Final Flashcards
Appenines
Italian mountain range
Hannibal
Made a famous negative roman description of the crossing of the alps
Mount Paektu
Highest mountain and supervolcano on the Korean peninsula. Contains heaven lake. Believed that a sky god and a bear woman created the Korean people
Mount Kailash
Tibetan mountain. Holiest in the world. Buddhist, Hindu, Bon and Jane religions. 1/4 of the worlds population
Circumambulation
Act of walking around a sacred object or idol. Associated with Mount Kailash
Kangchenjunga and Machapuchare
Off limit mountains in nepal for religious reasons
The Sublime
Older document. Aesthetic concept presented by Edmund Burke in the mid 18th century. Referred to the thrill and danger of confronting untamed nature. Possibility of meeting god outweighed the danger
Myth of the Frontier
Antidote to the hustle bustle of modern life was a return to a simpler more primitive living
William Wordsworth
English Romantic Poet who wrote the Prelude which talked about the unpleasantness of traversing through mountains
Mer de Glace
Largest glacier in France above Chamonix where a group of 7 marveled at the destruction of glaciers
John Muir
Romantic description of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
J.M.W Turner
Depicted nature in mountains as a divine creation
Albert Mummery
Mountaineer who wrote that the essence of the sport lies with struggling and overcoming difficulties
Rogers Pass Avalanche
Deadliest avalanche killing 58 workers
Nain Avalanche
First avalanche fatalities in canadian history
Shear Strength
Bond and anchorage of snow layers
Shear stress
Downslope force of gravity. When shear stress > Shear strength, avalanche occurs
Loose Snow Avalanches
Very little internal cohesion. A.K.A point release avalanches. Occur frequently with freshly fallen snow on steep slopes. Shallow, small and cause little damage
Slab Avalanches
A slab of cohesive snow slides as a slab. Need a dense slab sitting on top of a weak layer on a slope > 30 degrees but less than 60, and a trigger. Can originate in all kinds of snow
Natural Trigger
Additional or new snow, warming temps, rainfall, rockfall, earthquakes
Artificial Triggers
People, wildlife, etc..
Crown
Upper fracture line of slab avalanches
Starting zone
where an avalanche begins
Track
The area where an avalanche travels. Treeless
Runout Zone
Area where the debris from the avalanche accumulates at the bottom of the slopes
Dry Slides
50-200km/hr. Create Powder cloud at > 35km/hr which moves above the avalanche. Air blast can occur if large enough which deals hefty damage
Sinter
Coalescing of small grains of snow
Wet Snow avalanches
Travel much slower with no dust cloud.
Climax Avalanches
Wet snow avalanches where the whole seasons snow pack may release to the ground
Landslides
The downslope movement of rock and debris. Shear stress > Shear strength
Rockfalls
Occur when rocks detach and fall freely, bounce or role down slope
Topples
Occur when a large piece of bedrock falls off a slope and topples end over end
Turtle Mountain Rock fall
One of the largest rockfalls in history in spring of 1903 in the Southern Alberta Rockies. 82 million tons of limestone fell into the valley killing 80 ppl. Unstable geology was the primary cause
Translational +Rotational Slides
Overlying consolidated mass moves downslope. Happen in unconsolidated sediment such as clay, sand silt. Steep Head Scarp. Translational runs parallel. Rotational is curved or concave upwards
Earthflows
Fluid like movement of fine sediments down slope. Occur when slopes of unconsolidated sediment become water saturated. When unconsolidated sediments overlie an impenetrable layer which prevents water drainage
Debris Flows
Earthflows composed of large sediments. Most dangerous type of landslides
Rockfall tunnels, drape nates, catches, levees, metal anchors, ditches, culverts, drains, tree planting
Landslide prevention measures
Silica
Most abundant element in magma. Defines magma types
Basaltic Magma
Formed by upwelling, melted mantle. has low silica content and viscosity and flows easily. Contains high amounts of iron and magnesium making it dark in colour. Occurs at divergent plate boundaries
Svartifoss Waterfall
Skaftafell national park display of basaltic magma eruptions
Rhyolitic Magma
High silica content and low iron, magnesium. Formed when basaltic magma rises through continental crust. High viscosity. Produced. by volcanos in subduction zones and hotspots
Shield Volcanos
Produced by basaltic magma. Hawaiian Mountains and Galapagos
Tamu Massif
Extinct submarine shield volcano. Could be largest known volcano on Earth
Stratovolcano
Produced by Rhyolitic Magma. Krakatoa (1883), Vesuvius(destroyed Pompeii), Mount St Helens and Pinatubo
Cinder Cone volcano
Intermediary volcano. Paricutin (424m cone, eruptions continued for 9 years, 25km lava flows) is one
Volcanic Ash
Produced by explosive eruptions. Heavy and abbrassive. Can reach thousands of km in stratosphere.
