earths life support systems Flashcards
what is the goldilocks zone?
also known as CHZ, the distance earth orbits the sun thats just right for liquid water to be present
(circumstellar habitable zone)
why is liquid water important?
water is used as a solvent which enables key chemical reactions to occur and sustain life on earth
open systems?
allow energy and mass to pass across a system boundary
water in drainage basins (allows energy and water/ sediment to pass)
closed systems?
aloows enegry to pass through a boundary but not mass
hydrologiocal cycle
isolated system?
allows neither to pass across a system boundary
what is the hydrosphere?
all waters on earth such as lakes and seas
what is the cryopshere?
the frozen part of the earths surface, including the polar ice caps, continential ice sheets , glaciers , sea ice and permafrost.
lithosphere?
the rigid outer part of the earth consisting of the crust and upper mantle. divided into tectonic plates
biosphere ?
the space at the earths surface and within the atmosphere occupied by living organisms
atmosphere?
the envelope of gases surrounding the planet
the global water cycle… what are its 3 main stores
atmosphere , land and ocean
what is a system
a set of components working together which have inputs , outputs , transfers and stores
what is the global hydrological scale?
is an example of a closed system
- the total amount of water in the cyle is the same. none added or taken away.
what is a drainage basin?
an area of land drained by a river
- energy and mass leaves and enters the basin
- example of of an open system.
mass is the sediment and water
transpiration
is the diffusion of water vapour to the atmosphere from the leaf pores.
responsible for 10 percent of moisture in the atmosphere.
