ecology Flashcards
biosphere
all living organism on earth
atmosphere
layers of gas that can be found on the surface of the earth to space
lithosphere
Consisting of the upper mantle and the crust
hydrosphere
All water found on earth whether it is trapped ice, stored underground as groundwater, or found in the atmosphere as vapour.
Describe the main processes of the carbon cycle
The main events in the carbon cycle are photosynthesis, respiration, combustion and fossilisation.
Describe the natural greenhouse effect and how it helps to maintain earth’s ideal surface temperature.
The natural greenhouse effect traps infra red ray from escaping the atmosphere, as a result, the Earth can maintain an ideal temperature because greenhouse gasses will hold a certain amount of these rays.
Identify the major greenhouse gases (GHG):
CO2, H2O, methane, nitrous oxides.
Identify carbon reservoirs / sinks,
A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. By far, the chief reservoirs of CO2 are in the oceans and in rocks.
CO2 dissolves readily in water. Once there, it may precipitate as calcium carbonate (limestone – CaCO3). Limestone reefs are actually huge deposits of carbon built by corals and algae. Molluscs store carbon in their shells. Trees are good carbon sinks.
Explain how ocean currents distribute heat around the earth.
Describe the enhanced greenhouse effect and list types and sources of anthropogenic GHGs.
provide evidence for global warming
List the fossil fuel types and compare their relative contribution to the
enhanced greenhouse effect.
Investigate the role of the Aboriginal fire management regime in reducing GHG
emissions
Describe the effects of Climate Change: Abiotic
Ocean acidification (impact on coral reef - GBR).
Describe the effects of Climate Change: Biotic
How does photosynthesis apart of the carbon cycle?
Carbon in the form of CO2 is converted into sugars during photosynthesis, thereby moving from the air (atmosphere) into organisms (biosphere).
When herbivores eat the plants, carbon flows from producers to consumers along the food chain until it reaches the apex predators.
Some of the carbon transferred along the food chain is integrated within the tissues of organisms; stored carbon.
Others are lost during elimination and excretion.
How does respiration apart of the carbon cycle?
Within all cells, oxygen reacts with glucose to produce carbon dioxide gas and water with the release of energy.
Carbon found in glucose or other fuels (fatty acids and amino acids) is converted into a waste product and released to the atmosphere.
That takes place in both animals and plants.
How does combustion apart of the carbon cycle?
When forests burn due to high temperatures or due to lightning, the fuel stored within the wooden material reacts in the presence of oxygen releasing heat energy and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
How does fossilization apart of the carbon cycle?
When animals or plants die and are buried quickly so as to prevent decomposition, the carbon in their tissues is locked up and stored as fossil fuel underground.
weather
Weather is the change in atmosphere with respect to its effect on life form and human activities.
It consists of short-term changes in the atmosphere (minutes to months).
Weather can be thought of in terms of wind, temperature, precipitation, storm, humidity, brightness, pressure and visibility.
Climate
Scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30 years.
What is a greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas(GHG) is a gas that contributes to the rise of the atmospheric temperature. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Other greenhouse gases are water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. They trap the sun’s warmth, and maintain the earth’s surface temperature at a level necessary to support life.
When sun’s radiation hits the ground some is reflected and some is absorbed and heats up the surface. The layer of CO2 prevents the heat from escaping. This layer of CO2 with its trapped heat warms the earth’s surface. Without CO2 the surface temperature will be much lower– about 35ºC cooler.
Oceanic currents
Water in the oceans differs in its temperature and salinity depending on the location.
Tropical oceanic waters heat up and become less dense. This results in warm current moving away from the tropics carrying heat with it to the colder regions of the earth; i.e. the poles.
As water cools down at the poles it becomes denser and sinks down to the bottom and travels back to the tropics where it moves up towards the surface, and the cycle starts again.
The main job of this movement of oceanic currents is to regulate global temperature.
