Earth and Environmental Science

Review for Final Exam

Part 2

Covering Modules 9 - 16

CurrentsMODULE 9: Oceans and Beaches

• Rip Current: Cuts an opening in a sandbar and moves straight out into the ocean.

• Long Shore Current: Moving parallel to the shore carrying large amounts of sand.

• Short Distance Current: Surface currents that travel over short distances.

• Deep Current: Caused by differences in water densities.

Water density and wind patterns are two factors that cause ocean currents.. Map of average sea surface salinity.

Credit: Right: NASA, http://aquarius.nasa.gov/education-salinity.html

Below: www.seos-project-edu Global belts of prevailing winds…

Salinity and temperatureare two factors that affect water densityAverage of horizontal and vertical brightness temperature for incidence angles below 30 degrees for a region of the South Pacific and Atlantic overlaying a map of salinity available from NOAA climatological data. According to the expected results the brightness temperature decreases for regions with higher salinity.

Credits: SMOS-BEC

Beach erosion is naturalHumans try to stop beach erosion by using

1. Sea walls

2. Channel dredging

3. And dune construction

• www.allhawaiinews.com - 500 × 375 - by Nancy Cook Lauer - NOAA

• woodsholegroup.wordpress.com - 1117 × 659 NOAA's Coastal Services Center

•

Upwelling

Upwelling

When nutrient rich cold water rises to the surface millions of fish follow because of the food in the water.

Coastal currents, surface water, and upwelling

Credit: Credit: Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Upwelling-labels-en.svg / CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Thermocline layerHas the greatest daily changes in temperature.

(Picture: Map of average sea surface temperatures. Credit: meted.ucar.edu)

More than 70% of the entire earth’s surface is covered by water.

El Niño is the phenomenon of ocean currents that changes weather patterns around the Earth.

Sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean (above). El Niño is characterized by unusually warm temperatures and La Niña by unusually cool temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. Anomalies (below) represent deviations from normal temperature values, with unusually warm temperatures shown in red and unusually cold anomalies shown in blue.

Ocean temperature distribution (top panel) that characterize El Nino (left) and La Nina right episodes in the Pacific Ocean. Changes from mean temperatures are shown in the bottom panel..

Credit: NOAA http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/

MODULE 10: Water Resources and Water Quality

Fresh waterWater that plants and animals need to drink makes up only about 3% of the earth’s water supply.

Fresh water is found in rivers, lakes, icebergs and underground in aquifers.

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological SurveyURL: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/photos-land.htmlPage Contact Information: Howard PerlmanPage Last Modified: Monday, 17-Mar-2014 11:03:28 EDT

Water Resources and Water Quality

MODULE 10:

The layers of an aquifer from bottom to top are:

1. zone of saturation

(All pores are filled with water.)

2. water table

(the highest underground level at which the rocks and soil in a particular area are completely wet with water.)

3. zone of aeration

(All pores are filled with air.)

Top: www.srh.noaa.gov

Right: nerrs.noaa.gov

The Water Cycle

• Condensation

• Precipitation

• Evapotranspiration

Fresh water to drink

What makes an artesian well special?

• Water is under pressure in an artesian well. These wells are usually very deep and the water is cold.

• Protect fresh water supplies

• Conservation and alternative methods of obtaining fresh water are ways we can protect our drinking water supply.

Ground Water, USGS General Interest publication

What is groundwater?, USGS Open-File Report 93-643

Coastal Ground Water at Risk, Saltwater Contamination along the Georgia coast

Groundwater discharge, USGS - The water cycle

Ground-Water Depletion Across the Nation USGS Fact Sheet 103-03

MODULE 11: Atmosphere and Weather Systems

Gases in the air

• Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere.

• Animal respiration (breathing) requires Oxygen.

• Animal respiration releases Carbon Dioxide

Trapped!• Ultra Violet (UV) radiation from the sun is trapped by

Ozone gas in the stratosphere. (www.eoearth.org )

Acid rain forms as gases react with water vapor in the atmosphere and form acids which return to Earth’s surface in the form of precipitation. (www.esrl.noaa.gov )

The pH scale

The measure of the acidity of a liquid sample is referred to as "pH." Acidic substances (like lemon juice) have low pH values, while basic substances (like ammonia) have high pH values. The pH scale runs from 0 (acid) to 14 (basic), with 7 being neutral.

http://www.hubbardbrook.org/6-12_education/Introduction/Intro13.htm

Discovery Chanel video on acid rain in Washington, DC

http://news.discovery.com/earth/videos/earth-acid-rain-eating-washington-dc.htm

Map of major surface winds, Credit: CC-By-CN-SA, Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton CollegeImage 2 of 2

Winds blow from the ocean to land during the day because Atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases.

MODULE 12: Climate and BiomesEvery living thing in an ecosystem is important because all living things play a role in an ecosystem no matter how big or how small.https://buffonescience9.wikispaces.com/UNIT+6+-+Ecology

Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors

Biomes

• The interaction of organisms with their environment is the best definition of what an Ecosystem.

• Invasive species are those that are not native to an area, but have come in and they have no natural predators. They take over the habitats of native species.

• Labels: burmese python, invasive species Source is the Global Invasive Species Database. Images are from Wikimedia Commons and are under Creative Commons licenses or are copyright free: one, two, three.

• Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta ). Photo Credit: April Nobile, AntWeb, California Academy of Sciences, 2000-2008

• NC is in the Temperate Deciduous Forest biome.

• Coastal plains, mountains and piedmont make up NC biomes.

• Coastal Plains is the largest.

• Vegetation and Climate are the 2 main factors that determine a biome.

