Research the following questions and bring the answers to class on Wednesday.
STAR Test Review
Earth Science
1. Astronomy and planetary exploration reveal the solar system’s structure, scale, and change over time
How are the sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas giants different from each other?
How do scientists think the Earth and moon formed?
Why do scientists believe the planets are closer to the Earth than stars? Sun not included!
What is the primary source of the sun's energy?
What role have asteroid impacts played in shaping planets / moons and in mass extinctions on Earth?
2. Earth-based and space-based astronomy reveal the structure, scale, and changes in stars, galaxies, and the universe over time.
What shape is the Milky Way galaxy, and how big across is it?
What are galaxies made of?
How are heavy elements formed?
How do astronomers classify and describe stars?
3. Plate tectonics operating over geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea, and mountains on Earth’s surface
How does the ocean floor give evidence of plate tectonics?
What are the 3 kinds of plate boundaries, and what structures tend to form at them?
What are 3 kinds of rocks, and how are each formed?
How do earthquakes occur? What scales are used to measure them?
What kind of volcano has steep sides and violent eruptions?
What kind has gentle slopes and large flows of lava?
4. The geology of California underlies the state’s wealth of natural resources as well as its natural hazards
What natural resources are important to California's economy?
What are the main natural hazards in California?
Where does California's fresh water come from? Is there enough for everyone who needs it?
5. Energy enters the Earth system primarily as solar radiation and eventually escapes as heat.
Compare the amount of solar energy that arrives on earth with the amount generated inside the earth and the amount that society uses.
Define reflection.
Define absorption.
Define photosynthesis.
What gases in the atmosphere absorb thermal radiation?
Draw a picture that explains the greenhouse effect.
6. Heating of Earth’s surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents.
How does differential heating affect air circulation?
How do oceans distribute global heat?
How is the Earth's rotation connected to the circular motion of water in the ocean and air in the atmosphere?
What is a temperature inversion? How does one come to exist? How does it affect weather?
Draw a picture of the vertical structure of the ocean, including notes on temperature, salinity, and marine organisms.
At what latitudes would you typically find a rainforest?
At what latitudes would you typically find a desert?
7. Climate is the long-term average of a region’s weather and depends on many factors.
Describe how weather is different from climate.
How is weather influenced by:
Latitude
Elevation
Topography
Proximity to large bodies of water
How has Earth's climate changed over time?
8. Each element on Earth moves among reservoirs, which exist in the solid earth, in oceans, in the atmosphere, and within and among organisms as part of biogeochemical cycles.
Draw a picture that illustrates the carbon cycle as is relates to plants and soil.
Draw a picture that illustrates the carbon cycle as it relates to atmosphere, oceans, and land.
9. Life has changed Earth’s atmosphere, and changes in the atmosphere affect conditions for life.
Draw a diagram of the vertical structure of Earth's atmosphere, indicating the distinct layers.
On your diagram, indicate the ozone layer.
Why is ozone important to life on earth? How do human activities affect its concentration?
The Atmosphere
The Space Race