Pyroclastic Flows
Explosive Eruption. Hot masses of gas and rock fragments are ejected and move downslope. Very dangerous. 700km/hr, reaches 100’s of degrees C. Mount Pelee buried town of St Pierre
Lahar
Trigerred when large amounts of water released from the melting snow and ice mix with the loose volcanic rock and ash and pours into creeks and rivers.
Nevado Del Ruiz
Erupted in Colombia and caused a Lahar killing 23,000 ppl.
Volcanic Winter
Decreased global temps caused by sulfuric acid and volcanic ash. 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo lowered global temp by 1 degree.
Alexander Von Humboldt
One of the first people to document patterns of mountain biodiversity
Chimborazo
6310m stratovolcano documented by Alex von humboldt cross section
Speciation
Occurs when populations diverge genetically to a point where they can no longer interbreed. Populations need to be isolated
Allopatric Speciation
Geographical Isolation of species
Tyrian Metaltail
Example of allopatric speciation.
Bellflowers
Example of Allopatric Speciation
Refugia
Places in the Mountains that have maintained favorable conditions during periods of past environmental change
Species Richness
Count of total number of species present
Evenness
How similar species are in their relative abundances
Species diversity
Accounts for both species richness and evenness
DNA Barcoding
Characterizing species using short DNA sequences
Hotspots of Biodiversity
Regions containing high concentrations of endemic species facing threats of rapid species loss. 35 identified around the world, half in mountain regions. Home to half the worlds endemic species
Andes
Area for hotspots of biodiversity
Geographical Area Hypothesis
Larger areas can support more species, less species diversity at higher latitudes and elevations may just be because or a lack of area
Productivity Hypothesis
Amount of primary productivity which forms the resource base of food webs, determines the number of species that can be supported in an area. Higher productivity associated with higher temps in tropics, and lower elevations contributes to higher biodiversity
Nunataks
Tops of mountains sticking out of ice sheets. As climate warms, Nunataks connect and species will move along and no longer be endemic
Diversity-Stability Hypothesis
Based on the observation that species vary in their morphology and physiology and that in highly diverse systems there will be some species that can compensate for the loss of others after disturbance
Ecosystem Services
All the values associated with mountain biodiversity. Coined in 2005 at the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.
BIomass
Leaves, stems roots and reproductive structures produced by photosynthesis in plants
Tracheids
Narrow transport vessels in coniferous tree wood that decreases the likelihood of gas bubbles forming
Larch, Tamarak
High elevation conifer species that shed their needles in the fall
Radiative Heat Gain
Increase the amount of heat they receive from the sun
Convective Cooling
Decrease the amount of heat that’s lost from wind
Subnivian Space
Space below snow that shelters p[lants from harsh changes in weather
Ecosystem Engineers
Organisms that modulate the availability of resources to other species. Cushion growth forms are an example.
Espeletia Schultzii
Giant rosette species common above the tree line in the Andes. Thick hairy leaved trunk
Freezing Point Depression
Allows plants to increase the concentration of soluble sugars in their tissues to reduce the temp at which they will freeze
Supercooling
Water in plants can cool to below zero without freezing
Dehydration by Ice Segregation
Plants can move water to the empty spaces outside their cells where it will not damage the tissue if it freezes
Water-Potential Gradient
Higher moisture in a leaf relative to the surrounding air causes net movement of water out of the leaf
Boundary Layer
Layer of hair that can lessen the water potential gradient and reduce convective cooling
Taproot Systems
Large main root with smaller roots branching off the sides. Adaptation to thin soils at high elevation and helps stabilize plants and reach more nutrients
Pasqueflowers, Gentians, Oxytropes
Examples of deep rooted alpine species
Lichens
Desecration tolerant non flowering organisms. They are symbiosis between an algae or bacterial species and a fungus. Bacteria provides food for fungi which provides shelter for bacteria
Mutualistic Association
Relationship that is beneficial to both organisms. Lichens are an example
Perennials
Plants that persist for more than two years. Better adapted to alpine environments than annuals
Vegetative Reproduction
Process by which new plants grow from parts of parent plants
Rhizomes
Modified underground stems that extend away from the plant and grow new shoots. Asexual reproduction example
Heliotropic
Follow the sun as it moves across the sky
Co evolution
Two or more species reciprocally affect each others evolution.
Thermoregulation
Process that allows animals to maintain internal body temp. Controlled by a negative feedback system. If body gets cold, brain tells body to warm up
Ectotherms
Animals that primarily regulate temp from external sources of heat. Amphibians, reptiles fish and invertebrates
Endotherms
Create most of their heat from metabolic processes. mammals and birds
Pikas
Small Lagomorphs most closely related to rabbits and hares. Have reduced ears and limbs to conserve heat.
