Term
| At what point in time did 60% of all species die out? |
|
Definition
| At the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary |
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Term
| What are the impact results of a 10km diameter meteorite? |
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Definition
| Blast Wave, vaporization of rock and water, earthquakes, tsunamis, global fires, global darkness, extreme cold, and acid rain. |
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Term
| Name diferent types of meteorites. |
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Definition
| Stony, Iron, and Stony-Irons. |
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Term
| What are the two different types of stony meteorites? |
|
Definition
| Chrondites and achrondites. |
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Term
| Where do meteorites come from? |
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Definition
| The main source is from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter but a few dozen also derived from the moon and mars and rarely derive from comets. |
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Term
| What causes the formation of meteorites that come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter? |
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Definition
| Collision and fragmentation shifts the orbit of some fragments out of the asteroid belt |
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Term
| What causes the formation of meteorites that come from between the moon and mars? |
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Definition
| They are most likely the result of an asteroid impact with the moon and mars, sending terrestrial material into space. |
|
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Term
| What causes the formation of meteorites that come from comets? |
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Definition
| As the comet gets close to the sun, it sublimates resulting in a cloud of diffuse and fine particles. Comets can split apart when affected by the sun's strong gravitational force. |
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Term
| ABout how many new apollo objects are found each year? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| What will all earth-crossing asteroids eventually do? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| How many impact craters our known on our planet? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the closest large impact crater to Michigan? |
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Definition
| The 1.8 billion year old 155 mile wide sudbury basin in Ontario, Canada |
|
|
Term
| What is the impact sequence of events? |
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Definition
| Impact-Mass strikes the Earth and produces shock wave. Compression-SHock wave excavates and compresses material, vaporizing impactor and raising temperature of target rock. Decompression-compressed target rock rebounds. |
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|
Term
| When did the First Primitive Atmosphere develop? |
|
Definition
| 4.6-4.0 billion years ago |
|
|
Term
| What was a significant characteristic of the Firt Primitive atmosphere? |
|
Definition
| It was completely anoxic (lacking oxygen) |
|
|
Term
| When did the Secon Chemical/Premicrobal atmosphere develop? |
|
Definition
| 4.0-3.3 billion years ago |
|
|
Term
| Why did the composition of the atmosphere change the first time? |
|
Definition
| Because of volcanic out gassing and perhaps impact degassing of left over planetesimals and cometesimals colliding with earth. |
|
|
Term
| What were the temperatures like of the second atmosphere? |
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Definition
| Much higher than present temperatures because of high initial temperatures from accretion of planet impacts and also the high amount of carbon dioxide and water of the second atmosphere resulted in a considerable greenhouse effect |
|
|
Term
| When and why did the first oceans develop? |
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Definition
| 3.9-3.8 billion years ago during the second atmosphere when the atmosphere cooled enough for water vapor in the atmosphere to condense to form rain which collected in the ocean basins. the expanding ocean also served as a sink for much of the amospheric carbon dioxide |
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Term
| Could life have existed during the second atmosphere? |
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Definition
| Life could not have existed within 5M of the ocean surface or on the land because the atmosphere did not provide protection from ultraviolet radiation that disrupts the development of complex molecules such as those of living organisms |
|
|
Term
| When did the Third Microbal Atmosphere develop? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| When and what were the first oxygen producing phototrophic organisms? |
|
Definition
| 3.8-3.5 billion years ago procaryote cyanobacteria ("blue-green algae") |
|
|
Term
| What was the next step after oxygen producing organisms? |
|
Definition
| By 1.3 billion years more efficient eukaryotic cells ("green algae") evolved developing oxygen mediating enzymes which are a prerequisite for multicellular, advanced organisms |
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Term
| What led to the formation of an ozone layer thick eough to shield plant life within 5m of the ocean surface from harmful effects of UV radiation? |
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Definition
| slow buildup of free oxygen in the atmosphere during developmet of the thrids atmosphere |
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|
Term
| When did the Fourth Modern Atmosphere develop? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| What is today's atmosphere composed mainly of? |
|
Definition
| nitrogen, oxygen, and argon with some carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, and hydrogen |
|
|
Term
| What is the average thickness of Earth's atmosphere? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What happens to Earth's atmospheric pressure with elevation? |
|
Definition
| It decreases exponentially |
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|
Term
| What happens to earth's atmosphereic density with elevation? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| What are the two characters of the sea floor? |
|
Definition
| oceanic ridges and abyssal plains |
|
|
Term
| What is the largest topographic feature on the earth? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| How are black smokers formed? |
|
Definition
| Hydrothermal vents within central valleys release hot sulfur rich solutions from volcanic rocks. The vents form meter-high dark mounds (black smokers) composed of metal-rich precipitates. |
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|
Term
| Where do abyssal plains lie? |
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Definition
| 5-6km below the ocean surface and are underlain by fine sediment (mud) |
|
|
Term
| What sea floor characteristic form most of the ocean floor? |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| Hoe does the thickness of abyssal plains work? |
|
Definition
| The sediment thins towards the mid-ocean ridges and becomes thicker away from the ridges |
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|
Term
| Types of continental margins |
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Definition
| Passive continental margins, active continental margins, special environments |
