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A Level - Physical Geography > Earth’s Life Support Systems🌍🌫💧 > Flashcards

Earth’s Life Support Systems🌍🌫💧 Flashcards

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1
Q

Oxidation

A
  • chemical process that weathers certain rock types

- involves the absorption of oxygen from the atmosphere and water💦 by rock minerals

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2
Q

Weathering

A
  • in situ breakdown of rocks exposed at or near the land surface, by chemical, physical or biological processes
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3
Q

Systems

A
  • a group of objects and the relationships between them
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4
Q

Permeable Rocks

A
  • rock type which is penetrated by water💦 through mineral pores or joints🛠
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5
Q

Water Cycle Budget

A
  • annual volume of movement by:
  • evaporation
  • precipitation
  • run-off
  • between stores eg the ocean
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6
Q

Sublimation❄️➡️🌫

A

Phase change of water from ice to vapour

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7
Q

Infiltrating

A
  • vertical movement of water through soil
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8
Q

Percolate

A
  • movement of surface and soil water into underlying permeable rocks
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9
Q

Residence Times

A
  • length of time a molecule of water/CO2 remains in natural storage🌲📦
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10
Q

Stratiform Clouds☁️☁️

A
  • clouds lying in a level sheet
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11
Q

Stable

A
  • atmospheric condition in which air an air parcel🌫📦 = displaced from its original level and returns from the same level
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12
Q

Photosynthesis

A
  • green plants🌱 convert water💦 + CO2 —> starch + sugar🍬 in the presence of sunlight☀️
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13
Q

Respiration

A
  • process in living organisms🐶🐒👩🏽
  • intake of oxygen oxidises organic substances
  • producing energy and the release of CO2
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14
Q

Transpiration

A
  • evaporation of water from pores on the leaf🍁 surfaces of plants
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15
Q

Precipitation

A
  • moisture falling from clouds towards the ground🌧🌨
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16
Q

Evapotranspiration

A
  • combined loss of water💦 at the surface by evaporation and transpiration by plants🌱
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17
Q

Run-off

A
  • movement of water across a land surface💦🗾
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18
Q

Groundwater Flow

A
  • horizontal movement of water within aquifers➡️💧
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19
Q

Phytoplankton

A
  • photosynthesising marine organisms in the surface waters of oceans🌊
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20
Q

Water Balance

A
  • relationship between precipitation, streamflow, evapotranspiration and groundwater storage in the drainage basin per year
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21
Q

River Discharge

A
  • volume of water💦 slowing in a river channel🏞

- measured in m3/S

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22
Q

Atmosphere

A
  • the thin envelope✉️ of gases (mainly nitrogen & oxygen) that surrounds the Earth🌍
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23
Q

Biosphere

A
  • the space at the Earth’s surface & within the atmosphere occupied by living organisms🌱🦎🐢
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24
Q

Closed Systems

A
  • a system with inputs & outputs of energy, but without any move,net of materials across system boundaries
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25
Q

Open Systems

A
  • a type of system whose boundaries are open to both inputs & outputs of energy & matter
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26
Q

Evaporation💧➡️🌫

A
  • process by which liquid water is converted into a gaseous state
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27
Q

Transpiration

A
  • evaporation of moisture from pores on leaf🍁 surfaces of plants🌱
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28
Q

Condensation🌫➡️💦

A
  • phase change of water vapour (gas) to water (liquid)
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29
Q

Ablation

A
  • loss of ice❄️ & snow🌨, especially from a glacier, through melting, evaporation & sublimation
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30
Q

Subduction

A
  • tectonic process found at convergent plate margins where an oceanic🌊 plate descends into the Earth’s mantle🌍🔥 & is destroyed
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31
Q

Aquifers

A
  • water-bearing band or porous or permeable rock
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32
Q

Groundwater

A
  • water stored underground in permeable & porous rocks known as aquifers
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33
Q

Sinks🛁

A
  • anything that absorbs more of a particular substance than it releases eg the oceans🌊 act as a sink for CO2
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34
Q

Throughflow

A
  • water flowing horizontally💦➡️ though the soil to stream & river channels🏞
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35
Q

Carbonate Rocks

A
  • rocks comprising carbonate minerals eg CaCO3 eg limestone & chalk
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36
Q

Upper Mantle

A
  • layer of the Earth’s🌏 interior extending 75-200km below the surface
  • is able to flow🚿 under pressure
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37
Q

Tectonic Plate

A
  • large slab of Earth’s lithosphere & crust
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38
Q

Chemical Weathering

A
  • in situ breakdown of rocks by chemical processes eg carbonation, oxidation, solution & hydrolysis⚗️
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39
Q

Carbonaceous Rocks

A
  • rocks manly comprising the fossilised remains of plants🌱 eg coal, lignite
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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
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41
Q

Dew Point

A
  • critical temperature🌡 at which which condensation occurs
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42
Q

Catchments

A
  • area drained by a river & its tributaries eg a drainage basin
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43
Q

Cumuliform Clouds☁️☁️

A
  • cloud formed by convection with a rounded-top, lumpy appearance & flat base
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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

A Level - Physical Geography (2 decks)

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