acidification? (and sea life)

20. What is the biosphere?21. What is biodiversity?

a. What is genetic biodiversity? Why is it important? What is a species that has lost genetic biodiversity?b. Which biome has the most biodiversity? Why?c. Which biome has the least biodiversity? Why?

22. What are 5 things that can reduce biodiversity?

a. Specifically, what is an invasive species? How does it impact biodiversity? What is an example of an invasive species here in NC?b. What is overharvesting?c. What is habitat alteration?

23. What impact does the loss of biodiversity have on our society – local and global?24. How can we prevent the loss of biodiversity?

EEn 2.8: Evaluate human behaviors in terms of how likely they are to ensure the ability to live sustainably on Earth. 1. What methods do we use to obtain… peat & wood, natural gas & petroleum (oil), uranium & coal?2. What are the consequences of the following activities on the lithosphere? Mining? Harvesting? Drilling?3. What are the benefits, costs, and environmental impact of the following types of alternative energy – solar, wind, biofuels, nuclear fusion, fuel cells, wave power, and geothermal?4. Which of the energy sources listed above would work best in the mountains, piedmont, and coastal plains of NC? Why?5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of traditional aquaculture? Sustainable aquaculture?6. What is carrying capacity?7. What is the difference between dependent & independent limiting factors? What are examples of each?8. What is the impact of a growing population on North Carolina’s natural resources?9. What is an ecological footprint? What are levels of ecological footprints?10. What contributes to your ecological footprint? Is it big or small? How can you make it smaller?11. How can the philosophy of “reduce, reuse, recycle” be used to preserve our natural resources? Which of the 3 “R’s” is the best policy? Which has the least impact but is better than no action?