ELSS part one Flashcards
1
Q
what is flora?
A
plants
2
Q
what is fauna?
A
animals
3
Q
what is a closed system?
A
this is where only energy crosses the boundaries
4
Q
what is an open system?
A
this is where materials as well as energy cross boundaries
5
Q
on a global scale, what is the water and carbon cycles?
A
closed systems driven by the sun’s energy
6
Q
on a local scale, what is the water and carbon cycles?
A
open systems
7
Q
why is the global water system so important?
A
They provide a medium for organic molecules to mix and form complex structures
8
Q
what are the stores in the global water cycle?
A
Atmosphere
Ocean
Land
9
Q
what is the smallest store in the global water cycle?
A
Atmosphere
10
Q
what is the biggest store in the global water cycle?
A
Ocean
11
Q
what are the flows in the global water cycle?
A
Precipitation
Runoff
Evapotranspiration
Groundwater flow
12
Q
what are the stores in the global carbon cycle?
A
Sedimentary rock
Carbon in circulation goes between atmosphere, ocean, soil and biosphere
13
Q
how much of the world’s carbon is stored in the sedimentary rock?
A
99%
14
Q
what are the flows in the global carbon cycle?
A
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Oxidation (decomposition and combustion)
Weathering
15
Q
how much water on the Earth is found in oceans?
A
97%
16
Q
how much of Earth’s water is locked up in cryosphere?
A
75%
17
Q
how much of global water is found in aquifers?
A
only 1/5
18
Q
what are the water cycle inputs into the atmosphere?
A
Water evaporated from oceans, soil etc
Vapour transpired from plant leaves
19
Q
how does moisture leave the atmosphere?
A
Precipitation and condensation
Ablation
20
Q
how much carbon is stored in atmosphere?
A
600 billion tonnes
21
Q
how much carbon is stored in oceans?
A
38,700 billion tonnes
22
Q
what are the two strands of the global carbon cycle?
A
Fast carbon cycle
Slow carbon cycle
23
Q
how long is carbon held in rocks in the slow carbon cycle?
A
around 150million years
24
Q
how is carbon stored in the slow carbon cycle in oceans?
A
CO2 is dissolved in oceans and used by corals and organisms to make shells.
This fixes the dissolved carbon with calcium, making calcium carbonate
25
how is carbon stored in slow carbon cycle on land?
Oil, coal and nautral gas may form as additional carbon sinks
Formed as partly decomposed organic material is buried beneath newer sediments
26
How is carbon returned to the atmosphere from sedimentary rocks in slow carbon cycle?
Techtonic activity
Chemical weathering
27
how does techtonic activity return carbon to atmosphere from sedimentary rocks?
Subduction of carbon rich sedimentary rock can result in the venting of carbon to the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions
28
how does chemical weathering return carbon to atmosphere from sedimentary rocks?
Weathering such as carbonation releases CO2 to the atmosphere ad may also be dissolved in streams, rivers and oceans
29
how much quicker is the fast carbon cycle than the slow carbon cycle?
transfers are 10-1000x quicker
30
how does the fast carbon cycle work?
Phytoplankton in oceans are key as they absorb CO2 from atmosphere during photosynthesis.
Respiration then releases CO2 back into the atmosphere. This also occurs during decomposition
31
where does the tropical maritime air mass originate?
Over the sea
e.g. Atlantic Ocean
32
where does the tropical continental air mass originate?
Over land - DRY AIR
e.g. Sahara desert
33
what happens when the tropical continental and the tropical maritime air mass meet?
the moist (tropical maritime air mass) air is forced upwards.
This causes water vapour to condense as the air cools and rises.
This results in a band of heavy precipitation around the globe
34
what is the water balance?
Balance between inputs and outputs in a drainage basin system
35
how will the water budget vary?
depending on location and climate.
This can be shown on a water budget graph
36
what are the flows in the drainage basin water cycle?
Transpiration
Precipitation
Surface runoff
Infiltration
Throughflow
Groundwater flow
37
what are the stores in the drainage basin water cycle?
Channel storage
Groundwater
Vegetation storage
38
what is precipitation?