Piloerection
Involuntary raising of hairs to conserve heat
Vasoconstriction
Blood vessels decreasing in diameter to reduce the amount of heat brought to the surface of the body to restrict heat transfer to the environment
Countercurrent heat Exchange
Arteries carrying warm blood run parallel and close to veins that return blood to the trunk of the body
Thermogenesis
Process that amplifies internal heat production. Ex: Shivering, Release of hormone that increases metabolic rate
Brown Fat
Specialized for heat regeneration and is a form of non shivering thermogenesis. Common in hibernating animals
Torpor
low metabolic Rate and Decreased body temp
Marmot
Hibernation and torpor cause heart rate to go form 180-200 bpm to 28-38 and 60 breaths per minute to 1-2 breaths per minute. Spend 200 days a year in hibernation (Sept - April).
Cryoprotectants
Chemicals that prevent cells from freezing
Freezing Tolerant
Can survive freezing within tissues. New Zealand cockroach (-6 degrees)
Heat Exchange Surfaces
Surfaces where heat is commonly released to environment. Smaller in alpine animals
Evaporative Cooling
Helps animals keep cool through the evaporation of water from the body. Sweating/Panting
Llamas
Have the highest concentration of red blood cells among all mammals.
White Tailed Ptarmigan
Smallest grouse in NA. Only bird to reside permanently in Alpine Zone. They change the color of feathers seasonally from white in winter to speckled brwon in summer for camo. Can maintain 40 degree body temp throughout winter. Sedentary lifestyle
Sentinel Species
Important to understand the impact of environmental changes in mountains. Marmots are an example
Lawrence Swan
Recounted Bar Headed geese Migration in the tibetan plateau
Bar Headed Geese
25% bigger lungs than regular geese. Breathe deeper instead of faster. More capillaries
Specific Heat Capacity
Water has high SHC which means it loses and gains heat less rapidly
Bull Trout
Once the most widespread native trout in mountain parks. Require water temp below 13. Recently disappeared bc of damaged habitat, overfishing and intro of new fish species which have replaced it
Cerro Rico
Sinking mountain due to mining activities
Bingham Canyon, Utah
Worlds largest copper mines
Amenity Migration
People who choose to move to mountain areas for the environmental and social benefits. Often escaping urban environments
Transboundary Peace Park
Originated in 1924 Krakow Protocol forTatra Mountains. Example: Waterton Lakes National Park
Alpine Convention
1991 international treaty b/w countries that border the Alps as well as the EU for ensuring the sustainable development and protection of the Alps
Albertine Rift
more vertebrate species than anywhere on Africa and is biodiversity Hot Spot. Transboundary peace
Altay Mountains
Houses many endangered species (Snow Leopard). Transboundary Peace
St. Elias Mountains
Transboundary Peace. 132,000 square km. Some of worlds longest glaciers
Parks Canada
First mountain parks service in the world founded in 1911
Wicked Problem
A problem difficult to solve bc of changing requirements etc… this is the challenge of managing mountain landscapes around the world
Earth Summit
Global framework for sustainable mountain development was adopted here in 1992
Mountain Agenda
Prepared for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Identified 7 key principles for mountain policy development: 1. Recognize mtn areas as important and specific areas of development. 2. Compensate for environmental goods and services provided to lowlands. 3. Diversify into other livelihood options that could provide benefits to communities. 4. Take advantage of local potential for innovation. 5. Preserve cultural change without the loss of identity. 6 Conserve mtn ecosystems and its early warning functions. 7. Institutionalize sustainable development of mountain areas
Amplifier
Water vapor
IPCC
Leading international advisory body comprised of over 800 leading scientists.
Paris Agreement
A global agreement on the reduction of climate change. Calls for zero net anthropogenic emissions to be reached during the second half of teh 21st century, also seek to limit temp increase to 1.5 degrees celsius. require achieving zero emissions by 2050
Elevation-Dependent Warming
Accelerates the rate of change in mountain ecosystems, cryospheric systems, hydrological regimes and biodiversity. 2.9 degree increase is associated with a 377m upward shift in snowline. Albedo, surface based feedbacks, water vapour changes, latent heat release, surface heat loss, temperature change, aerosols are examples
Mount Kosciusko
Australia’s highest mountain
GLORIA
- Established an international long-term monitoring program and site based network for monitoring high mountain vegetation and its biological diversity. Observed that species richness has increased. And species have shifted upwards.
Mountain Legacy project
Based on an extensive collection of historical survey images on the mountain regions of canada. Worlds largest collection of mtn images. Pictures
Lake Toba
last known supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago
The Mountain Partnership
A UN voluntary alliance dedicated to improving the lives of mtn pplz and protecting mtn environments around the world. Founded in 2002. Introduced international mtn day on december 11
Lawren Harris
group of 7 artist depicting mtns
