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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Thermohaline currents are driven by? |
Temperature and Salinity |
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Generally Sediment cores.. |
Provide less detail but a longer timeline of information (millions of years) |
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Generally Ice cores.. |
Do not provide as long of a timeline (800,000 years) as sediment cores but they do provide extensive detail |
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Ice cores can specifically tell us... |
Precipitation..from layer thickness Temperature.. from o2 and h2 isotopes CO2... from trapped air in bubbles Wind velocity/direction/erosion... from dust Global Volcanic Activity... Volcanic ash *Top of core is much better for layer indicators because deeper down the weight of ice compacts the other layers. "Marker Horizons" provide age and depth. |
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Sediment cores can specifically tell us... |
Changes in sedimentary composition Changes in sedimentary chemistry Microfossils Chemical Fossils Trace elements Oxygen Isotopes Carbon Isotopes |
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Energy transfer within the earth's climate includes... |
Solar radiation Thermal energy Infrared radiation Potential energy latent heat Kinetic energy Electrical energy |
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Incoming solar radiation is spread larger where? |
over the poles |
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The positioning of the ITCZ determines where solar heating is...
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Highest. |
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Tropopause is.. |
Lower in the poles and higher near the equator *the interference between the tropopause and stratosphere |
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Due to the Coriolis effect, wind and water is directed which way in the Northern hemisphere? |
To the Right |
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Due to the Coriolis effect, wind and water is directed which way in the Southern hemisphere? |
To the Left |
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what percent of heat transfer is the atmosphere responsible for from the equator to the poles? |
75% |
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The heat content of oceans is... |
Higher than the atmosphere |
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The atmosphere exchanges what with the ocean?
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thermal energy, oxygen, and CO2 |
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Tropical Cyclones require what... |
warm sea surface temperatures (SST) |
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Erosion removes what from the atmosphere |
CO2 |
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Some marine shale is so rich is organic material that it...
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Burns like coal |
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Limestone indicates what? |
a warm climate form mostly in Marine environments aragonite and calcite |
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What do coccolithophores do?
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increase the oceans albedo, release natural aerosols and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere |
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True or False: Sustained plinian eruptions have never increased atmospheric CO2 |
False |
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Dropstones indicate... |
information about the origin of icebergs indicate ice in the geological record drop from melting icebergs |
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Which type of isotope decays over geological time? |
radioactive |
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Which oxygen isotope is preferentially evaporated from the ocean? |
Oxygen 16 because it is lighter |
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Oxygen 18 shells indicate:
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More Ice at the Poles |
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Which carbon isotope is preferentially taken up by plants? |
carbon 12 |
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A sudden increase of Carbon 12 in plankton shells indicates what? |
a decrease in biological activity (photosynthesis) or a release from a geological reservoir which are commonly associated with extinctions |
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True or False: Climate has changes frequently over the last 4.5 million years? |
True |
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Characteristics of Snowball earth.. |
The rate of evaporation would fall to zero Drop in Global precipitation vertical thermohaline would have dominated |
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When was the last time the world was as warm as it is today? |
Eemian Interglacial Stage |
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Most of the Earth's energy come from and in what form? |
the sun in electromagnetic energy |
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The latitude where sun is directly overhead caries seasonally between... |
The Tropic of Cancer and The Tropic of Capricorn |
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Temperature gradients allow... |
equilibrium so that the poles stay cold but do not get colder, and the tropics stay warm but do not get warmer |
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Temperature gradients generate which global circulations? |
Hadley Cells Ferrel Cells Polar Cells upper air flow at the surface |
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Hadley Cells (Tropical convection) are characterized by.. |
High evaporation over oceans creates distinctive atmospheric boundary layer (latent heat of vaporization) moves north in July and south in January |
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Mechanism of Hadley cells is.. |
Surface air is warmed It expands and Rises to the troposphere As it rises it cools to form clouds latent heat is released creates thunderstorms |
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Descending limbs of Hadley cells are the sites of the world's... |
Major Deserts |
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Low pressure is found |
At low and high latitudes |
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High pressure is found |
in the mid-latitudes |
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Mid- Latitude Circulations (Ferrel Cells) |
Hot and Dry over land Humid over oceans Strongly affected by mixing and the Earth's surface Completes the Hadley Cells convection |