MODULE 13: Air Pollution and Global Change

Indoor air pollution

• carbon monoxide

• pet dander and

• Radon

• Picture by Environment Canada.

Landfills

• Clay and plastic are used as liners in waste disposal at landfills.

• http://obrien-envproject.wikispaces.com/Brianna+Ahner

Barrier Islands

Formed by receding glaciers 18,000 years ago. Global warming is causing problems with the weather. Below: Creative Commons: flkr.com

Global Warming is also called Climate Change and it IS causing problems with the weather around the world.

OzoneGround level ozone is dangerous and is a cause of photochemical smog.

http://cleanaircarolina.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Charlotte-0408.jpg

http://cleanaircarolina.org/?page_id=1519

Stratospheric ozone protects us from UV (ultraviolet) radiation.earthobservatory.nasa.gov - 540 × 327 - Search by image

Stratospheric ozone processes the stratospheric ozone layer shields life on Earth from the Sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.

MODULE 14: Meteorology

What is the first step of a tornado formation?

• Wind traveling in two different directions.

• Convection is hot air rising and cool air sinking

• Rotation is a major indication of the type of weather phenomenon called a Tornado.

A tornado descends from the mesocyclone of a thunderstorm over New Mexico.

A. T. Willett/The Image Bank/Getty Images

Thunderstorms and tornados are NOT associated with warm fronts.Tornadoes don't just pop into existence -- they develop out of thunderstorms, where there's already a steady, upward flow of warm, low-pressure air to get things started.

https://www.google.com/search?q=thunderstorms+and+tornadoes&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=xscrU4feKKSQ0AHwo4CIDA&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=933&bih=425#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=_QgemEtK-wdS3M%253A%3BGhGtRhJdpjICOM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftamutimes.tamu.edu%252Ffiles%252F2013%252F06%252FTornadoes-forming.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftamutimes.tamu.edu%252Ftag%252Fthunderstorm%252F%3B1250%3B1013

Low pressure system A front

Moist and sinking air is associated with a low pressure system. the probability of precipitation would be high.

The boundary between a mass of warm air and a mass of cold air is called a front.

Cold Fronts - Geography For Kids - By KidsGeo.www.kidsgeo.com - 288 × 216 - Search by imageCold Fronthttp://brianmejia.wordpress.com/terms-

concepts/

The four stages of hurricane development

• Tropical wave

• tropical depression

• tropical storm

• hurricane

video.nationalgeographic.com - 356 × 200 -Search by imageKatrina Extreme: Mississippi Destruction

DangerEye Wall. The eye wall surrounds the eye. The strongest winds and heaviest rains are found in the eye wall, making it the most dangerous part of the hurricane.

Hurricanes - Structure | State Climate Office of North Carolinawww.nc-climate.ncsu.edu -723 × 543 - Search by imageHurricane Eye Wall.

The Coriolis effect describes how Earth’s rotation steers winds and surface ocean currents. Unlike land, air and water move freely (in the absence of obstacles). The Coriolis effect causes the path of a freely moving object to appear to curve. This is because Earth is rotating beneath the object. So even though the object's path is straight, it appears to curve. The curve appears to be to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. It appears to be to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.Right: (Coriolis Effect | CK-12 Foundationwww.ck12.org - 800 × 531

The Earth's rotation makes global winds seem to curve.

coriolis2.gifwww.srh.noaa.gov - 195 × 195

education.gsfc.nasa.gov

Is this an example of the Coriolis effect?

Does Coriolis determine which direction water in a toilet will swirl?

Unfortunately, no. Friction and the power of the flush have too big an

influence. But in the atmosphere and oceans, Coriolis affects flow direction.

The Earth's rotation makes global winds seem to curve.

This is the Coriolis effect.

Coriolis Effect and Frictionwww.earthonlinemedia.com -400 × 300 - Search by imageFigure 6.9 The influence of the Coriolis force on wind. Courtesy NASA JPL (Source)

MODULE 15: Planetary Motion

Kepler determined the nature of the forces that keep the planets in their orbits.

What was Kepler’s 2nd law states:

Each planet revolves so that an imaginary line connecting it to the sun sweeps over equal areas in equal time intervals.

The Astronomical Unit - Tutorials - The Heliocentric Revolutionastunit.com - 600 × 400 - Search by imageAnnounced first 2 laws of planetary motion in 1609. Announced 3rd in 1618.

EllipticalThe shape of an orbit is elliptical.

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/25497/1/bulge

NASA Satellites: April 2012nasa-spacestation-info.blogspot.com - 707 × 480 - Search by imageElliptical Galaxies - Zoom Astronomywww.enchantedlearning.com - 311 × 237 - Search by image

PrecessionEarth's axis slowly but continuously points in different directions in a path called precession.

Credit: Visible Earth

Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC

To see a very short video showing precession click below.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Milankovitch/Images/milankovitch_precess_high.mov

SeasonsThe tilt of the earth as it circles the sun is the reason that we have seasons.

NASA – NOAA

www.thorntonweather.com - 413 × 227 -

MODULE 16: The Sun’s Energy The sun produces energy through nuclear fusion.

Right: File:Sun poster.svg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Below: Taken by Hinode's Solar Optical Telescope on January 12, 2007, this image of the Sun reveals the filamentary nature of the plasma connecting regions of different magnetic polarity.

Radiation

The term used to describe how the Sun heats the Earth is Radiation.

http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/radiation-energy-transfer/

The greenhouse effectImages courtesy of NASA : Climate Change: Causesclimate.nasa.gov - 560 × 347 -

The process by which the sun's energy is absorbed by the Earth and re-radiated at longer wavelength.

Good luck on the final exam.•“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.“ – Edward Gibbon•“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.“ – Thomas Jefferson