Earth’s Life Support Systems🌍🌫💧 Flashcards
1
Q
Oxidation
A
- chemical process that weathers certain rock types
- involves the absorption of oxygen from the atmosphere and water💦 by rock minerals
2
Q
Weathering
A
- in situ breakdown of rocks exposed at or near the land surface, by chemical, physical or biological processes
3
Q
Systems
A
- a group of objects and the relationships between them
4
Q
Permeable Rocks
A
- rock type which is penetrated by water💦 through mineral pores or joints🛠
5
Q
Water Cycle Budget
A
- annual volume of movement by:
- evaporation
- precipitation
- run-off
- between stores eg the ocean
6
Q
Sublimation❄️➡️🌫
A
Phase change of water from ice to vapour
7
Q
Infiltrating
A
- vertical movement of water through soil
8
Q
Percolate
A
- movement of surface and soil water into underlying permeable rocks
9
Q
Residence Times
A
- length of time a molecule of water/CO2 remains in natural storage🌲📦
10
Q
Stratiform Clouds☁️☁️
A
- clouds lying in a level sheet
11
Q
Stable
A
- atmospheric condition in which air an air parcel🌫📦 = displaced from its original level and returns from the same level
12
Q
Photosynthesis
A
- green plants🌱 convert water💦 + CO2 —> starch + sugar🍬 in the presence of sunlight☀️
13
Q
Respiration
A
- process in living organisms🐶🐒👩🏽
- intake of oxygen oxidises organic substances
- producing energy and the release of CO2
14
Q
Transpiration
A
- evaporation of water from pores on the leaf🍁 surfaces of plants
15
Q
Precipitation
A
- moisture falling from clouds towards the ground🌧🌨
16
Q
Evapotranspiration
A
- combined loss of water💦 at the surface by evaporation and transpiration by plants🌱
17
Q
Run-off
A
- movement of water across a land surface💦🗾
18
Q
Groundwater Flow
A
- horizontal movement of water within aquifers➡️💧
19
Q
Phytoplankton
A
- photosynthesising marine organisms in the surface waters of oceans🌊
20
Q
Water Balance
A
- relationship between precipitation, streamflow, evapotranspiration and groundwater storage in the drainage basin per year
21
Q
River Discharge
A
- volume of water💦 slowing in a river channel🏞
- measured in m3/S
22
Q
Atmosphere
A
- the thin envelope✉️ of gases (mainly nitrogen & oxygen) that surrounds the Earth🌍
23
Q
Biosphere
A
- the space at the Earth’s surface & within the atmosphere occupied by living organisms🌱🦎🐢
24
Q
Closed Systems
A
- a system with inputs & outputs of energy, but without any move,net of materials across system boundaries
25
Q
Open Systems
A
- a type of system whose boundaries are open to both inputs & outputs of energy & matter
26
Q
Evaporation💧➡️🌫
A
- process by which liquid water is converted into a gaseous state
27
Q
Transpiration
A
- evaporation of moisture from pores on leaf🍁 surfaces of plants🌱
28
Q
Condensation🌫➡️💦
A
- phase change of water vapour (gas) to water (liquid)
29
Q
Ablation
A
- loss of ice❄️ & snow🌨, especially from a glacier, through melting, evaporation & sublimation
30
Q
Subduction
A
- tectonic process found at convergent plate margins where an oceanic🌊 plate descends into the Earth’s mantle🌍🔥 & is destroyed
31
Q
Aquifers
A
- water-bearing band or porous or permeable rock
32
Q
Groundwater
A
- water stored underground in permeable & porous rocks known as aquifers
33
Q
Sinks🛁
A
- anything that absorbs more of a particular substance than it releases eg the oceans🌊 act as a sink for CO2
34
Q
Throughflow
A
- water flowing horizontally💦➡️ though the soil to stream & river channels🏞
35
Q
Carbonate Rocks
A
- rocks comprising carbonate minerals eg CaCO3 eg limestone & chalk
36
Q
Upper Mantle
A
- layer of the Earth’s🌏 interior extending 75-200km below the surface
- is able to flow🚿 under pressure
37
Q
Tectonic Plate
A
- large slab of Earth’s lithosphere & crust
38
Q
Chemical Weathering
A
- in situ breakdown of rocks by chemical processes eg carbonation, oxidation, solution & hydrolysis⚗️
39
Q
Carbonaceous Rocks
A
- rocks manly comprising the fossilised remains of plants🌱 eg coal, lignite
40
Q
Natural Sequestration
A
- long-term storage of carbon in plants🌱, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean🌊
- refers to the storage of carbon which has immediate potential to become CO2
