All the Shite

Question 1

What are the names of the 3 atmospheric circulation cells?

Answer 1

Polar, Hadley, Ferrel

Question 2

What is the effect of cooling air on its density?

Answer 2

Density increases

Question 3

How does the upwelling of air at the equator occur?

Answer 3

Solar radiation at the equator heats up the air and water
The warm air rises (reduced density)
Water vapour also lowers density

Question 4

What forms the basis of the Hadley cell circulation?

Answer 4

The rising air cools (water droplets form clouds)
Cooled air can’t sink due to upwelling, so has to move sideways in upper atmosphere
Air sinks down at around 30º latitude

Question 5

What is the name of the force that creates a latitudinal component to air force, caused by the Earth’s rotation?

Answer 5

The Coriolis force

Question 6

What is the effect of the Coriolis force?

Answer 6

Deflects air to the right in the northern hemisphere, and to the left in southern hemisphere

Question 7

What does ITCZ stand for?

Answer 7

Intertropical convergence zone

Question 8

Why does the ICTZ shift?

Answer 8

Due to movements in position of latitudinal high and low pressure zones, especially in the northern hemisphere

Question 9

Sinking air at the tropics (30º north and south) causes:

Answer 9

An area of high pressure

Question 10

What is the compensation depth?

Answer 10

Where GPP = R

Question 11

What is endemism?

Answer 11

Refers to the taxa unique to a given area

Question 12

What is an equinox?

Answer 12

When the sun shines directly above the equator, and day and night are roughly the same length

Question 13

What is a solstice?

Answer 13

Where the sun is furthest from the celestial equator

Question 14

What is critical depth?

Answer 14

The hypothesised surface mixing depth where phytoplankton growth equals loss of phytoplankton biomass

Question 15

Marine accounts for how much GPP?

Answer 15

~56 PgC/yr

Question 16

What components constitute the ‘slow’ domain of the carbon cycle?

Answer 16

Rocks and sediment

Question 17

What does Leibig’s Law of the Minimum state?

Answer 17

Productivity is restricted by the source which is closest to being limiting

Question 18

What is the approximate amount of carbon in the atmosphere?

Answer 18

762Pg

Question 19

What are 3 examples of grazing ecosystems?

Answer 19

Grassland, freshwater, sea

Question 20

What are the features of a grazing ecosystem?

Answer 20

Large proportion of of primary producers, no significant storage

Question 21

What are 3 examples of a storage ecosystem?

Answer 21

Developing peatlands, heathlands, young forest

Question 22

What are the features of a storage ecosystem?

Answer 22

More energy enters than leaves. Balance is stored in peat, tree biomass, and shrub biomass

Question 23

What are 2 examples of a detritus ecosystem?

Answer 23

Mature heathlands, mature forest

Question 24

What are the features of a detritus ecosystem?

Answer 24

High proportion of energy enters detritus. PP biomass is unpalatable or difficult to access by herbivores

Question 25

What is the purpose of a muirburn?

Answer 25

Converting a detritus ecosystem to a grazing one. Achieved by burning off growth on a heather moor to encourage new growth for grazing

Question 26

What constitutes the ‘fast’ domain of the carbon cycle?

Answer 26

Carbon in the atmosphere, ocean

Question 27

What is NAO?

Answer 27

The North Atlantic Oscillation is a climatic phenomenon in the N Atlantic ocean of fluctuations in the difference of atmospheric pressure at sea level between the Icelandic Low and Azores High