Environmental Science unit 1 Flashcards
Environmental science disciplines
- Computers
- Earth Sciences
- Agriculture
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Economics
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Biology
- Law
- Engineering
- Ethics
- Politics
- Philosophy
Biocentrism
All living things deserve equal moral consideration
Ecocentrism
worldview that recognizes intrinsic value in all lifeforms and ecosystems themselves, including their abiotic components
Anthropocentrism
values other lifeforms and ecosystems insofar as they are valuable for human well-being, preferences and interests
What is the tragedy of the commons?
an economic concept that describes the depletion of a shared resource due to individual self-interest, despite the negative consequences for the collective.
Where is the Gorongosa national park located
central Mozambique
What is a biome?
a region characterized by its resident life, environment, and climate.
what determines a biome?
Temperature
Precipitation
Location
Wildlife
biotic and abiotic material
Why is Gorongosa national park being studied?
- conservation and restoration
- trophic rewilding
- vegetation dynamics
Name all of the Biomes
Coniferous Forest
Desert
Grassland
Rainforest
Shrubland
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Tundra
What is an ecosystem
A geographic area where Plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, interact and work together to form a self-sustaining bubble of life
Desert features
Temp: 38C (day) -3.9 (night)
precipitation: 250 mm
Location: Between 15° and 35° latitude (north and south of the equator); examples are Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahua, and Great Basin (North America); Sahara (Africa); Negev (Middle East); and Gobi (Asia)
Grassland Features
Temperature: -20°C to 30°C
Precipitation: 500 to 900 mm annually
Location: The prairies of the Great Plains of North America, the pampas of South America, the veldt of South Africa, the steppes of Central Eurasia, and surrounding the deserts in Australia
Rainforest features
Temperature: 20°C to 25°C
Precipitation: 2,000 to 10,000 mm annually
Location: Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
Shrubland Features
Temperature: Hot and dry in the summer, cool and moist in the winter
Precipitation: 200 to 1,000 mm of rain per year
Location: Western coastal regions between 30° and 40° latitude (north and south of the equator)
Temperate Deciduous Forest Features
Temperature: -30°C to 30°C, yearly average is 10°C; hot summers, cold winters
Precipitation: 750 to 1,500 mm of rain per year
Location: Eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan
Tundra Features
Temperature: -40°C to 18°C
Precipitation: 150 to 250 mm of rain per year
Location: Regions south of the ice caps of the Arctic and extending across North America, Europe, and Siberia (high mountaintops)
Coniferous Forest Features
Temperature: -40°C to 20°C; average summer temperature is 10°C
Precipitation: 300 to 900 mm of rain per year
Location: Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United States
what are the three types of marshes
-salt marshes
-tidal freshwater marshes
-inland freshwater marshes
What are the benefits of salt and fresh water tidal marshes?
- they buffer stormy areas
- they slow shoreline erosion
- they regulate freshwater flooding from the land into the ocean
- Unique ecosystem that protects biodiversity
- they absorb excess nutrients that would lower oxygen levels in the sea and harm wildlife
Give me the deets on them tidal salt marshezz
- form a grassy fringe along river mouths, bays and coastlines
- ocean tides cause water level to rise and fall twice a day
- plants such as sawgrass and pickleweed tolerate salty waters
- host animals such as aquatic birds, crustaceans, fish, shrimp, and raptors
Give me the deets on them Tidal Freshwater Marshezzz
- further inland, yet close enough to the coast to be affected by tidal fluctuations
- low salt content
- Sedges such as water chestnut and papyrus
- animals like insects, waterbirds, anadromous fish
Give me the deets on them Inland Marshezzz
- freshwater
found along fringes of lakes and rivers with high water table - vegetation depends on presence of water
- wildlife such as butterflies, frogs, snakes, bears, ducks, geese, racoons, turtles, frogs, alligators
What is turbidity?
- the measure of relative clarity of a liquid
- indicates the amount of scattered particles in the liquid
what is PH?
- measure of how acidic or basic a solution is
- based on a scale of 0-14.
- 7 is neutral, 7> is acidic, 7< is basic
- measures the amount of hydrogen
What is salinity
- measure of the salt content in water