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Polar Cells |
-More heat is lost than received -Air is cold dense and dry (the worst over north ern Canada and Siberia) -Responsible for most of the weather in US and Western Europe -Coriolis Effect drives jet streams (up to 400km/hr) -Small instabilities mark Rossby Waves |
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What are Rossby Waves? |
The boundary between cold and warm air |
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Conveyor Belts |
Rise over warm fronts to join the jet streams Often seen from space High moisture and heavy precipitation ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WAYS ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION EQUALIZES GLOBAL TEMPERATURE IMBALANCES |
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Ocean currents deliver how much of the heat needed to maintain thermal balance between the equator and poles? |
35% |
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Ocean heating has been growing rapidly since.. |
the 1970s * Arctic and Antarctic are warming more rapidly than others |
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Top 100-400 m of the ocean is known as.. |
The mixing layer |
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Temperature, salinity, oxygen content, and trace element composition depend on.. |
POINT OF ORIGIN - Equatorial - Subtropical - Mid-latitude - Near Major Rivers - High Latitudes |
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Between 400-1000m of the Ocean is known as.. |
The transition zone Density and salinity increase while temperature decreases |
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Primary current that drives Thermohaline Circulation |
North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) |
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The coldest Current is |
The Antarctic bottom water (AABW) |
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Surface Water circulation consists of 10% of ocean circulation but is a major driver of? |
weather and climate |
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The interface between the ocean and the atmosphere is called.. |
Marine Atmosphere Boundary Layer (MABL) |
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Surface wind direction and speed is determined by.. |
the position of the hadley cells, ferrel and polar cells |
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Monsoons change due to.. |
Milankovitch Cycles |
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El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
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results in quasi-periodical changes in ocean Temp occurs every 2-7 years warm water spills over ocean surface release energy |
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El nina events ___________ energy? |
store energy |
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U-shaped valleys are an indication of what?
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Glaciation |
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Igneous Rocks |
Tell us a lot about the volcanic activity/emissions in the geologic record |
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Ripple marks form under...
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Flowing water - marine vs. Freshwater - shallow from deep water - determine the strength of ancient currents |
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Desiccation Cracks
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form when wet sediment dries and can tell us about drought |
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Bioturbation
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disturbance by animals |
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Alluvial Fans |
Thick river deposits evidence of tectonic activity rising mountain chains increased precipitation enhanced erosion |
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Coal Deposited form where there were once.. |
Carboniferous Forests removed at least 3,000 gigaton of carbon from the atmosphere formed during the "icehouse" period |
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Calcretes |
soils typical of arid and semiarid regions
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The most common radioactive isotope is..
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Carbon 14 half-life is 5740 years |
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Almost all oxygen is.. |
Oxygen 16 |
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Oxygen 18 is least available in.. |
cold parts of the atmosphere because it precipitates out preferential to calcium shells oxy 18 content of shells increases as temp falls but indicates warm climates |
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Recently we have seen an increase in |
Carbon 12 in the atmosphere and oceans |
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Strontium Isotopes are a proxy for.. |
erosion |
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Jagged leafs are more likely to be found in.. |
cooler climates |
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Plant stomata and carbon dioxide levels |
When the CO2 levels are high, stomata are low |
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Tree Rings indicate: |
Temperature Precipitation Wind Slope Soil Moisture Parasites Shading |
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K-T Event |
A major extinction event in which all dinosaurs and 60% of earth species were killed due to meteorite. |
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During the Proterozoic Eon, the sun was.. |
30% weaker CO2 and other GHG kept the earth from freezing over completely |
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Ice to Oven
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Creates a positive feedback loops because as the ice melted the earth's albedo was decreased causing it to be warmed further and then the ice to melt further |
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Permo-Carboniferous Period
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lasted 30 million years Period of significant mountain building very active erosion-removed CO2 ^^ caused further cooling CO2 fell from 1500 to 300-400 ppm |
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Cretaceous Hothouse World
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hot and humid
sea level was 250m higher than today dinosaurs/reptiles and giant marine animals poles were almost ice-free CO2 was between 400-1000 ppm |
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Pangea started to fall apart during.. |
Triassic and Jurassic periods |
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the last era before todays era is called the... |
Holocene |
