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Biosphere CH 12- > Chapter 12 > Flashcards

Chapter 12 Flashcards

1
Q

Availability of Freshwater

A

Only 2.5% of Earth’s water is freshwater and only 1% of that is available for humans use in surface water, lakes and soil moisture; the rest is stored in glaciers and ice caps; (Fig 12.2)

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2
Q

Distribution in Space and Time

A

nations vary tremendously in the amount of fresh water per capita available to there citizens; for example Iceland, Papua New Guinea, and Guayana have 100 times more water per person than do many Middle Eastern and North African countries (Fig 12.18)

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3
Q

Groundwater

A

water beneath the surface held within pores in soil or rock

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4
Q

Aquifer

A

porous formations of rock, sand or gravel that hold groundwater

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5
Q

Water table

A

the upper limit of groundwater held in an aquifer; the boundary between an aquifer’s upper layer where pore spaces are partly filled with water and the lower layer where the spaces are completely filled with water

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6
Q

Ogallala aquifer

A

largest known aquifer which is under the Great Plains in the U.S.; used to help farmers create productive grain products; but there are unsustainable water withdrawals that are threatening long-term use of the aquifer for agriculture

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7
Q

Tributary

A

a smaller river flowing into a larger one

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8
Q

River system

A

includes a river source (mountains), tributaries, the main river, floodplain, wetlands, river mouth; ie. watershed

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9
Q

Watershed

A

an area of land drained by a river and all its tributaries

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10
Q

Floodplain

A

areas nearest a river’s course that get flooded periodically

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11
Q

Riparian forest

A

riverside forests that are productive and species-rich; frequent deposition of silt (eroded soil) from flooding makes floodplain soils especially fertile

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12
Q

Limnetic zone of a lake

A

layer of open, sunlit water where photosynthesis takes places; supports phytoplankton which in turn support zooplankton

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13
Q

Profundal zone of a lake

A

deeper part of open water where sunlight does not reach; no phytoplankton and has lower dissolved oxygen than upper parts

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14
Q

Benthic zone of a lake

A

the bottom of the water body; often muddy, rich with detritus and nutrients and low in oxygen; many invertebrates live in the mud feeding on detritus

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15
Q

Littoral zone of a lake

A

around the nurtient rich edges of the water body; shallow water where emergent aquatic plants grow along the shoreline; lots of invertebrates such as insects, larvae, snails and crayfish

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16
Q

Oligotrophic lakes

A

low nutrients and high oxygen

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17
Q

Eutrophic lakes

A

high-nutrient and low oxygen

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18
Q

Wetlands

A

systems in which the soil is saturated with water and which generally features shallow standing water with ample vegetation

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19
Q

Marshes

A

shallow water allows plants such as cattails and bulrushes to grow above the water surface

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20
Q

Swamps

A

also consist of shallow water rich in vegetation but they occur in forested areas

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21
Q

Bogs

A

ponds covered with thick floating mats of vegetation and can represent a stage in aquatic succession

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22
Q

Vernal pools

A

seasonal wetlands that form in early spring from rain and snowmelt and dry up once the weather becomes warmer

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23
Q

Consumptive water use

A

the removal of water from an aquifer of from a body of surface water without returning it

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24
Q

Nonconsumptive water use

A

does not remove or only temporarily removes water from an aquifer or surface water body; example is using water to generate electricity at hydroelectric dams because water is taken in passed through dam machinery in turn turbines and released downstream

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25
Q

Salinization

A

the buildup of salts in surface soil layers

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26
Q

Dikes and levees

A

long raised mounds of earth along riverbanks to hold water in main channels; prevent flooding but can sometimes worsen flooding because they force water to stay in channels and accumulate

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27
Q

Dam

A

any obstruction placed in a river or stream to block its flow

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28
Q

Resevoirs

A

created by dams; artificial lakes that store water for human use

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29
Q

Colorado River example

A

highly diverted and utilized as the river flows to the Pacific Ocean; Denver and Las Vegas uses water from it

