MYP Year 4 Ecology and Earth Science

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Climate Science

The atmosphere is a predominantly a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, argon, water vapour and other trace gases.

You don’t need to know the percentages for argon, carbon dioxide, and the other trace gases.

You should know the percentages of nitrogen gas (N2) and oxygen gas (O2).

Describe the composition of Earth’s atmosphere.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xyxlenlfpr4/VJganxdW8EI/AAAAAAAAAA4/pqhdlBqDE7A/s1600/air-composition-pie-chart2.jpg

The atmosphere is a predominantly a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, argon, water vapour and other trace gases.

Here’s a cool way to remember that idea.

Notice just how small the carbon dioxide, argon, and other gases are compared to the nitrogen.

Describe the composition of Earth’s atmosphere.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Atmosphere_Composition_Hand_Mnemonic.png/461px-Atmosphere_Composition_Hand_Mnemonic.png

Outline the structure of Earth’s atmosphere.

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/663007main_upper-atmosphere-graphic-orig_full.jpg

There are several layers in Earth’s atmosphere. Each layer has unique characteristics which influence life on our planet.

The two main layers we will focus on are the stratosphere and the troposphere.

All weather and human activities (even international flights in airplanes) happen in the troposphere.

The ozone layer is found in the stratosphere.

Outline the structure of Earth’s atmosphere.

http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/bam/live/content/zf37pv4/large

Short-term weather and long-term climate patterns result from three main processes:

1. The surface of the Earth receives uneven amounts of solar radiation, which creates differences in temperature.

2. That thermal energy is distributed around the globe by winds caused by the uneven heating.

3. Warm, moving air carries water vapor as is moves, distributing precipitation around the planet.

These are convection currents of rising warm air and falling cool air.

Big idea: Long-term patterns of temperature, precipitation, and light levels determine the climate in an area. Climate zones result from differences in the input of solar energy, based on latitude (distance from the equator).

More light = warmer temperatures, but….

Solar radiation is more intense near the equator and more dispersed near the poles, which is why the poles don’t overheat during the 6 months of polar day.

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Misconception alert! Climate describes how the atmosphere behaves over relatively long periods of time, whereas weather describes the conditions in the atmosphere over a short period of time.

The desert climate is typically hot and dry, but on any given day, it may experience cool, rainy weather.

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Big idea: Long-term patterns of temperature, precipitation, and light levels determine the climate in an area. Biomes are large geographic areas defined by a particular climate and the vegetation found there.

Biomes generally correspond with climate zones.

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Big idea: Long-term patterns of temperature, precipitation, and light levels determine the climate in an area.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Vegetation.png

Temperature, light, and

precipitation determine

which producers

(plants) grow in a biome.

The producers determine which consumers can live there.

BIOMES OF THE WORLD

Big idea: Long-term patterns of temperature, precipitation, and light levels determine the climate in an area.

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Precipitation + temperature

= CLIMATE!

POLAR latitudes

TROPICAL latitudes

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State which biome has…

… the highest average temperature and the highest average precipitation.

… the highest average temperature and the lowest average precipitation.

… temperatures between -7oC and +7oC and less than 200 cm of annual precipitation.

… the widest range of temperatures.

… the narrowest range of precipitation.

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Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.

What exactly does this mean?

Let’s look at that statement in a little more detail….

Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.“Dynamic” means constantly changing.

We see this in short-term weather systems (thunderstorms, hurricanes, typhoons, etc) that move heat, water, and wind around the planet.

It changes between seasons, and wind patterns change, as you can see in this animation of the jet stream.

http://assets.climatecentral.org/images/uploads/news/6_20_14_Brian_JetStreamAnimated.gif

Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.“Dynamic” means constantly changing.

We also see this in long-term climate patterns, as shown in this graph of historic sea levels, temperature, and atmospheric CO2 shown at right.

http://asteroidsclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CO2-levels-chart-James-Balog.png

Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.A system has inputs and outputs of both energy and matter.

Solar radiation (sunlight) provides most energy inputs - to the atmosphere. You can see that in this animation of the greenhouse effect. (More on that later!)

These energy inputs drive weather systems and winds.

https://agreenerfutureblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gh1.gif

Check out the e-book “A Greener Future ” bySven Åke Bjørke and Yannick Urs Schillinger, which is the source of this animation.

Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.A system has inputs and outputs of both energy and matter.

Some of that energy leaves the atmosphere when it is reflected or reradiated into space.

You can see that energy output in this animation of the greenhouse effect. (More on that later!)

https://agreenerfutureblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gh1.gif

Check out the e-book “A Greener Future ” bySven Åke Bjørke and Yannick Urs Schillinger, which is the source of this animation.

Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.A system has inputs and outputs of both energy and matter.

Evaporation and transpiration provide inputs of water to the atmosphere.

Precipitation is an output of water from the atmosphere.

Combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities provide inputs of CO2

and NOx to the atmosphere.

Livestock provide a major input of CH4 to the atmosphere.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Atmosphere_composition_diagram.jpg

Big idea: The atmosphere is a dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth.The greenhouse effect of the atmosphere is a natural and necessary phenomenon maintaining suitable temperatures for living systems.

The atmosphere acts like a blanket surrounding the planet, slowing the loss of heat to cold outer space.

https://www.koshland-science-museum.org/sites/default/files/GreenhouseEffect.jpg

The Greenhouse Effect:

“When hit by infrared long wave radiation, greenhouse gas (GHG) molecules vibrate, in turn hitting other molecules, making them also vibrate. Vibration is energy, in turn converted to heat, and warms the lower levels of the atmosphere (troposphere).”Source: https://agreenerfutureblog.wordpress.com

Explain the role of Earth’s atmosphere in sustaining life on Earth.

https://agreenerfutureblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gh2.gif?w=640

The most common GHGs are carbon dioxide (shown here), water vapor (H2O), methane (CH4), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

C = carbon x1

O2 = oxygen x2

Without the thermal energy trapped by greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere, water would freeze on the surface of the planet.

No liquid water = no chemical reactions = no life!

Without the greenhouse effect created by our atmosphere, the Earth would be a cold, dead planet.

Explain the role of Earth’s atmosphere in sustaining life on Earth.

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Transfers move energy or matter from one part of the system to another without changing form.

Transformations change the state of matter or the type of energy.

Water running downhill to a stream is a transfer.

Liquid water evaporating into water vapor is a transformation.

Label the transfer and transformation processes in this diagram.

Outline the transfers and transformations in the atmospheric system.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Atmosphere_composition_diagram.jpg

There is a difference between the natural greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Human activities are increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which leads to an increase in the mean global temperature

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-07/ghgconc2000-large.jpg

Big idea: Climate change has been a normal feature of the Earth’s history, but human activity has contributed to recent changes.

With reference to the diagram at right, outline the energy transformations in the greenhouse effect.

Discuss how human activities impact those transformations.

Outline the energy transfers and transformations in the greenhouse effect.

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