Unit 1 Intro to Earth Science

Earth Science Mid Term ELL 3/4 Study GuideName ______

Unit 1 Intro to Earth Science

1. Know what each branch studies: Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology, and Oceanography

2. Know each sphere of Earth: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Geosphere, and Hydrosphere

4. What is plate tectonics? Why do lithospheric plates move?

5. Earth is a system, what does that mean? What are the energy sources for Earth (above and below surface); how are water and air and a volcano examples of each?

Unit 2 Earth’s Atmosphere and Air.

1. What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? What form of Oxygen is 03?

2. Why is air described a fluid? Volcanic debris, pollen and microbes are examples of ?

3. What are 3 roles of water vapor in the atmosphere?

4. What is weather? Climate? (definition)

Know characteristics of layers such as: where jets and satellites fly, outerspace begins, coldest layer, where weather and climate are established.

Seasons– the result of Earth’s tilt; revolution around the Sun.

Unit 3 Elements of Weather

2. At Earth’s surface, water can change from asolid to a liquid or a gas, all three states of ______?

3. Define: relative humidity

5. What are the 2 precipitation processes? What 1 property determines the type of precipitation you will have?

6. Define air pressure? What is the air pressure associated with cold and warm air? Define wind.How are differences in air pressure created?

7. What does stable air mean? unstable?

8. Does warm, saturated air have more or less water vapor than cold air?

Unit 4 Air Masses, Fronts and Storms

1. What are the 2 properties that characterize an air mass? What do we call the global area an air mass orginates in?

2. What air mass originates in Central Canada? (mT; mP; cP; or cT) Which mT affects you in Harrisburg PA.-- Hudson Bay; Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Ocean?

Fronts

1. Define front?

A: B:

C: D:

Storms

1. Define hurricane. When are they most likely to occur in USA? What is the eye?

2. Define tornado. What is a vortex?

3. How do hurricanes compare to tornadoes?

4. Cyclone is the classical weather definition for both a ______and a ______making them all the same thing.

Unit 5 Climate Change

1. Define climate. The 2 elements in a climatic description are ______and precipitation.

Carbon Cycle

2. What is a greenhouse gas? Greenhouse gases ______the Sun’s radiation, can be ______by human activities and include ______and water ______.

3. What are some consequences of increased global warming? (see Carbon Cycle note sheet)

4. Define ice sheet melting and ocean acidification?

5. Scientists agree that adding CO2 to the atmosphere is ______the planet and creating different ______.

65.