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30
Q

Desalinization

A

the removal of salt from seawater by heating it and condensing the water vapor that evaporates; basically distilling fresh water; expensive and requires a lot of fossil fuel energy, kills aquatic life at water intakes and generates concentrated salty waste

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31
Q

Agriculture Solutions

A

flood and furrow irrigation only uses about 40% of water and if extremely wasteful; low-spray irrigation and drip irrigation should be used

32
Q

Household Solutions

A

installing low-flow faucets, showerheads, washing machines and toilets; catch and store runoff in a barrel for outdoor water use; replacing exotic plants with native ones that are adapted to the climate

33
Q

Industry and municipality solutions

A

recycling municipal treated wastewater for irrigation and industrial uses; patching leaks in pipes, retrofitting homes with efficient plumbing, auditing industry and promoting conservation

34
Q

Bottled Water

A

tap water is more regulated by the EPA; half of bottled water IS tap water; people pay thousands of times more for bottled water; tap water is free!; only 30-40% of plastic water bottles actually get recycled; contributes to pollution and wastes energy

35
Q

Point Sources

A

discrete locations such as factory, sewer pipe or oil tanker; industrial discharges

36
Q

Non-Point Sources

A

cumulative, arising from multiple inputs over larger areas such as farms, city streets and residential neighborhoods

37
Q

Toxic chemicals

A

pesticides, petroleum products and other synthetic chemicals made by humans; can poison plants and animals, alter aquatic ecosystems and cause health problems; toxic metals: lead, arsenic, mercury; acid

38
Q

Pathogens and waterborne diseases

A

pathogenic viruses, protists and bacteria from human or animal waste from feedlots, chicken or hog farms; diseases include cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever

39
Q

Biodegradable wastes

A

decreases dissolved oxygen levels; human wastes, animal manure, paper pulp from paper mills, yard wastes; wastewater is a source of biodegradable wastes

40
Q

Thermal pollution

A

raising water temperatures by removing streamside vegetation that shades water from the sun or withdrawing water from a river to cool an industrial facility and transferring the heat back into the river where the water is returned; can cause physiological stress in overheated plants and animals; too little heat can also cause problems: dammed rivers bottoms of reservoirs colder than water at the surface; sudden drop in temp can affect wildlife

41
Q

Distribution of the Oceans

A

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern

42
Q

Bathymetry

A

the measurement of depth of water in oceans, seas, or lakes; figure 12.9 continental shelf drops at the shelf-slope break, then steep continental slope gives way to the more gradual continental rise; sea-floor spreading gives way to oceanic ridges and crust; volcanic activity along trenches

43
Q

Composition of Oceans

A

.

44
Q

Vertical Structure of Oceans

A

Depth zones: mixed, pycnocline and deep

45
Q

Currents

A

vast riverlike flows that move in the upper 400 m of water, horizontally and for great distances; wind, solar heating, gravity, density differences and the Coriolis Effect drive the global system of ocean currents

46
Q

Thermohaline cycle

A

worldwide current system; warm surface currents carry heat from equatorial waters northward toward Europe where they warm the atmosphere; the water then cools and sinks forming the North Atlantic Deep Water

47
Q

Upwelling

A

rising of sea water

48
Q

Downwelling

A

downward movement of fluid

49
Q

El Nino-Southern Oscillation

A

an interaction between ocean currents and the atmosphere that influences climate; a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature and ocean circulation in the tropical Pacific Ocean; air pressure decreases in the eastern Pacific and increases in the western Pacific, weakening equatorial winds and allowing the warm water to flow eastward; occur every 2 to 8 years

50
Q

Coastal

A

.