41
Q
Dew Point
A
- critical temperature🌡 at which which condensation occurs
42
Q
Catchments
A
- area drained by a river & its tributaries eg a drainage basin
43
Q
Cumuliform Clouds☁️☁️
A
- cloud formed by convection with a rounded-top, lumpy appearance & flat base
44
Q
Advection
A
- horizontal movement of an air mass which often results is either heating🔥 or cooling❄️
45
Q
Cirrus Clouds☁️☁️
A
- high altitude, feather-like cloud made of ice crystals❄️
46
Q
Dew
A
- deposits of moisture on the ground & vegetation due to condensation caused by radiative cooling, most often at night🌚
47
Q
Fog
A
- cloud at ground level caused by radiative cooling & advection
48
Q
Latent Heat
A
- heat required to convert a solid into a liquid💧or vapour🌫 without a temperature change🌡
49
Q
Adiabatic Expansion
A
- expansion of a parcel📦 of air due to a decrease in pressure
- expansion causes cooling❄️
50
Q
Convection
A
- motion of a gas🌫 or liquid💧 which when warmed🔥 rises until eventually it cools❄️ & sinks in a continuous circulation
51
Q
Lapse Rates
A
- describes the vertical distribution of temperature🌡 in the lower atmosphere & the temperature changes that occur within an air parcel📦 as it rises vertically⬆️ away from the ground
52
Q
Instability
A
- ground heated by the sun☀️ warms the air in contact with the surface to 18degC
- because the air is warmer🔥 than its surroundings it is less dense & more buoyant🎈
53
Q
Stable
A
- above 4000m the atmosphere is stable
- air can’t rise freely in this zone because it’s cooler❄️ & heavier than its surroundings
54
Q
Interception Loss
A
- rainwater🌧 stored temporarily on the leaves🍁, stems🌿 & branches of vegetation which is evaporated & doesn’t reach the ground surface
55
Q
Throughfall
A
- rainfall🌧, initially intercepted by vegetation🌱, which drips to the ground
56
Q
Stemflow
A
- flow of water🚿 along the branches & stems of trees🌲& other plants🥀 to the ground
57
Q
Overland Flow
A
- rainfall🌧 that runs off the ground surface either because the soil is saturated or the intensity of rainfall exceeds the soil’s infiltration capacity
58
Q
Infiltration Capacity
A
- maximum rate at which water💦 , under the pull of gravity, soaks into the soil
59
Q
Saturated Overland Flow
A
- the movement of water across the ground - often as thin as film🎞 - when the soil is saturated
60
Q
Flux
A
- the rate of energy transfer per unit area
61
Q
Anthropogenic/Anthropocene
A
- current geological period where humankind👩🏽 is the main driver of environmental change
- caused/influenced by humans🚶🏽
62
Q
Carbonation & Equation
A
- rainwater🌧 is a weak carbonic acid which slowly dissolves limestone & chalk in this process
- carbonation = calcium carbonate + carbonic acid —> calcium bicarbonate
63
Q
Freeze-Thaw
A
- mechanical weathering process caused by water💦 confined in rock joints, expanding as it freezes & as a result breaking rocks into smaller particles
64
Q
Biological Weathering
A
- breakdown of rocks through the chemical & physical action of living organisms eg burrowing🐰🐇, tree roots🌲 etc
65
Q
Chelation
A
- type chemical weathering caused by acids derived from rainwater⚗️🌧 & dead💀 organic material
66
Q
Canopy
A
- uppermost layer or treetops & branches in a forest🌳 or woodland ecosystem
67
Q
Biodiversity
A
- number of different plant🌹, animal🐖, fungi🍄 etc species in a given area
68
Q
Downwelling🌊
A
- sinking of dense, salty(or cold) water in the oceans🌊
69
Q
Food Chain🍝⛓
A
- series of organisms through which food energy moves before it it completely expended 🌱➡️🐛➡️🦅
70
Q
Lithification
A
- transformation of sediments into rock
71
Q
Absolute Humidity
A
- mass of water vapour🌫 in argument volume of air
72
Q
Relative Humidity
A
- mass of water vapour🌫 in a given volume of air as a ratio of the mass needed to saturate it
73
Q
Biomass
A
- organic material on Earth that has stored sunlight☀️ in the form of chemical energy⚗️
74
Q
Porous Rocks
A
- rocks which contain pores or air spaces between mineral particles, where water is stored💧📦
75
Q
Albedo
A
- proportion of sunlight☀️ reflected from a surface
76
Q
Shifting Cultivation
