HELP WITH ALL PARTS PLEASE ACTIVITY 8.1 Cryosphere Inquiry Name: Course/Section:
ID: 291831 • Letter: H
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HELP WITH ALL PARTS PLEASE
ACTIVITY 8.1 Cryosphere Inquiry Name: Course/Section: Date: A. The cryosphere is all of Earth's snow and ice 1. In FIGURE 8.1, what is the sequence of cryosphere regions chat you would encounter on che ground if you traveled from Mexico (a beige- to yellow-colored region with no snow or ice) to the North Pole? 2. Notice in FIGURE 8.1 chat mountain glaciers and ice caps occur in parts of Greenland, Canada, Russia, Alaska, and the western conterminous United Stats. Some mountain glaciers also exist very close to the equator not shown in FIGURE 8.1). How do you think it is possible for glaciers to exist at the equator? 3. If che temperature of Earths atmosphere were to rise, then how do you think it would affect the cryosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere? 4. Ifthe temperature of Earth's acmosphere were to cool, then how do you chink it would affect the cryosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere? B. Snow and glaciers are ewo of the best known parts of che cryosphere. Notice the snow and glaciers in the satellite image on the next page. It is a perspective view, looking north, of part of the Himalayan Mountains and was made by draping an ASTER natural color satellite image over a digital dlevation model (by the NASA/GSFC/METVERSDACJAROS and U.S.Japan ASTER Science Team). You can view the same region in Google Earthby searching for coordinates 28 09 38 N, 90 0305 E The glaciers in the satellite image formed by compaction and recrystallization of snow at higher elevations. Then they flowed downhill, where chey eventually melc. A glaciers mass balance is the difference berween the mass of its ice that is accumulating and the mass of ice that is melting. If a glacier has more ice accumulating than meleing, then it has a positive mass balance and will advance downhill. If a glacier melts faster chan it accumulates ice, chen it has a negative mass balance and will retreat (melt back) 1. The satellite image was acquired in summer of 2009, after most of che seasonal snow had meted. Using a pen, draw a line along the snowline the line beeween areas with snow (higher elevations) and areas with no snow 2. Place arrows on che glaciers to show their direction of flow, like a river of ice. 3. Label the "area of snow and ice accumulation" and two "areas of ablation" (glacial melcing). 4. Label the area where the glaciers have "positive mass balance" and the areas where che glaciers have a "negative mass balance. 5. Is che mass balance of the smowline that you drew in part B1 positive, negative, or neither? Why?Explanation / Answer
Activity 8.1: Part A: Sequence of Cryosphere from Mexico to North pole: ?Icesheet Seasonal snow Permafrost Sea ice Permafrost continous Sea ice The reason for the presence of glaciers around the equator is the altitude of the mountains. For example, Cayambe glacier in South America. The mountains around the equator are located at higher altitudes than in the poles and tropics. Due to heavy erosion around the poles, the mountian heights are always kept low. Since the mountains are high in the equator, the temperature will be low. Due to low temperature, glaciers and snow are common around the equator, though in the equator, the day and night are 12 hours respectively. As a;titude increases, temperature decreases irrespective of the latitude i.e. equator or poles or tropics or any other latitude location in between. If the temperature of the earth;s atmosphere increases the cryosphere levels decreases due to melting of glaciers. Hydrosphere levels will increase due to the glacial water addition. Biosphere will get affected because of the climatic changes as climate depends on temperature and pressure differences. In biosphere, due to climate changes, agriculture may get affected and cultural variations may occur. If the temperature of the earth's atmosphere decreases, the cryosphere levels increases and hydrosphere levels also increase due to the rain flow but not to the rate of increase when the atmosphere heats up. Biosphere will get cooled and at one point snow formations will occur. Ground water levels will increase due to increase in rain sources. If the earth has become full of snow like ice age, then agriculture may be difficult.
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