Earth's Nonliving Resources Flashcards
What percent of water on earth is salt vs fresh?
97.5% salt, 2.5% fresh
where is freshwater stored? give %s
glaciers 68%
groundwater 30%
surface water 1.2%
Eutrophication
occurs when too many nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen get into water and cause increased algae growth which depletes the water of oxygen
What is El Nino and ENSO?
A climate pattern that involves periodic changes in sea surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions. El Nino is the warming phase
Where does El Nino occur?
Tropical Pacific Ocean
What occurs during El Nino?
Effects global weatehr and climate- Upwelling which is when cold water comes to the surface of the ocean stops occurring which increases ocean temps, changes rainfall patterns and weakens trade winds
How is climate, land and water effected by El Nino?
Climate- causes increased rainfall and temperatures
Land- soil erosion because of heavy rainfall
Water- increased water temps, flooding/droughts
Where does the major biological source of dissolved oxygen in the ocean come from?
Phytoplankton who do photosynthesis. They consume oxygen at night when there is no light but produce oxygen during the day.
Describe the process of acidification and how it harms marine organisms
Acidification in the ocean occurs because the water is absorbing too much carbon dioxide which causes chemical reactions to occur which decrease pH and raise acidity. This causes shells and coral to weaken, which then effects food chain and health of organisms
Photic Zone
well lit top layer that supports high primary activity
Pelagic Zone
open ocean, supports marine life
Benthic Zone
ocean floor
Where is the largest pool (reservoir) of carbon in the carbon cycle found?
the largest active reservoir (exchangeable) pool is in the oceans (dissolved CO₂, marine organisms, and ocean sediments).
How have humans altered the carbon cycle?
burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes
Where is the origin of nitrogen in the nitrogen cycle?
Nitrogen originates from the atmosphere, where it exists as N₂ gas (comprising about 78% of the air).
How have humans altered the rate of nitrogen fixation into forms usable by autotrophs?
Synthetic fertilizers (Haber-Bosch process), fossil fuel combustion, expanded agriculture.- this leads to eutrophication
This industrial process converts atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into ammonia (NH₃), which can then be used to create nitrogen-based fertilizers. This process has dramatically increased the amount of biologically available nitrogen in agricultural systems, far exceeding natural rates of nitrogen fixation.
What are dead zones? How do they form?
Dead zones are parts of the ocean with little to no oxygen. They can occur naturally or due to eutrophication caused by increased nutrients in the water which causes algal bloom which depletes the oxygen in the water
Properties of Soil
pH, organic matter, percolation/permeability rate, nutrient content, particle size
What kinds of soil have the highest water holding capacity?
Loam then clay and silt
What are the factors involved in soil formation?
Parent material is the base geological material
Weathering (through physical, chemical or biological processes)of the parent material is the first step in soil formation
Erosion can contribute to soil formation in one area even as it depletes soil in another area.
Deposition
the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice.
