Category: Earth science

Can Volcanic Eruptions Help Combat Global Warming in the Long Run?

Asked by: Christine Harris Do volcanic eruptions help global warming? While sulfur dioxide released in contemporary volcanic eruptions has occasionally caused detectable global cooling of the lower atmosphere, the carbon dioxide released in contemporary volcanic eruptions has never caused detectable global warming of the atmosphere. How can volcanoes be beneficial to ecosystems over a long

Is there any link between sea-water inflitration into groundwater and nitrate?

Asked by: Christian Myers What sources cause nitrates in groundwater? Nitrates can get into groundwater from many sources, including fertilizers, manure on the land, and liquid waste discharged from septic tanks. Natural bacteria in soil converts various forms of nitrogen into nitrate. Rain and irrigation water can carry nitrate down through the soil into groundwater.

Why does NW coast of Scotland look like it does? (Similar to Norway, so different to other European coastlines)

Asked by: Christian Myers These are actually a geological feature called “fjord” which the Scandinavian Peninsula and surroundings (including Scotland) are known for. It is the result of glacial erosion during the Ice Ages. Was Scotland connected to Norway? Scotland and Norway share strong links that stretch right back to Viking times. Northern Scotland, was,

What influences the movement (speed and direction) of tropical cyclones?

Asked by: Carlos Rothstein What influences the movement of a tropical cyclone? Tropical cyclone tracks Their motion is due in large part to the general circulation of Earth’s atmosphere. Surface winds in the tropics, known as the trade winds, blow from east to west, and they are responsible for the general westward motion of tropical

Is the Earth heated up by the tides?

Asked by: Carlos Rothstein Tidal forces contribute to heating in Earth’s interior. “The tides generate friction, and friction leads to heat,” explained René Heller, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and a lecturer at the University of Göttingen in Germany. Do tides produce heat? Tidal heating (also known as tidal

Does crustal thickness have anything to do with how life existed and sustained on Earth?

Asked by: Jessica Moore Why does the Earth’s crust is significant to living beings? The Earth’s crust, along with the upper mantle, has its necessary role in the dynamic creation and destruction of the crustal surface in which all living organisms thrive on. In which layer of the Earth does life exist? Biosphere The The

Why are oceans so deep?

Asked by: Jessica Moore The extreme depth of the Mariana TrenchMariana TrenchThe Mariana Trench or Marianas Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about 2,550 km (1,580 mi) in length and

Are there any areas on Earth with purplish-colored soil/sand/rock/land?

Asked by: Tashoomaa Foley Which soil is purple in Colour? The only purple mineral I know for sure is amethyst. Is there purple soil? Purple soil is mainly distributed in the Sichuan Basin of southwestern China and has developed from purple rocks or their rapid weathering products, thus inheriting many of the characteristics of the

How big of an issue are Nitrogen and phosphorus flows to the biosphere and oceans?

Asked by: Tashoomaa Foley How does phosphorus move through the biosphere *? Phosphorus enters the atmosphere from volcanic aerosols. As this aerosol precipitates to earth, it enters terrestrial food webs. Some of the phosphorus from terrestrial food webs dissolves in streams and lakes, and the remainder enters the soil. Another source of phosphorus is fertilizers.

Why high tides occur simultaneously on opposite sides of the Earth?

Asked by: Heather Barlow This is due to the fact that around the Moon is pulling on the Earth, and the ocean, on the sides facing the Moon. The Earth compensates for this pulling by bulging out both toward and away from the Moon. This results in more water being displaced in these directions, resulting

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