Energy flow, ecosystems and the environment Flashcards
gross primary productivity (GPP)
in plants, the rate at which light from the Sun catalyses the production of new plant material, measured as gm-2year-1, gCm-2year-1 or kJm-2year-1
net primary productivity (NPP_
the material produced by photosynthesis and stored as new plant body tissues; that is, NPP = GPP -R (where R= losses due to respiration)
carbon cycle
a series of reactions by which carbon is constantly recycled between living things and the environment
carbon sink
a reservoir where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and locked into organic or inorganic compounds
greenhouse gases
gases found in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour, which are involved in the greenhouse effect
greenhouse effect
the process by which gases in the Earth’s atmosphere absorb and re-radiate the radiation from the Sun, which has been reflected from the Earth’s surface, maintaining a temperature at the surface of the Earth that is warm enough for life to exist
global warming
a measurable increase in the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere or temperature at the surface of the Earth
Climate
the average weather in a relatively large area (such as a country) over a long period of time
weather
the conditions in the atmosphere at a particular time (for example, if it is sunny or windy or rainy when you go outside)
climate change
a large-scale change in global or regional weather patterns that happens over a period of many years
interglacials
the relatively warm periods between ice ages
dendrochronology
the dating of past events using tree ring growth
calibration
checking the measurement values given by one system of measurement against another of know accuracy
anthropogenic
produced by people
correlation
a strong tendency for two sets of data to vary together
