Download Chapter 2 Section 2 Review PAGE 38 Questions 1

Chapter 2
Section 2 Review Page 38
Energy in the Earth System
1. Explain how Earth can
be considered a system.
• Earth consists of many interacting
components.
2. Compare an open
system with a closed
system.
• In an open system, matter and
energy are added and removed.
• In a closed system, only energy
enters or leaves.
3. List two characteristic of
each of Earth’s four major
spheres.
• Atmosphere: contain gases needed for life
and shields us from harmful radiation
• Hydrosphere: covers 70% of Earth and
contains all water that is not a gas
• Geosphere: made up of rock and soil of
crust and molten rock beneath surface
• Biosphere: contains all living organisms
and extends from the bottom of the
oceans to the atmosphere
4. Identify two main
sources of energy in Earth’s
system.
• The Sun
• Earth’s interior
5. Identify four processes in
which matter and energy
cycle on Earth.
• Chemical reactions
• Radioactive Decay
• Radiation of heat and light
• Growth and decay of
organisms
6. Explain how carbon cycles in
Earth’s system.
• Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants
from the atmosphere. Plants make
sugars and food substances from it.
Animals eat plants to get it and both
animals and plants release it to the
atmosphere through respiration and
their own decay.
Carbon Cycle
7. Explain how nitrogen cycles in
Earth’s system.
• Nitrogen from the atmosphere is
“fixed” by bacteria in the soil. Plants
get the nitrogen from the soil and
animals get the nitrogen from eating
plants. Plants, animals, and bacteria
release the nitrogen back to the
atmosphere through excretions or
decomposition.
Nitrogen Cycle
8. Describe how the water cycle
affects each of the four spheres.
• 1. Water evaporates into the atmosphere and
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•
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moderates the temperature of air.
2. Water precipitates onto the geosphere and
causes weathering and erosion of rock.
3. Water in the biosphere sustains life.
4. Water as precipitation in the hydrosphere
replenishes supplies of fresh water.
9.
What effect would a massive forest fire
have on the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
• It would add carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere because when organisms like
trees burn they release carbon dioxide.
Yellowstone Fire, 1987
10. Early Earth was being constantly
bombarded by objects from space. Was
early Earth and open system or a closed
system?
• Early Earth was an open system because
matter and energy were being added to it.
11. Explain the role of energy in the
carbon cycle.
• As carbon moves through the carbon cycle, it
undergoes chemical and physical changes that
involve transfers of energy.
The End…