Unit 5 Earth Cycles

Hydrologic Cycle

Hydrologic Cycle Hydrologic Cycle (water cycle) is the constant movement and endless recycling of water between the atmosphere , above and under the ground

Hydrologic Cycle

Major Parts of the Hydrologic Cycle

the process of liquid becoming a vapor (gas) Evaporation Transpiration the process of liquid becoming a vapor (gas) the process of excess water from plants being evaporated

Condensation- the process of a vapor (gas) becoming a liquid Cooling vapors form clouds

Precipitation- rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground

Run-Off- when the excess water from lakes, streams, and rivers drain into the ocean

Hydrologic Cycle Heat from the Sun causes surface water to evaporate As warm air rises the air cools and can no longer hold vapor this is called – convection

Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle Carbon is an essential organic compound and an important ingredient in living tissue. Carbon can be found in the atmosphere through plant, root and animal (including decomposers) respiration, burning and auto and factory emissions. Carbon can leave the cycle by being buried and turning into fossilized coal or oil. But can be put back in through the burning of fossil fuels.

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up 78% of our atmosphere Important nutrient for all living things in protein formation. Nitrogen fixing bacteria found in soil and some plants, nitrifying algae and lightning can take nitrogen out of the atmosphere. Denitrifying bacteria release nitrogen back into the atmosphere.

Phosphorus Cycle

Phosphorus Cycle a sedimentary cycle (unlike carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen) Phosphorus does not enter the atmosphere, remaining mostly on land and in rock and soil minerals Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and animals in the form of ions

Earth’s Spheres

Atmosphere A gaseous sphere and it envelopes the Earth, Consists of a mixture of gases composed primarily of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor.

Atmosphere 79% Nitrogen 20% Oxygen. The other 1% is Carbon Dioxide, Argon, & Water Vapor In the troposphere is where all the weather on Earth is located. Responsible for the Earth’s heat through conduction, radiation, and convection

Biosphere All life on earth, including man, and all organisms. The life zone on our planet distinguishes our planet from the others in the solar system.

Biosphere The Biosphere covers as high as 1,800 m and as low as 8,000 m below sea level The biosphere has different seasons The Biosphere not only contains living organisms but dead organic matter.

Cryosphere The portion of the Earth's surface where water is in a solid form Snow or ice: includes glaciers, ice shelves, snow, icebergs, and arctic climatology

Cryosphere 97% of Earth’s freshwater is frozen in the Polar Ice Caps The Cryosphere is not just found in the North and South poles but all over the world, such as Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. Seasonal snow cover can cover 47 million square kilometers of the Earth.

Hydrosphere All of the water on Earth 71% of the earth is covered by water and only 29% is terra firma

Hydrosphere 90% of solar radiation is absorbed by the oceans’ surface 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans The hydrologic cycle interacts with the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and the geosphere

Geosphere The Earth's solid surface. It includes continental and oceanic crust as well as the various layers of the Earth's interior. The geosphere is layered because denser materials sank towards the Earth’s center as the hot, molten was Earth forming over 4 billion years ago.

Geosphere Responsible for plate tectonics; volcanos, earthquakes, and mountain ranges Every couple million years the North and South poles switch, magnetically

Ocean Currents

Influence of Currents on Climate

Currents play a critical role in how oceans affect weather and climate by transporting heat from warm areas to cool areas. Currents moderate climates- without the currents moving heat, the world’s climates would be more extreme.

Gulf Stream One of the deepest surface currents- carries heat Powerful, warm, swift Starts at the Gulf of Mexico, crosses the Atlantic Ocean Influences the east coast of N. America and the west coast of Europe Moves warm air from over the Gulf Stream inland Florida and N. Europe- milder winters

California Current S. California- mild climate due to the moderating effects of the Pacific Ocean The southerly current along the Calif. coast brings cool water from the north, keeping it cooler than it normally would be in the summer

Peru Current (also called Humboldt) Cold ocean current flowing north from the Antarctic along the west coast of South America to southern Ecuador, then west. It reduces the coastal temperature, making the western slopes of the Andes arid because winds are already chilled and dry when they meet the coast

Factors that Affect Direction and Patterns of Major Ocean Surface Currents

Wind Transfers energy to the water it blows across by the force of friction on the water’s surface Causes both surface currents and waves

Land Masses interrupt the flow of ocean currents creating closed circular current systems called gyres.

Coriolis Effect influences the wind by giving it a circular flow pattern the air deflects toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere- same with currents Christopher Columbus reached the new world thanks to the Coriolis effect Note: If the Earth did not rotate and remained stationary, the atmosphere would circulate between the poles (high pressure areas) and the equator (a low pressure area) in a simple back-and-forth pattern. But because the Earth rotates, circulating air is deflected.

Cause of the Coriolis Effect Earth’s rotation- adds an apparent sideways motion to objects moving over the Earth’s surface. Pilots need to correct their flight path based on the earth rotating under the airplane, which is the Coriolis effect.

In the inertial frame of reference (upper part of the picture), the black object moves in a straight line. However, the observer (red dot) who is standing in the rotating frame of reference (lower part of the picture) sees the object as following a curved path.

What causes deep currents What causes deep currents? Density Differences in Salinity & Temperature Convection currents Vertical movement of currents caused by temperature differences Temperature divides layers of water Deep sea vs. surface currents