Hannah Spalding's Science Blog

  Lab Latitude: distance from Equator is a key factor in determining whether a climate is hot or cold Places closer to N S poles = colder Near the equator = warmer  Ocean currents Temp of an ocean current affects the temp of air that passes over it  Wind & air masses Air mass = large volume of air that takes on climatic conditions of the area where it's formed Elevation Higher in altitude, colder in temp As air rises, expands. Because of lower air pressure  As air expands, it cools Relief  Precipitation created when an air mass rises to cross a mountain barrier An adiabatic process = no heat is gained or lost by the system Near water:  in the summer the water acts like an AC to keep air temps cool in the winter water acts like a heater to keep temps from getting too cold continental climate (away from water)  maritime climate (close to water)  Lecture  - Climate vs. weather: climate is what you expect, weather is what you get  - Clim...

  Lab Buoyancy  Archimedes Principle Lecture Characteristics of wind erosion Water, Wind, and Glaciers are the forms of erosion (moving material) Wind erosion can only move small particles but they can eat away at larger particles. Key principles: wind shadows: areas behind an object where wind speed slows down and material is deposited Carves the earth Characteristics of water erosion Water, Wind, and Glaciers are the forms of erosion (moving material) Water is a powerful form of erosion Rivers come in different "ages" that are not related to their age but the energy they posess Young rivers carve down, have lots of energy, and tear apart the land, eroding all that it can due to energy from gravity. They can move material of any size and have similar characteristics: Whitewater Boulders Fast flowing Old rivers meander from side to side, have less energy, and carry fine sediment (Mississippi river) They have oxbow lakes They "eat" at the banks of the river Mature r...

 Lecture Notes:  Glacial retreat Sea level rise Paris Agreement:  Global average temp. 2 degrees celsius  Goal: level off greenhouse gas emissions  Principle: differentiate between developed and developing countries  Developed countries must lead the way  Financing: rich countries must donate at least $100 million per year towards this cause  More action is required to reach the Paris Agreement History:  US first to sign the agreement  We pulled away from it and joined only two other countries that refused to sign it: Nicaragua and Syria Syria then signed in Nov. 2017 Nicaragua held out as long as possible! USA isolated on the world stage (largest economy in the world)  What is climate change?  Climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a long period (typically 30 years)  We expect the weather to change, but climate to stay semi constant What is a significant change? How does this depend on the ...

  Lab Quiz 1:  1.)  What is occurring at the mid-Atlantic Ridge?     a. The plates are moving apart from one another (diverging) 2.) What happens to the age of the ocean basin as you move from the middle of the Atlantic toward the African coastline?     a. It gets older 3.) Which observation about the Mid-Atlantic Ridge region provides the best evidence that the seafloor has been spreading for millions of years?     d. Seafloor bedrock is younger near the ridge and older farther away. 4.) True or False: Ocean sea floors spread at a consistent rate over time?     a. False 5.) Sea floor spreading is measured using what scale?     a. mm/yr Lab Investigation Photos: Lecture Notes:

Timeline:  Pangaea- 200-300 mya Dinosaurs-   Humans~ 2 mya   Moon~ 4500 mya   Snowball earth(s)~ 716- 635 mya (ancient earth)   Ordovician Mass Extinction~ 443 mya Devonian Mass Extinction ~ 359 mya ~443 mya   Permian Mass Extinction ~ 251 mya (in paleo earth)     Triassic - Jurassic Mass Extinction - 200 mya (of paleo earth)   Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction (KT) ~ 65.5 mya

  WEEK 8: ORIGINS IN THE UNIVERSE The Big Bang The best-supported scientific theory for how the universe was created The Big Bang was an expansion or an inflation rather than an explosion  The universe is still expanding today  Nebulae: clouds of gas and dust  Nuclear fusion: occurs when there are enough particles under intense heat and pressure in the center core, the star ignites and becomes a fully functioning star  An average star (like the Sun) or a supermassive star is then formed As the star burns through its fuel, it loses mass; and has less gravity and its size increases An average star turns into a red giant  As it continues burning fuel, the red giant becomes very large  The outer layers are blown off creating a planetary nebula and the inner core of the star remains (called a white dwarf star)  A supermassive star turns into a super red giant These stars have more mass = burn through fuel quicker  Losing gravity and becoming extre...