Any form of atmospheric moisture falling from the sky
39
when do clouds form?
when moisture meets its dew point
40
what is dew point?
the critical temperature when air becomes saturated (100% humidity) meaning it cant hold anymore vapour and results in a change in state
41
how do clouds form?
Water cools to its dew point and changes state to form water droplets
These droplets aggregate forming clouds and as they reach a critical size they leave clouds as precipitation
42
what are the two theories of how rain develops?
Collision theory
Bergeron-Findeisen theory
43
what is the collision theory of how rain develops?
When air is too warm for ice to form in the atmosphere, precipitation occurs as tiny droplets collide into one another to form larger droplets
44
what is the Bergeron-Findeison theory of how rain develops?
Ice crystals form high in clouds, gradually grow bigger as they attract more vapour.
Vapour pressure drops, allowing droplets to evaporate and become smaller as ice grows.
Ice is too heavy, and falls towards earth passing through clouds and attracting more vapour
45
what factors is rainfall dependent on?
Rising/cooling
Clouds
Moisture presence
Growth of cloud droplets
46
what are the types of rainfall?
Convectional
Orographic/relief
Frontal
47
where is convectional rainfall most common?
Near the equator due to intense isolation
48
how does convectional rainfall occur?
Ground heats so the air becomes warm and expands, then rises.
As it rises, it cools and forms clouds
49
how does orographic rainfall occur?
Moist air is forced to rise over mountains
Its ability to hold water decreases and it rains.
As it falls on the other side, it warms and holds moisture
50
how does frontal rainfall occur?
When two air masses meet with different characteristics.
The warm air rises along a front and results in steady rainfall
51
what are the spacial and temporal changes in precipitation?
Intensity
Duration
Seasonal variability
52
what is intensity of precipitation?
amount of precipitation in a given time.
High intensity moves over the land quickly
53
what is duration of precipitation?
Length of time precipitation lasts
54
what is seasonal variability for precipitation?
Some areas have distinct rainy seasons.
55
what happens to rain when it reaches the ground?
Most will flow into streams and rivers
Some will infiltrate into the soil
56
what is transpiration?
Process by which moisture is lost in the form of water vapour to the atmosphere through pores
57
how much moisture in the atmosphere is from transpiration?
approximately 10%
58
what factors affect transpiration?
Temperature
Windspeed
Relative humidity
Soil moisture
59
what is unstable air?
moving air
60
what is condensation?
Change in state
61
when does condensation occur?
When air is at its dew point
62
what are the forms of clouds?
Cirrusform
Cumuloform
Stratiform
Nimboform
63
what height do cirrusform clouds form?
16,000 - 50,000 feet
64
what do cirrusform clouds look like?
thin wispy clouds formed with tiny ice crystals
65
what do cumuloform clouds look like?
Fluffy white low level clouds
Detached from other clouds
66
what do stratiform clouds look like?
Sheet of clouds
Mid/high levels
67
68
what do nimboform clouds look like?
Layered low level clouds
Produce precipitation
Can extend to mid/high levels
69
what does condensation at high levels cause?
clouds
70
what does condensation at low levels cause?
Dew
Fog
71
what is dew?
Condensed moisture forming as small droplets on relatively cold surfaces
72
when does dew occurs?
Where the ground objects become cooler in comparison to the surrounding area
73
where does dew occur?
Twigs, leaves and grass
Mainly in the early morning
74
why does fog occur?
because air becomes too cold to hold all its moisture,
75
what is fog?
thick cloud near the surface and reduces the visibility
76
what are the two ways fog is formed?
Cooling
Evaporation
77
how does cooling form fog?
Air is cooled to its dew point and therefore condenses
78
how does evaporation form fog?
Water vapour is mixed with air by evaporation, until the air becomes saturated
79
what are the reasons cooling occurs?
- convection
- advection
- air mass rising due to mountain barrier forcing it to rise and cool
- warm air mass mixes with cool air mass
80
what is convection?
When air is warmed by contact with the ground/sea and will rise and cool by expansion as pressure falls
81
what is advection?
When air masses move horizontally across cooler surfaces
82
what is lapse rates?
The rate at which temperature changes with height
83
what are the main types of lapse rates?
