10 Questions
What is the primary function of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis?
Combine with hydrogen to form glucose
Which layer of the atmosphere is responsible for the occurrence of auroras?
Thermosphere
What is the main component of the hydrosphere?
Water
Which layer of the Earth includes mountains and valleys?
Lithosphere
How is carbon recycled in the carbon cycle?
Through soil, living things, and the atmosphere
What is the primary cause of the major surface currents in the ocean?
Wind
Which process involves plants using sunlight to create energy that can be utilized by other organisms in an ecosystem?
Photosynthesis
What is the main impact of El Niño events on weather conditions in Australia?
Intensified heat waves and bushfires
Which term refers to the variety of different species present in an ecological community?
Biodiversity
What is the primary source of carbon released into the atmosphere when burning fossil fuels?
Burning coal and oil
Study Notes
Fossil Fuels
- Contain carbon from plants and animals that died millions of years ago
- Burning releases carbon that has been unavailable to the carbon cycle for millions of years
Ocean Currents
- Caused by wind, temperature, variation in salinity, rotation of the earth, and gravitational pull of the sun and moon
- Wind drives major surface currents
- Deep currents begin at the pole and carry cold water along the bottom of the ocean
- Thermohaline Circulation (Global Conveyor Belt) distributes heat around the globe
- Gulf Stream carries warm water from the Caribbean Sea across the North Atlantic Ocean
Ecosystems
- Include all living things in a specific area and their interactions with the environment
- Composed of hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere
- Examples of ecosystems: community of hippopotamuses in the Murrumbidgee River
Communities
- Made up of all the different species that live in an ecosystem
- All organisms within a community rely on each other for survival
- Plants use photosynthesis to create chemical energy
- Consumers eat other organisms to obtain energy
- Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead organisms
El Niño and La Niña
- El Niño brings drier and hotter weather, while La Niña brings wetter and cooler conditions
- El Niño events can intensify heat waves, increase severity of bushfires, and contribute to drought conditions
- La Niña occurs when trade winds are stronger than normal, while El Niño occurs when trade winds are weaker
Biodiversity
- Means the variety of different species in one ecological community
- Maintaining biodiversity is important for using the ecosystem sustainably
Global Systems
- Atmosphere: 4 major layers - Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere
- Hydrosphere: all the water on Earth, including surface, atmosphere, underground, and bodies of living things
- Lithosphere: Earth's crust and top 100km of rigid upper mantle, including rocks, soil, and landscape features
- Biosphere: all living things on Earth, including microbes to humans
Carbon Cycle
- Essential for life on Earth
- Carbon is found in all living things, dead bodies, and waste
- Carbon dioxide is used in photosynthesis to form glucose
- Carbon is recycled through the soil, living things, and atmosphere in the carbon cycle
- Respiration releases carbon back into the atmosphere and hydrosphere
- Organisms release carbon into the soil in waste, which is then released by decomposers
This quiz covers the major layers of the atmosphere, including the Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere, as well as the components of the hydrosphere and lithosphere. Test your knowledge on Earth's systems!
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