Ecology Unit Exam Flashcards
define weather:
atmospheric conditions of a specific place at a specific time
ex. rain, sun, wind, snow, cloud coverage
define climate:
average weather conditions in a region over a period of several years
ex. vancouver is rainy and Mexico is hot
what is anecdotal evidence?
things we see/experience
ex. “it felt colder this year than last year”
what is scientific evidence?
facts/data using numbers and measurements
ex. “the average temperature of Jan 2022 was 2.3 degrees colder than Jan 2021”
what is a narrow climate?
doesn’t vary much
ex. Mexico is always hot
what is a wide climate?
varies a lot
ex. Edmonton can be -40/40
what is a moderate climate?
mild, not too hot or too cold
ex. Vancouver
what is a severe climate?
extremes; hot or cold
ex. Greenland
what is the biosphere?
the narrow zone around earth that can support life
what are the 4 things that make up the biosphere?
1) atmosphere
2) hydrosphere
3) lithosphere
4) biotic and abiotic things
define biotic:
living
define abiotic:
non-living
what are the 5 layers of the atmosphere?
troposphere
stratosphere
mesosphere
thermosphere
exosphere
what layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
the stratosphere
what is inversion?
a reversal of the temperature change with altitude
what is the source of all energy on earth?
the sun
what is insolation?
the amount of energy that is actually received by the earth’s surface
what is the angle of inclination?
23.5 degrees
it is the reason we have seasons
what is a solstice?
one of the two points in earths orbit when the two poles are pointed most towards or away from the sun
what is an equinox?
the two days where the number of daylight hours is equal to the number of the nighttime hours
what latitude degree is the equator?
0
what latitude degree are the poles?
90
what is albedo?
the percent of solar radiation that a material reflects. Earth’s average albedo is 30%.
what is the greenhouse effect?
the earth’s surface is heated by the sun and then radiates this heat back out towards space. some of the heat gets trapped in gases in the atmosphere. this keeps heat close to the earth
what gas contributes most to global warming?
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
what is the difference between the natural and artificial greenhouse effect?
Natural: keeps the earth warm. without it, the average temperature would be below 0 degrees.
Artificial: caused by human activity. adding more gases into the atmosphere. which then traps too much heat so the earth’s temperature rises.
what is incoming radiation?
solar energy that makes it to the surface of the earth
what is outgoing radiation?
thermal energy that the earth’s surface re-emits back out into space
what is a heat deficit?
low insolation=less incoming radiation
high albedo=more outgoing radiation
what is a heat surplus?
high insolation=more incoming radiation
low albedo=less outgoing radiation
what is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
heat always moves from hot to cold
what is radiation and where does it occur?
emission of energy as particles or waves
these waves can be absorbed by other objects, and the particles of that object will warm up/get more energy
occurs in gases, vacuum
what is conduction and where does it occur?
a particle near a heat source gains energy and starts vibrating more.
because the particles in solids are closely packed, this vibrating particle bumps into its neighbour, transferring the energy to them eventually all the particles get bumped into and gain the energy.
occurs in solids
what is convection and where does it occur?
a particle near a heat source gains energy and starts moving more.
since there is more space between particles in fluids, these energized particles are able to move away from the heat source.
colder particles (which have a higher density) move down into the new space, and now they are near a heat source and can gain energy.
occurs in fluids (liquids and gases)
what is atmospheric pressure?
the pressure exerted by a column of air over any given point
what does the difference in air pressure and temperature create in the atmosphere?
convection currents
what is wind?
the movement of air from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure
does warm air or cold air exert more pressure?
colder air because it is more dense
what is the Coriolis effect?
the bending and moving currents in response to the earth’s rotation
in the northern hemisphere, what direction do currents travel?
clockwise
in the southern hemisphere, what direction do currents travel?
counter-clockwise
what 2 things cause global wind patterns?
convection currents and the Coriolis effect
what are jet streams and in what layer of the atmosphere are they found?
a “river” of fast-flowing air
in the stratosphere
what is specific heat capacity?
the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree.
what is the quantity of thermal energy?
the amount of thermal energy released by 1 gram of a substance when its temperature is changed by 1 degree.
Q=mcΔt
usually, when you add energy to a substance, what happens to that substance?
it gets hotter
what is it called when something changes from a liquid to a gas?
evaporation
what is it called when something changes from a gas to a liquid?
condensation
what is it called when something changes from a liquid to a solid?
freezing
what is it called when something changes from a solid to a liquid?
melting
what is it called when something changes from a gas to a solid?
sublimation
what is it called when something changes from a solid to a gas?
deposition
what is a biome?
a geographical area with a specific climate that the plants and animals that live there are adapted to.
what is another name for the boreal forest?
the taiga
what are the two things that a climatograph compares?
average temperature and precipitation
what are the three factors affecting climate?
1) insolation
2) global winds
3) ocean currents
what gas contributes the most to the natural greenhouse effect?
water vapour
what gas contributes most to the artificial greenhouse effect?
carbon dioxide
what is global warming potential(GWP)?
a measure of the relative ability to trap thermal energy in the atmosphere
what is persistence?
how many years a gas will remain in the atmosphere
what is a carbon source?
processes that release carbon into the atmosphere
ex. fossil fuels
what is a carbon sink?
processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere
ex. Ocean
