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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the basic causes of natural disasters?
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Natural Diasaters are a big release of energy
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Where does all of this energy come from?
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The big bang--all matter/energy exploded at one point
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Solar nebula
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Clouds condense, collapse and gravitational potential energy exchanged for kinetic energy
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What happened with earth accreated?
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Orbital bodies stuck together, the orbital energy was transferred to heat --> stored heat was primordial heat
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What three levels did the earth separate into?
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Core, mantle, crust
(innermost --> outermost) |
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Where does heat output FROM the earth come from?
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Radioactive decay (from nuclear chemicals decaying and thus giving off heat) and primordial heat (from initial collisions during earth's formation)
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What are the fuel for geological hazards?
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Radioactive decay and primordial heat
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What is the fuel for meteorological hazards?
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Solar energy--most solar radiation in visible light, 4000x the amount coming from the earth
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What is the energy for cosmological disasters?
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Orbital kinetic energy transfered on impacts (e.g., a meteor hitting us)
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What is the principle of thermal convection?
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Hot stuff rises, cold stuff falls
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Convection focuses energy output into
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Plate techtonics and earthquakes
Volcanoes Mountain building |
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Where is the earth most/least heated?
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Most at the equator, least at the poles
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Convection causes...
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air from the equator to be transported to the poles
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Air moving away from the equator (north in the northern hemisphere)
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moves farthur east than surrounding air
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Air moving towards the equator (south in the northern hemisphere)
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Moves slower than surrounding air
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Low and high pressure zones are caused by the
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Coriolis effect
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Polar Easterlies are
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Cold air from poles pushing west
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Trade winds are
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cold air returning to equator pushing west
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Westerlies are
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Mid-lattitude surface air flowing north pushing east
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Troposphere
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Air hotter at the bottom than at top, so where convection, weather, and clouds occur
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Stratosphere
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Area above troposphere; O2->O->O3 and protects life; hotter/lighter than troposphere; traps particles, inc. volcanic ash
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Why Earth?
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Earth formed large enough; retains heat; mantle convects (volcanoes; plate tectonics and earthquakes); core freezes (from core pressure; drives magnetic field)
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