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Ecology > Earth's Processes > Flashcards

Earth's Processes Flashcards

1
Q

What proportion of incoming solar radiation is reflected back to space?

A

30%

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2
Q

What is the cause of global atmospheric circulation patterns?

A

The Coriolis Effect and energy/temperature gradients across the earth’s surface

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3
Q

What are Aquatic Biomes defined by?

A

Environmental gradients

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4
Q

What are Terrestrial Biomes defined by?

A

Climate gradients

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5
Q

What does NEE stand for?

A

Net Ecosystem Exchange

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6
Q

Which elements makes up more than 1.5 % in living things but less than 2% in the Earth’s crust?

A

Carbon, Nitrogen and Hydrogen

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7
Q

How can you calculate NEE?

A

NPP - Rh. or
GPP - Reco. or
GPP - Ra - Rh

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8
Q

What is the largest source of nitrogen emissions?

A

Road Transport

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9
Q

Which element is the limiting factor for photosynthesis in the Southern Ocean?

A

Iron

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10
Q

What process is the largest C sink?

A

Photosynthesis

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11
Q

Describe Immobilisation?

A

The process in which nitrate and ammonium are taken up by soil organisms and therefore become unavailable to crops.

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12
Q

Describe mineralisation?

A

The decomposition of the chemical compounds in organic matter, releasing nutrients to plants.

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13
Q

List the different types of plate tectonic boundaries?

A

Divergent, Convergent, Transformative

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14
Q

Why are Ocean’s important?

A

Control climate and weather patterns, circulate heat and dissolved suspended material around the planet, are a large planetary heat sink.

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15
Q

What are surface currents influenced by?

A

Tides, wind, land masses, earthquakes, earth rotation, thermalise circulation

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16
Q

What drives thermaline circulation?

A

Differences in density caused by temperature and salinity

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17
Q

What is Albedo?

A

The measure of how much light is reflected without being absorbed.

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18
Q

Give examples of heat sinks?

A

Oceans, lakes, wet dark soils.

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19
Q

What is a heat sink?

A

Area that absorbs most of the incident radiation.

20
Q

What biomes reflect radiation?

A

Sea ice, fresh snow.

21
Q

Name the atmospheric circulation cells?

A

Hadley, Ferrel, Polar

22
Q

How does the rotation of the earth effect air?

A

Deflects it from it’s straight path.

23
Q

What are the four major reservoirs for the carbon cycle?

A

Atmosphere, oceans, land and fossil fuels.

24
Q

What does NPP stand for?

A

Net primary production

25
Q

What does GPP stand for?

A

Gross primary production

26
Q

What does Reco stand for?

A

Respiration

27
Q

What does Ra stand for?

A

Autotrophic respiration

28
Q

What does Rh stand for?

A

Heterotrophic respiration

29
Q

How do you calculate NPP?

A

GPP - Ra

30
Q

Give two sources of carbon in the carbon cycle?

A

Volcanism, Respiration

31
Q

List some carbon sinks?

A

Air-sea gas exchange, weathering, carbonate precipitation, organic matter burial, subduction, photosynthesis.

32
Q

How can we measure carbon fluxes?

A

Satellites, scaling, chamber measurement.

33
Q

What effect does carbon fluxes have?

A

Crop yield variations, heat wave, drought, heavy precipitation, extreme frost, heavy storms.

34
Q

Describe the evaporation/ transpiration stage of the Hydrological cycle?

A

Liquid to gas phases change, driven by solar radiation and air temperature.

35
Q

Describe the condensation stage of the Hydrological cycle?

A

Gaseous to liquid phase change, cooling of water molecules leads to formation of water droplets.

36
Q

Describe the Precipitation stage of the Hydrological cycle?

A

Rain or snow falls to earth, occurs when water droplets reach a certain size.

37
Q

Give an example of Interception?

A

Mountains

38
Q

Define Percolation?

A

Water movement through deeper soil layers and rock.

39
Q

What is infiltration?

A

Water movement through the air-soil boundary layer.

40
Q

What is run-off in the Hydrological cycle?

A

Drainage of water from a catchment into streams and rivers, subsequent transfer to ocean

41
Q

List sources of nitrogen?

A

International shipping, road transport, agriculture, commercial combustion, industrial production, power generation.

42
Q

What role does soil play?

A

Food production and security, regulates CO2 emissions, stores and filters water, cycles and stores nutrients, Biodiversity

43
Q

What problems do humans pose upon soil quality?

A

Increasing food demand due to human population growth, salinisation, acidification.

44
Q

What improvement could be made to reduce soil degradation?

A

Reduced tillage, cover crops, soil bunds and terraces, mulch with crop residues.

45
Q

What improvements could be made to reduce soil nutrient deficits?

A

Return organic wastes to soil, crop rotations, nitrogen fixings crops, use of organic and mineral fertilisers.

46
Q

What problems do artificial fertilisers pose?

A

Un-used nitrates run off fields and enter water systems, causing eutrophication and prolific algal blooms.

Ecology (8 decks)

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