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| sir isaac newton said that the earth is not really a sphere. ______ makes it bulge. |
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| mass that assumes a physical shape and occupies space. |
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a capacity to change the motion of, or to do work on, matter. |
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if inputs = outputs = 0 a system that is shut off from the surrounding encironment so that it is self contained. the earth is a closed system in terms of physical matter and resources - air water, and materials. however, open in terms of GAS. |
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inputs and outputs do not equal 0. energy in from sun, earth gives energy back to space (infrared energy and relevting light) |
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| earth's infrared emission into space (thermal infrared - TIR) |
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inputs of solar radiation to earth from the sun, earth reflects it. (includes ultraviolet, visible light, and shortwave infrared) |
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| the top of the atmosphere at 480 km |
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more radiation comes in than leaves |
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| more radiation leaves than comes in (desert) |
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| more radiation comes in than leaves (greater excess of power) (oceans) |
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| the avg insolation recieved at the thermopause when earth is at its avg distance rom the sun, 1372 W/m^2 (power per unit area) |
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| earth rotates on its axis so it appears to rise ____ to _____ (looking down on north pole) |
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what are the 2 things that cause seasons? |
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| axial parallelism and the earth's tilt (23.5 degrees) |
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| Earth's axis remains aligned the same throughout the year (it "remains parallel to itself"); thus, the axis extended from the North Pole points into space always near Polaris, the North Star. |
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| A plane (flat surface) intersecting all the points of Earth's orbit. |
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| Created when a portion of system output is returned as an information input, causing changes that guide further system operation |
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further production in the system, stimulates growth of the system (not a good thing in nature) example: permafrost melts, begins to decay, gives off methane, melts more permafrost |
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| visible light is from ___ to ___ micrometers |
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| 3 types of cones in retina |
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more sensitive than cones, what makes you see shades of gray at night, sensitive to all colors |
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| A reversal of the normal decrease of temperature with increasing altitude; can occur anywhere from ground level up to several thousand meters; functions to block atmospheric convection and thereby trap pollutants. |
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energy that is stored in water vapor as water evaporates |
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