Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences: Terms and Definitions, Quizzes of Geology

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TERM 1 Causes of waves DEFINITION 1 Wind & currents TERM 2 Wavelengths DEFINITION 2 depend on wind strength, duration, fetch TERM 3 Wave types DEFINITION 3 Rippleswavesswells TERM 4 Synchronized Swells DEFINITION 4 can cause very large rogue waves TERM 5 Wave Distance DEFINITION 5 - it is the energy of a wave that can travel long distances, not the actual water particles TERM 6 When waves slow down DEFINITION 6 -they break and get shorter & steeper in shallower water TERM 7 Refraction DEFINITION 7 -bending of waves around a point along a coastline TERM 8 Beach Erosion DEFINITION 8 - need to replenish beaches due to erosion of sand TERM 9 Lonshore Drift Currents DEFINITION 9 -due to waves reaching beach at an angle and returning to sea at 90 degrees TERM 10 what triggers thunderstorms & tornadoes DEFINITION 10 -collision between cold dry continental polar air masses and warm wet maritime tropical air masses TERM 21 Damages of Tornadoes DEFINITION 21 -High velocity winds within the ttornado funnel can exceed 500km/hr (300mph)-Air pressure reductions; The air pressure at hurricane level, center is very low-many human made structures collapse TERM 22 Degree of Damange caused by Different Strength DEFINITION 22 F0-F5 TERM 23 Doppler Radar DEFINITION 23 -a way of measuring radio waves from a radar antenna to determine the frequencies of raindrops, hailstones, snowflakes and other objects in the air. This enables meteorologists to detect how fast and what direction weather is moving TERM 24 Earths spheres DEFINITION 24 Geosphere, Biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere TERM 25 Human Activity DEFINITION 25 -green house gas effect-more harmful gasses emitted into atmosphere-destroying land etc. TERM 26 Formation of Earth DEFINITION 26 4.6 billion years ago TERM 27 Primordial Earth DEFINITION 27 lethal gases, no living organism, molten layer TERM 28 Miller-Urey Experiments DEFINITION 28 -Mix Nitrogen, Methane, Ammonia, and CO2-Add Water & Stir-Amino Acids created TERM 29 Cyanobacteria (3.5 ba) DEFINITION 29 -fossil cyanobacteria found in Stramatolites-obtain energy through photosynthesis-strand-like filaments of connected cells-FIRST evidence for life TERM 30 Banded Iron (3.5ba) DEFINITION 30 -rocks of Precambrian Age-formations suggest increase of oxygen- volcanoes and photosynthesis TERM 31 Complex Life DEFINITION 31 Life was one-celled 80-85% of its existence without multicellular life forms TERM 32 Trace Fossils DEFINITION 32 -left by worms in bottom ocean mud-first complex life may be 1 billion years ago based on possible worm traces TERM 33 Snowball Earth (710-640) DEFINITION 33 -geological evidence indicates that the Earth was covered by thick glacial ice during two time intervals~710 ma, 640 ma, - 70 degrees-glacial deposits widespread, not just near north and south poles, virtually all life wiped out TERM 34 How did life survive Snowball Earth? DEFINITION 34 -cracks in ice allow photosynthesis-deep-sea vent refuges- algae in sea ice TERM 35 Deep Sea Vent Refuges DEFINITION 35 Green Sulfur Bacteria- bacteria that live around deep sea vents and are able to use the faint glow coming from the deep sea vents TERM 46 Devonian Era (350- 400ma) DEFINITION 46 -first vascular plants (with water transport system)-first seed producing-first tree size like-ex. ferns, horsetails-terrestrial insects and millipedes -greatly increased diversity of different fishes TERM 47 Tetrapods DEFINITION 47 -vertebrate animals w/ limbs-evolved from lob-fin fishes in Devonian -strong evidence for this in the bones in the lob-fin compared to bones in a limb skeleton TERM 48 Tiktaalik DEFINITION 48 -extinct fish from late Devonian period, with many features similar to tetrapods (4 legged animals)-"fins" have basic wrist bones, shoulder separated from skull, ribs associated with air breathing, etc. TERM 49 Earliest Tetrapods (365ma) DEFINITION 49 -retained some features from their fish ancestors: fish-like tail fin, gills, teeth suited for catching fish-developed limbs that could support their weight on land detached should from back of skull-likely spent time on land but still tied to water w aquatic lifestyle TERM 50 Tiktaalik from Canadian Artic DEFINITION 50 -shared characteristics of fish and tetrapods-earliest tetrapods retained features from fish ancestors-fish move to land evidence-scales, mobile neck joint, etc. TERM 51 trilobites DEFINITION 51 Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. TERM 52 hard vs. soft approaches to catastrophes DEFINITION 52 -soft approaches are less political and usually are more realistically applicable TERM 53 poor vs. wealthy countries in daster DEFINITION 53 -after disaster strikes, poor countries suffer more due to a lack of resources-higher death tolls-lack of communication, telecommunications, medical assistance, etc. TERM 54 fetch DEFINITION 54 -determines strength and size of wave-surface area of water in which wind is blowing-larger fetch w/enough wind = potential to generate large waves TERM 55 swash zone vs. surf zone DEFINITION 55 -swash zone, shallow water-broken waves, -water rushing toward & back out to sea As ocean surface waves come closer to shore they break, forming the foamy, bubbly surface we call surf. The region of breaking waves defines the surf zone. After breaking in the surf zone, the waves (now reduced in height) continue to move in, and they run up onto the sloping front of the beach, forming an uprush of water called swash