1. Hazardous Earth

• How does air pressure affect wind direction?

  Winds move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas
• What are the names of the 3 different global atmospheric circulation cells found in each hemisphere?

  Polar cell

  Hadley cell

  Ferrel cell
• At what latitude does cool air sink?

  30° north and south
• What are surface winds that blow in the direction of the equator that flow in the Earth's equatorial region?

  Trade winds
• What direction do trade winds blow in the southern hemisphere?

  From the south-east
• In what direction do westerlies blow?

  Towards the poles
• At what latitude does cold air from the poles meet the warm surface winds, causing the warmer air to rise and forms a low-pressure belt?

  60°
• What do we call the periods of time in between glacial periods?

  Interglacial periods
• What is the name of the geological period of time that started 2.6 million years ago and we are currently still in?

  The Quaternary Period
• What 2 things are natural factors that are potential causes of climate change?

  Solar output variation

  Asteroid collisions
• Ice cores can help scientists work out the temperature for each of the last how many years?

  400,000 years
• What is the name of the period of cooling that took place from 1500 to 1700?

  Little Ice Age
• What provides the most short-term evidence for climate change?

  Thermometer
• Industry is a key main human factor contributing to climate change. Which greenhouse gas is produced by the decay of industrial waste in landfill?

  Methane
• What type of radiation is emitted by the Sun?

  Short wave infrared radiation
• What's the name of the model that describes how air circulates between low and high-pressure belts as a result of differing conditions at different latitudes?

  Global atmospheric circulation model
• How many global atmospheric circulation cells can be found in each hemisphere?

  3
• What are global atmospheric circulation cells made up of?

  Warm rising air

  Cool sinking air
• At what latitude does cold air from the poles meet warm surface winds?

  60°
• What do we call surface winds that blow in the direction of the equator?

  Trade winds
• What are features of tropical storms?

  Last for 7-14 days

  Spin different directions in each hemisphere
• What are primary effects of tropical storms?

  Destruction of railways

  Flooding of rivers

  Damage to electricity cables
• What are the Earth's main three layers?

  Core

  Mantle

  Crust
• How thick is the Earth's crust?

  5-100km
• What are the two major categories of tectonic plates?

  Continental plates

  Oceanic plates
• Oceanic plates are ___ than continental plates

  thinner

  denser

  younger
• Continental plates are ___ than oceanic plates

  thicker

  less dense

  older
• What type of currents are responsible for moving tectonic plates?

  Convection currents
• At which type of plate margin do oceanic plates slide underneath continental plates?


  Convergent plate boundaries
• What do we call locations in which a hot mass of rising heat can be found under a weakness in a tectonic plate?

  Hotspots
• What are the products of volcanic eruptions?

  Ash clouds

  Lava
• What do we call the mudflows generated as secondary effects of eruptions?

  Lahars
• At which type of plate margin would you find earthquakes?

  All types
• What do we call the exact point where pressure is released underground leading to an earthquake?

  Focus
• What scale is now used to measure earthquakes after the Richter scale?

  Moment Magnitude Scale