Earth's Life Support Systems Flashcards
What are the 5 spheres of the Earth?
Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Geosphere.
What is the Goldilocks Zone?
The area of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun that is ‘just right’ for water to form.
What is Total Precipitable Water?
The total amount of water in a column of air, stretching from ground level to space.
What are the main factors for the high importance of water?
Temperature regulators, flora and fauna, agriculture,
What is meant by the term residency time?
The average time a water molecule or other substance will stay in a specific part of a cycle (e.g. aquifer, lakes, the atmosphere, oceans).
What are the main factors for the high importance of carbon?
Creation of lifeforms, the biosphere, temperature regulators, the formation of hydrocarbons, allotropes.
Where is carbon stored within the fast and slow carbon cycles?
Slow - rocks, fossil fuels, sea-floor sediments.
Fast - circulates the atmosphere, oceans, living organisms.
What is phytoplankton, and what is its main role?
Very small photosynthesising marine organisms that are found at the surface water of oceans, and they absorb CO2 which can be used to create plant food.
How can carbon move within the fast carbon cycle?
the decomposition of organic matter, photosynthesis, phytoplankton, respiration, combustion.
How can carbon move within the slow carbon cycle?
Carbonation, combustion, volcanic eruptions, weathering.
What is permafrost?
When soil is frozen over.
What is Net Primary Productivity?
Refers to the amount of energy a biomass accumulates from photosynthesis.
What is the difference between percolation and infiltration?
Percolation - Surface and soil water movement into underlying permeable rocks.
Infiltration - Vertical movement of rainwater through the soil.
What is advection?
The horizontal movement of an air mass, resulting in heating/cooling.
What is evapotranspiration?
The combined loss of water at the surface through evaporation and transpiration by plants.