51
Q

Benthic

A

ocean floor

52
Q

Pelagic

A

habitats and ecosystems occurring between the ocean’s surface and floor

53
Q

Photic

A

well-lit top layer where nearly all of the oceans’ NPP occurs; uppermost 10 m (33 ft) absorbs 80% of the solar energy that reaches its surface

54
Q

Dysphotic

A

barely-lit ocean layer; found just below the photic zone

55
Q

Aphotic

A

layer of ocean that has no light

56
Q

Open-Ocean

A

uppermost water contains billions of phtoplankton that is the food base of the marine food chain; also home to zooplankton, small animals, protists that eat phytoplankton and comprise next trophic level (Fig 12.17)

57
Q

Kelp Forests

A

“forests” of tall brown algae known as kelp that grows from the floor of the continental shelf; numerous fish and other creatures that eat kelp or find refuge among it lives there (Fig 12.15)

58
Q

Coral Reefs

A

provide food and shelter for a tremendous diversity of fish and other creatures; today reefs face many stresses from human impacts; many corals have died from coral bleaching in which coral lose their zooxanthellae which is evidenced by their whitened coral (Fig 12.16)

59
Q

Intertidal zones

A

stretches along rocky shorelines between the lowest and highest reached of the tides; provides niches for diversity of organisms: sea stars, crabs, sea anemones, corals, chitons, mussels sea slugs and sea urchins; areas higher on shoreline are exposed to air more frequently so organisms must be able to tolerate that exposure (Fig 12.14)

60
Q

Salt marshes

A

occur in temperate intertidal zones where the substrate is muddy; tidal waters flow in channels called tidal creeks amid flat areas called benches, sometimes partially submerging the salt-adapted grass (Fig 12.12)

61
Q

Mangrove forests

A

line tropical and subtropical coastlines; mangrove trees have unique roots and are adapted for growing in saltwater and provide habitat for many fish, birds, crabs and other animals (Fig 12.13)

62
Q

Estuaries

A

an area where a river flows into the ocean, mixing fresh water with salt water

63
Q

Nets and plastic debris

A

discarded fishing nest, fishing lines, plastic bags, bottles and other trash harm aquatic organisms; sea birds and other mammels can mistake floating trash for food and die as a result of ingesting the material; chemicals in plastics have toxic effects on organisms; they can also serve as “rafts” that facilitate introduction of invasive species to new habitats

64
Q

Oil spills

A

Regulations on the oil shipping industry and improved spill response techniques have resulted in less oil being spilled into the oceans today (fig 12.27)

65
Q

Toxins

A

.

66
Q

Excess nutrients

A

excess nutrients from fertilizers and other chemicals that get into runoff and into oceans have caused areas of low ocean levels; dead zones

67
Q

Sediments

A

sediments wash into the Pacific Ocean from a river in Panama from farming, construction and other human activities that cause elevated levels of soil to enter waterways which affects water quality and wildlife

68
Q

Acidification

A

reduction in pH over an extended period of time; caused primarily from the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

69
Q

Factory fishing

A

commercial fishing fleets use several methods of capture (Fig 12.30)

70
Q

Peak yields

A

Total global fisheries catches rose for many years and now has stalled for the past 20 years; scientists fear global decline is imminent is conservation measures are not taken

71
Q

Driftnetting

A

long transparent nylon nets are set out to drift through open water to capture schools of fish

72
Q

Longlining

A

lines with numerous baited hooks are set out in open water

73
Q

Bottom-trawling

A

weighted nets are dragged along the floor of the continental shelf

74
Q

Bycatch

A

the capture of nontarget animals; large amount of bycatch results from factory fishing

75
Q

Maximum sustainable yield

A

the number of fish of a given species that can be harvested without reducing future catches

76
Q

Ecosystem-based management (Marine Protected Areas)

A

shift focus away from individual species and toawrd viewing marine resources as elements of larger ecological systems; set aside areas of ocean where systems can function without human interference; most MPA’s have been established along coastlines

77
Q

Example: St. Lucia’s Soufriere

A

.

Biosphere CH 12- (5 decks)

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