Earth and Space Science: Key Concepts and Phenomena

Key Concepts in Earth and Space Science

Atmospheric Science

Fronts: Boundary surfaces that separate air masses of different densities.

Fujita Scale: A scale used to measure tornado intensity based on the damage produced by the storm.

Saffir-Simpson Scale: A scale used to measure the intensity of hurricanes.

Composition of Dry Air:

  • Nitrogen (N): 78.084%
  • Oxygen (O): 21%
  • Argon (Ar): 0.934%
  • Neon (Ne): 18.2 ppm
  • Helium (He): 5.24 ppm
  • Methane (CH4): 1.5 ppm
  • Krypton (Kr): 1.14 ppm
  • Hydrogen (H): 0.5 ppm
  • Carbon Dioxide
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Power Generation: Types of Power Plants and Generators

Electric Generator

Transforms mechanical energy into electricity. Generators produce electricity from the motion of a conductor in a magnetic field created by a magnet or an electromagnet.

Consists of two main parts:

  • Stator: A fixed part containing a metallic core with copper wires.
  • Rotor: A moving part that rotates around an axis, containing circuitry that becomes electromagnets when subjected to an electric current.

Non-Nuclear Power Plants

In these plants, mechanical energy to move turbines, connected

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Soil Ecology: Organisms, Environmental Factors, and Clay Minerals

Soil Ecology: Organisms and Their Roles

Nature Activities and Role in Metabolic Energy Transformation Processes

Environmental Parameter Relations

Relationships between microbial activity measured by the respiratory activity of soil CO2 flux.

Microfauna
  • Protozoa
  • Nematodes
Microflora
  • Actinomycetes
  • Fungi
  • Soil Algae
Monera (Prokaryotes)
  • Bacteria:
    • Streptomyces
    • Pseudomonas
    • Nitrobacter
    • Nitrosomonas
  • Anaerobic:
    • Clostridium
  • Aerobic Actinomycetes:
    • Streptomyces
    • Bacteria to hyphae – Nocardia (degrade humic substances)
Cyanobacteria
  • Nostoc
  • Anabaena

Synthesize

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Earth’s Dynamic Processes: Sea Level, Fossils, and Plate Tectonics

Changes in Sea Level

  • Change in volume of ocean water: The climate has changed many times throughout Earth’s history. During glaciations, ice sheets covered much larger areas than today. Much of the seawater evaporated, precipitated as snow on the continents, and the ice accumulated. This water did not return to the ocean, causing a decline in sea level.
  • Variation in the shape of ocean basins: Various internal processes can raise or sink the ocean bottom, changing its shape. This variation can cause
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Pyrenees: Geography, Climate, and Characteristics

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are a major Alpine range in southern Europe, stretching approximately 440 km from the Bay of Biscay in the west to Cape Creus in the east. They form the isthmus connecting the Iberian Peninsula to the continent. The highest peaks mark the border between France and Spain in the central Pyrenees. The range is complex and divided into several units:

  • Central Pyrenean Axis: This sector contains the highest altitudes, exceeding 3000m.
  • Pre-Pyrenees: Organized into two mountain ranges
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Earth Science: Erosion, Soil, Rock and Carbon Cycles

Erosion

Erosion is the set of exogenous phenomena, outside the area, whose actions contribute to or modify the forms created by internal and endogenous processes.

Weathering

Weathering includes the disintegration and decomposition of rocks that originate in the same place that later became sediments. Weathering rates:

  • Oceanic: It consists in the destruction of rocks by physical processes.
  • Chemical: It consists in the destruction of rocks by the action of the solvent water.

Sea Modeling

Sea modeling results

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