|
|
Term
| What are passive continental margins characterized by? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What occurs past the continental shelves? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What are active continental margins characterized by? |
|
Definition
| narrow to nonexistent continental shelves or by deep ocean trenches |
|
|
Term
| What is a characteristic of the special environments within the continental margin? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What sort of reefs are associated with islands? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What sort of reefs are associated with continental margins? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What sort of reefs are isolated and ring shaped and associated with guyots? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Composition and properties of seawater |
|
Definition
| Gases, Salinity, Temperature, and Density |
|
|
Term
| What are gases in seawater made of? |
|
Definition
| Mainly oxygen and carbon dioxide |
|
|
Term
| Why is dissolved oxygen high in the photic zones? |
|
Definition
| Due to exchange with the atmosphere and photosynthesis by marine organisms |
|
|
Term
| Does oxygen increase or decrease with depth and why? |
|
Definition
| Decreases due to oxidation of dead organic matter. |
|
|
Term
| What doe soxygen do below the depth of 1km? |
|
Definition
| Dissolved oxygen increases due to convection (circulation) of oxygen rich cold waters from polar regions |
|
|
Term
| Why is carbon dioxide low in the photic zone? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Does carbon dioxide increase or decrease with depth and why? |
|
Definition
| Increases due to decay of organic matter and high solubility of carbon dioxide in cold waters |
|
|
Term
| What is the average ssalinity of the ocean? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is salinity in the ocean due to? |
|
Definition
| mainly dissolved Cl, Na, SO4 and Mg |
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|
Term
| Where is the salinity of the ocean generally least and why? |
|
Definition
| Near the surface due to dilution by fresh water |
|
|
Term
| Does salinity increase or decrease with depth? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the average temperature of the ocean? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Does temperature increase or decrease with depth and what results from the change? |
|
Definition
| Decreases often resulting in a warm mixed surface layer 100-200m thick. |
|
|
Term
| What temperature lies beneath the surface layer? |
|
Definition
| A permanent thermocline of unmixed water and a cold layer of unmixed water below that |
|
|
Term
| What is the range of density in the ocean? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the density at high latitudes? |
|
Definition
| It increases to a depth of 300m and then remains generally constant. |
|
|
Term
| What does density do in low latitudes? |
|
Definition
| It increases to a depth of 2,000m and then remains constant |
|
|
Term
| What are some examples of surface ocean currents? |
|
Definition
| The north and south equatorial currents, the west wind current, the north pacific current, and the gulf stream |
|
|
Term
| According to the Coriolis and Ekman effects which way is the curviture in the northern and southern hemisphere? |
|
Definition
| In the northern hemisphere the curviture is to the right, while in the southern hemisphere it is to the left. |
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|
Term
| When are reverse flows possible according to the Coriolis and Ekman effect? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The north atlantic subtropical gyre, the north pacific gyre (Great Pacific Garbage Patch) |
|
|
Term
| What are deep-sea currents driven by? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What causes the density of seawater to increase? |
|
Definition
| Cooling and freazing in the polar regions |
|
|
Term
| What causes the density of seawater to decrease? |
|
Definition
| High temperatures and large quantities of rainfall in the tropics |
|
|
Term
| What causes upwelling of cold waters elsewhere? |
|
Definition
| Sinking of polar waters displaces deep waters |
|
|
Term
| examples of deap-sea currents upwelling |
|
Definition
| North Atlantic deep water, antarctic bottom water |
|
|
Term
| How long does the cycle of upwelling take? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the result of trade-wind currents weakening or reversing late in the year due to eastward shift of the low pressure cell? |
|
Definition
| Warm surface waters are transported eastward resulting in blockage of upwelling of cold deep water (El Nina) and high precipitation along coast of South America |
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|
Term
| When do effects of El Nina extend far beyond the eatern pacific? |
|
Definition
| During periods of unusually well-developed blockage ( a strong El Nina event) |
|
|
Term
| Examples of El Nina effect |
|
Definition
| Drought conditions in Western Pacific, heavy rains in Western South America, Southern US and California, and warmer winters in Canada |
|
|
Term
| How do tropical cyclones originate? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Where do tropical cyclones develop? |
|
Definition
| Along the boundary between the doldrums and the trade-wind belt |
|
|
Term
| Of the short-wave radiation intercepted by the Earth's atmosphere, what percent is reflected off air molecules, atmospheric dust, clouds, and the Earth's surface? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Of the short-wave radiation not reflected, what percent is absorbed by the atmosphere, mainly by ozone in stratosphere? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Of the short-wave radiation not reflected, what percent is absorbed by the atmosphere, mainly by the Earth's surface? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| the amount of longwave radiation emitted from an object is a function of what? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere dictated by? |
|
Definition
| The balance between incoming and out going radiation |
|
|
Term
| What type of radiation is mostly gained or lost at the Earth's surface? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Is the heat capacity of liquid water relatively large or small? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Factors driving natural climate change |
|
Definition
| Atmosphere composition, plate tectonics, orbital variablilty, solar variability, and volcanic eruptions |
|
|
Term
| What doe spositive climate forcing lead to? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What does negative climate forcing lead to? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What is atmosphere composition connected to? |
|
Definition
| Changes in concentration of greenhouse gases |
|
|
Term
| What is plate tectonics connected to? |
|
Definition
| Changes in Earth's surface albedo and ocean circulation |
|
|
Term
| What is orbital variability connected to? |
|
Definition
| Changes in received shortwave radiation |
|
|
Term
| What is solar variability connected to? |
|
Definition
| Changes in sunspot activity |
|
|
Term
| What are volcanic eruptions connected to? |
|
Definition
| An increase in the atmospheric albedo |
|
|
Term
| WHat are greenhouse gasses connected to? |
|
Definition
| An increase in atmospheric longwave radition from burning fossil fuels |
|
|
Term
| What are anthropogenic aerosols connected to? |
|
Definition
| An increase in atmospheric albedo from generation of air-born dust |
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