A
- traditional method of cultivation in tropical forests🌴 which involves rotation of land rather than rotation of crops
77
Q
Monoculture
A
- cultivation of a single crop🌱
78
Q
Tree Line🌲🌲🌲
A
- latitudinal & altitudinal limit of tree🌲 growth
79
Q
Heat Balance
A
- difference between inputs of solar energy to the Earth🌏-atmosphere system & energy outputs fro terrestrial radiation & gases in the atmosphere
- currently inputs exceed outputs & global climate responds by warming☀️
80
Q
Carbon Sink
A
- long-term store of carbon in ocean sediments, carbonate rocks, forests🌲🌳🌲 etc
81
Q
Carbon Source
A
- inputs of carbon to the atmosphere by respiration, combustion & decomposition
82
Q
Negative Feedback Loops
A
- are within systems & restore balance
83
Q
Dynamic Equilibrium
A
- system displaying unreleased average states through time
84
Q
Lag Times
A
- difference in time⏰ between maximum rainfall🌧 & peak river discharge
85
Q
Water Table💧📊🗓
A
- upper surface of the zone of saturation in permeable rocks & the soil
86
Q
Abstraction
A
- extraction of water from rivers🏞 & boreholes for public water supply, agriculture etc
87
Q
Recharge
A
- net input of water💦 into an aquifer causing a rise in the water table
88
Q
Syncline
A
- downfolded, basin-like geological structure
89
Q
Artesian Pressure
A
- hydrostatic pressure exerted on groundwater in a confined aquifer occupying a synclinal structure
90
Q
Artesian Aquifer
A
- confined aquifer containing groundwater that when tapped will rise to the surface under its own pressure
91
Q
Potentiometric Surface
A
- imaginary surface that defines the theoretical level to which water would rise in a confined aquifer➖💧
92
Q
Carbon Structure and Storage (CCS)
A
- removal of CO2 from emissions by thermal power stations & its storage in disused oil & gas⛽️ wells underground
93
Q
Positive Feedback
A
- automatic response to change in a system which generates further change
94
Q
Negative Feedback
A
- automatic response to change in system that restores equilibrium
95
Q
Greenhouse Gas
A
- gases in the atmosphere eg CO2, CH4 & water vapour🌫 which absorb long-wave terrestrial radiation
96
Q
Carbon Fertilisation
A
- rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere which increase photosynthesis & stimulate plant growth🌱⬆️
97
Q
Net Primary Productivity Of Vegetation (NPP)
A
- rate at which plants🌱 accumulate energy in the form of organic matter taking into account the energy use in respiration
98
Q
Photoperiod🌅➡️🌅
A
- length of day eg from sunset🌅 to sunrise🌅
99
Q
Glacial
A
- prolonged cold climatic phase lasting for 10s for 1000s of years & causing continental glaciation in middle & high latitudes
100
Q
Inter-Glacial🌨☀️🌨
A
- period of climatic warming (lasting c.10,000 years) between glacial
101
Q
Desertification
A
- reduction in agricultural capacity due to overexploitation of resources & natural processes eg drought💧❌
- only in extreme cases does it result in desert🌵like conditions
102
Q
Overcultivation
A
- cultivation which, given environmental resources, isn’t sustainable in the long term & is evidenced by declining yields, soil exhaustion😴 & soil erosion
103
Q
Land Degradation🏞⬇️
A
- deterioration of land suitability for agriculture by soil erosion, desertification & salinisation
104
Q
Overgrazing
A
- excessive grazing of land by livestock🐄🐂🐖🐐🐏 which destroys or degrades pasture & isn’t suitable
105
Q
Cap and Trade
A
- international scheme to control carbon emissions
- market-based solution to climate change where polluters either cut their emissions or incur extra costs by buying tradable carbon credits
106
Q
Carbon Credits💰
A
- allowances that permit given levels of CO2 emissions by businesses
- excess emissions must be covered by trading carbon credits
107
Q
Carbon Offsets
A
- market-based approach to limiting carbon emissions💨
- businesses receive annual carbon quotas (credits) which can be sold/bought on international carbon markets
108
Q
Polyculture
A
- cultivation of several different crops🌱, often simultaneously is the same field
109
Q
Residence Time
A
- average length of time carbon remains in stores
