Environmental Science Flashcards
What Are The Earth’s Spheres?
Hydro - All bodies of water on Earth/total amount of water
Litho - The solid outer part of Earth including the upper mantle and crust
Bio - all living things/organisms on Earth (parts of Earth where life exists)
Atmo - all gases above Earth’s surface
The Carbon Cycle
Describes/process of how carbon moves between the atmosphere, soils, living things, ocean and human sources
Photosynthesis
When plants absorb carbon dioxide/water(/sunlight) and convert it/release oxygen and glucose
6CO2 + 6H2O arrow C6H12O6 + 6O2
OR
Carbon dioxide + water arrow (sunlight) oxygen + glucose
Respiration
Is the process where living things break down carbohydrates to release energy in the form of ATP, returning CO2 to the atmosphere
Combustion
When things containing carbon are burnt, the carbon they contain is released back into the environment. This process is known as combustion
Consumption
Carbon is found in glucose made up by plants and can be eaten by animals, who absorb the carbon it contains, eventually releasing the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
Decomposition
When plants and animals die, they decompose, releasing carbon into the soil and atmosphere. This process is called decomposition and is assisted by soil microorganisms
Sedimentation
Is when phytoplankton, that store/contain carbon die and settle to the bottom of the ocean
Can be long/short-term sink for carbon
Eventually be burned/used as fossil fuels
Fossilisation
Sometimes when plants, animals and plankton die, their bodies do not fully decompose and over millions of years, with exposure to pressure and heat, they can become fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil through the process of fossilisation
Human Impacts On Carbon Cycle
Burning Fossil Fuels-
Leads to altered amount of carbon in atmosphere (more enhanced greenhouse gases trapping more heat)
Deforestation-
Cutting down trees means less photosynthesis so more carbon is in the atmosphere
Natural Vs Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
Natural - greenhouse gases trap some of the sun’s energy/heat on Earth’s surface to keep temperature stable
Enhanced - there are excess greenhouse gases that then trap too much heat, warming up the Earth’s surface (from human activity)
Weather Vs Climate
Weather-
Refers to the short term conditions of the atmosphere
Climate-
The average weather conditions over a long period of time in a certain area
Extreme Weather Events
Changing climatic conditions are leading to more extreme weather events due to higher levels of evaportation and rapidly rising hot air causing stronger winds
e.g - floods and drought
Melting Glaciers/Rising Sea Levels
With increasing global temperatures ice caps are melting which is causing sea levels to rise (with more water)
Ocean Acidification
High levels of atmospheric CO2 has lead to the ocean absorbing increasing amounts and when CO2 dissolves in the water it forms a weak acid, therefore making the ocean more acidic
Melting Permafrost
When it decomposes, it emits methane and carbon into the atmosphere
Disease And Health
- zoonotic diseases diseases that spread from non-human animals to humans (if animals health decreases and humans eat them they will weaken/spread disease)
- direct contact between species increases
- geographical ranges of host animals and insects changes
- disease hosts thrive in favourable conditions
- new diseases emerge
- human resistance to diseases weakens
The Water Cycle
The continuous movement of water within Earth and the atmosphere
The Water Cycle Stages
- evaporation
- condensation
- transpiration
- precipitation
- (also) groundwater flow and surface runoff
Human Impacts On Water Cycle
Burning fossil fuels contributes to the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and hydrosphere and the rising temperature which leads to increase in evaporation and rapid melting in ice sheets e.g - glaciers (there more rising sea levels) and impacts other important stages of the water cycle
Human Activities That Lead To Global Warming
Deforestation
Burning Fossil Fuels
Transportation
Agriculture
Effect Of Climate Change On (Sea Levels?) And Biodiversity
When the climate changes species may not be able to adapt/survive in that environment and can result in the species dying out e.g - coral bleaching
Quadrats
Are useful in estimating the distribution and abundance of species present at a sight
All species within the quadrant area are identified and counted
Percentage cover can also be calculated
1x1 metre square
Line Transects
Can be used to collect information about-
- presence or absense of species within the line
- trend of increase or decrease of distance between the individuals of species
- gradual disappearance or appearance of different species along the line
Species Richness Vs Abundance
Richness - is the number of species in an area. It’s merely a numerical characteristic of an ecosystem
Abundance - is the number of individuals of each species in a given area or ecosystem
Species Diversity
The different number of species in an area (Species richness) and its abundance and the distribution of these species in that ecosystem
It is a measure of variety in an ecosystem
Random, Stratified Vs Systematic Sampling
Rand-
Within each area, every part of the area must have an equal chance of being chosen
Strat-
Is where the habitat is divided into zones which appear different, and samples are taken from each zone
Syste-
Used where the study area includes an environmental gradient. A transect is used to sample systematically along the environmental gradient. For example, every 10 meters along a line
Global Warming Vs Climate Change
GW-
The long term increase of Earth’s surface temperatures caused by increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
CC-
Refers to significant changes in global temperature, precipitation, wind patterns and other measures of climate that occur over several decades or longer
The long term shifts in temperature/weather patterns
Natural Disaster That Effects All Four Spheres
Litho - when tectonic plates move and collide with other plates tension is built up between the two, this also is the case when oceanic plates slide under continental plates. When the tension between the plates is released an earthquake occurs which can trigger a tsunami
Atmos - The high and low points of tsunami waves compress and extend the air above them, creating corresponding gravity waves in the atmosphere
Hydro - that caused the earthquake, causes a wave to form in the ocean. The wave that forms, depending on the amount of energy released from the tension build up between the plates, can cause a large or small wave
Bio - Life on land, as well as some aquatic life that region that washes on shore, perishing due to being washed away and/or being overwhelmed by water
Types Of Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Water vapour (H2O)
Methane (CH4)
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