Environmental lapse rates
Dry adiabatic lapse rates
Saturated adiabatic lapse rates
84
what are environmental lapse rates?
How temperature changes when height is vertically gained from the ground
6.5C per km gained
85
what are dry adiabatic lapse rates?
Rate at which a dry air parcel cools
10C per km gained
86
what are saturated adiabatic lapse rates?
Rate at which saturated air parcel cools as it rises
7C per km gained
87
what is absolute instability?
When air is rising freely due to being warmer than the atmosphere.
It keeps rising until it is the same temperature as surrounding air
It wont rise and will mark the top of a cloud.
88
what are the ground processes in the water cycle?
Evaporation
Interception
Infiltration
89
what is evaporation?
The process where liquid water is tranformed into water vapour.
This is driven by energy from air movement (wind) and the sun
90
what is evaporation driven by?
Air movement e.g. wind
Sun
91
what does evaporation rates depend on?
Temperature
Windspeed
Hours of sun
Humidity
Vegetation cover
Albedo
92
what is the most important factor that evaporation rates depend on?
Temperature
93
what is interception?
Water retained by surfaces may be lost by evaporation back to the atmosphere
94
what may intercepted water be lost by?
Throughfall
Stemflow
Interception loss
95
what is throughfall?
Water falling through gaps in leaves or drop off leavesw
96
what is stemflow?
Water trickles down twigs and branches
97
what is interception loss?
Water is evaporated back directly into the atmosphere from branches, leaves and stems
98
what does the amount of precipitation depend on?
Type of rain
Duration of rain
Season
99
how much water is lost by interception in the rainforest?
66%
100
what factors affect interception loss?
Interception storage capacity
Wind speed
Vegetation type
Tree species
101
how does interception storage capacity affect interception loss?
Initially water is intercepted.
As vegetation becomes saturated, throughfall is more likely than interception
102
how does wind speed affect interception loss?
Evaporation increases with wind speed
Turbulence increases, causing throughfall as leaves shake
103
how does vegetation type affect interception loss?
Loss is greater from grass than agricultural crops.
Trees with high surface area also have a lot of loss
104
how does tree species affect interception loss?
Loss is greater from evergreen than deciduous.
Evergreen have leaves all year round and water sticks to the needles which increases evaporation
105
what is infiltration?
movement of water from the ground surface downwards into the soil
106
what is infiltration capacity?
The maximum rate at which soil in a given condition can absorb water
107
hoes does infiltration capacity change?
Initially the rates are high, but his declines rapidly during the early part of the storm and reaches a constant lower value 1-2 hours later
108
what factors affect infiltration rates?
Type of rain
Type of soil
Soil texture
Soil depth
Soil moisture
Vegetation/litter content
Soil fauna
Overgrazing
Deforestation
Urbanisation
Relief
109
what is throughflow?
downslope movement of water through the soil
110
what is pipe flow?
movement of water through well organised channels e.g. old root systems or worm passages
111
what is overland flow?
movement of water over the surface of the ground
112
what is saturated overland flow?
occurs when soil is saturated and the water table rises
113
where does surface runoff tend to occur?
Heavy sprint snow melt
Thin soil
Clay soil
Thin vegetation
Long gentle slopes
Urban areas
114
what is percolation?
the movement of water through the soil itself, moving deeper down into the soil and eventually into the groundwater store
115
what drives percolation?
gravity
116
what is capillary action?
upward movement of soil moisture
Mainly occurs during drought periods or summer months
117
how much of earths freshwater is found in groundwater store?
96.5%
It can have a long residence time of 20,000 years
118
where is groundwater store found?
In the zone of saturation where soil and porous bed rock is saturated by rainwater percolating through the soil
119
what is groundwater flow?
when water slowly moves through rock pores and joints
120
what is the water table?
the upper layer of the saturated zone
121
what are the forms of carbon exchange in the carbon cycle?
Precipitation
Weathering
Photosynthesis
Decomposition
Combustion
Respirationw
122
how is weathering a form of carbon exchange?
It releases carbon from limestone to streams, rivers, atmosphere etc
123
what is the rate of carbon going from atmosphere to plants?
120GT/year
124
