Open Source Earth Science Resources (CLRN)

Aug 2009 Reviewers comments

Added or modified by Curriki Textbook Group on Feb-13-2010

EARTH'S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

9 1a Students know how the differences and similarities among the sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may have been established during the formation of the solar system. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 1b Students know the evidence from Earth and moon rocks indicates that the solar system was formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas approximately 4.6 billion years ago. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 1c Students know the evidence from geological studies of Earth and other planets suggest that the early Earth was very different from Earth today. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 1d Students know the evidence indicating that the planets are much closer to Earth than the stars are. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 1e Students know the Sun is a typical star and is powered by nuclear reactions, primarily the fusion of hydrogen to form helium. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 1f Students know the evidence for the dramatic effects that asteroid impacts have had in shaping the surface of planets and their moons and in mass extinctions of life on Earth. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 1g *Students know the evidence for the existence of planets orbiting other stars. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2a Students know the solar system is located in an outer edge of the disc-shaped Milky Way galaxy, which spans 100,000 light years. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2b Students know galaxies are made of billions of stars and comprise most of the visible mass of the universe. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2c Students know the evidence indicating that all elements with an atomic number greater than that of lithium have been formed by nuclear fusion in stars. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2d Students know that stars differ in their life cycles and that visual, radio, and X-ray telescopes may be used to collect data that reveal those differences. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2e *Students know accelerators boost subatomic particles to energy levels that simulate conditions in the stars and in the early history of the universe before stars formed. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2f *Students know the evidence indicating that the color, brightness, and evolution of a star are determined by a balance between gravitational collapse and nuclear fusion. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 2g *Students know how the red-shift from distant galaxies and the cosmic background radiation provide evidence for the “big bang” model that suggests that the universe has been expanding for 10 to 20 billion years. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence

ENERGY IN THE EARTH SYSTEM

9 4a Students know the relative amount of incoming solar energy compared with Earth’s internal energy and the energy used by society.
9 4b Students know the fate of incoming solar radiation in terms of reflection, absorption, and photosynthesis.
9 4c Students know the different atmospheric gases that absorb the Earth’s thermal radiation and the mechanism and significance of the greenhouse effect. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 4d *Students know the differing greenhouse conditions on Earth, Mars, and Venus; the origins of those conditions; and the climatic consequences of each. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 5a Students know how differential heating of Earth results in circulation patterns in the atmosphere and oceans that globally distribute the heat. Reviewer comment: Discusses basic atmospheric circulation but does not address oceans.
9 5b Students know the relationship between the rotation of Earth and the circular motions of ocean currents and air in pressure centers. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 5c Students know the origin and effects of temperature inversions. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 5d Students know properties of ocean water, such as temperature and salinity, can be used to explain the layered structure of the oceans, the generation of horizontal and vertical ocean currents, and the geographic distribution of marine organisms. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 5e Students know rain forests and deserts on Earth are distributed in bands at specific latitudes. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 5f *Students know the interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents, and mountain ranges results in the global pattern of latitudinal bands of rain forests and deserts. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 5g *Students know features of the ENSO (El Niño southern oscillation) cycle in terms of sea-surface and air temperature variations across the Pacific and some climatic results of this cycle. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 6a Students know weather (in the short run) and climate (in the long run) involve the transfer of energy into and out of the atmosphere. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 6b Students know the effects on climate of latitude, elevation, topography, and proximity to large bodies of water and cold or warm ocean currents. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 6c Students know how Earth’s climate has changed over time, corresponding to changes in Earth’s geography, atmospheric composition, and other factors, such as solar radiation and plate movement. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 6d *Students know how computer models are used to predict the effects of the increase in greenhouse gases on climate for the planet as a whole and for specific regions. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence

BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

9 7a Students know the carbon cycle of photosynthesis and respiration and the nitrogen cycle. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 7b Students know the global carbon cycle: the different physical and chemical forms of carbon in the atmosphere, oceans, biomass, fossil fuels, and the movement of carbon among these reservoirs. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 7c Students know the movement of matter among reservoirs is driven by Earth’s internal and external sources of energy. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 7d *Students know the relative residence times and flow characteristics of carbon in and out of its different reservoirs. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence

STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

9 8a Students know the thermal structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 8b Students know how the composition of Earth’s atmosphere has evolved over geologic time and know the effect of outgassing, the variations of carbon dioxide concentration, and the origin of atmospheric oxygen. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 8c Students know the location of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, its role in absorbing ultraviolet radiation, and the way in which this layer varies both naturally and in response to human activities. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence

CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY

9 9a Students know the resources of major economic importance in California and their relation to California’s geology. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 9b Students know the principal natural hazards in different California regions and the geologic basis of those hazards. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 9c Students know the importance of water to society, the origins of California’s fresh water, and the relationship between supply and need. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence
9 9d *Students know how to analyze published geologic hazard maps of California and know how to use the map’s information to identify evidence of geologic events of the past and predict geologic changes in the future. Reviewer comment: Not in Evidence