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Earth's Life support systems > how important are water + carbon to life on earth? > Flashcards

how important are water + carbon to life on earth? Flashcards

1
Q

how is carbon a building block on earth?

A
  • its a chemical element + its stores inc rocks, the atmosphere, oceans + the biosphere
  • life is carbon based built on large molecules of carbon atoms such as proteins, carbohydrates
  • economic resource
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2
Q

what systems do carbon + water flow in at a global scale?

A

closed systems

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3
Q

what does more CO2 from human activity do?

A

rises global temp -> warms the ocean -> increases oceanic temp -> warm water less able to dissolve CO2 -> CO2 goes back into the atmosphere

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4
Q

what are the main 3 water stores?

A

atmosphere
oceans
land

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5
Q

examples of processes in the water cycle?

A

precipitation
evapotranspiration
run-off
ground water flow

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6
Q

types of water stores + their distribution ?

A

oceanic -> cover 72% of earths surface, Pacific Ocean = largest
cryospheric -> composed of sea ice, ice caps + ice sheets
terrestrial -> rivers, wetlands + groundwater
atmospheric -> water vapour

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7
Q

what type of air holds more water vapour?

A

warm air

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8
Q

what carbon stores are there? (also known as sinks or pools)

A

atmosphere 600 GT
soil 2300 GT
sedimentary rock 60 mill GT
ocean deep layer 38,000 GT

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9
Q

what are the major carbon stores?

A

lithosphere -> sedimentary + fossil fuel deposits
biosphere -> organic matter in soils, plant litter, soil hummus
atmosphere -> co2 gases, ritual role in regulating earths surface temp
hydrosphere -> oceans, carbon passes through the marine food chains + sinks to the ocean bed where it is decomposed into sediments, living + dissolved organic matter

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10
Q

what are the processes involved in carbon exchanges between the carbon stores?

A 
photosynethis 
respiration 
decomposition
combustion
weathering
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11
Q

what do inputs and outputs of water form?

A

the water budget

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12
Q

what are the inputs of water to the atmosphere?

A

evaporation from oceans, soils, lakes + rivers

transpiration from plants

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13
Q

what is run off?

A

the movement of water across land -> transfers water from land surface into rivers which flow into sea

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14
Q

what is infiltration?

A

the vertical movement of rainwater through the soil -> precipitation can infiltrate the soil + became ground water flow

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15
Q

what is percolation?

A

the movement of surface + soil water into underlying permeable rock

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16
Q

what is the water balance?

A

the LT balance between the inputs + outputs in a drainage basin system

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17
Q

what is a positive water balance?

A

when precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration

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18
Q

what is a negative water balance?

A

evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation

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19
Q

what transfers lead to more CO2 in the atmosphere?

A

combustion of fossil fuels
respiration of plants + animals
decaying organisms
CO2 from the ocean due to decaying animals or plants

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20
Q

what are the four sub systems in the carbon cycle?

A

terrestrial carbon cycle (fast)
oceanic carbon cycle
atmospheric carbon cycle
slow carbon cycle

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21
Q

what is the fast carbon cycle

A
  • the cycling of carbon between soil, vegetation + atmosphere = fast
  • uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere by plants due to photosynthesis
  • CO2 is released back to the atmosphere during plants + animals respiration
  • CO2 + methane released back during decomposition of dead organic matter
  • transfers 10-1000 times faster than the slow carbon cycle
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22
Q

what is the oceanic carbon cycle?

A
  • carbon held in disabled form in the water of the ocean + in tissues of organisms
  • inputs + outputs of this cycle take place through gas exchange with the atmosphere + an input of organic carbon + carbonate ions from continental run off
  • due to the size of the oceanic store, small changes have local impacts
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23
Q

what is the atmospheric carbon cycle?

A

atmospheric carbon occurs as CO2 + methane
methane = powerful gas but is short lived
CO2 is removed through interactions with terrestrial + oceanic carbon cycles eg photosynthesis + water absorption

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24
Q

what is the slow carbon cycle?

A
  • stored in rocks, sea floor sediments + fossil fuels
  • 10-100 mill co2 per yr
  • Co2 diffuses from atmosphere to ocean where marine organisms eg clams make shells + skeletons with carbon + calcium (calcium carbonate) -> when they die remains sink to the floor
  • on land, decomposed organic material can form carbonaceous rocks -> act as carbon sinks
  • this is LT store, released to the atmosphere via volcanic activity
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25
Q

what processes explain how water changes in from one state to another?

A 
evaporation 
transpiration 
condensation 
cloud formation 
precipitation 
cryospheric processes
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26
Q

what is transpiration?

A

where water is lost from plants through pores called stomata + water vapour is diffused to the atmosphere

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27
Q

what factors effect evapotranspiration?

A

temperature
wind
humidity
climatic factors

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28
Q

when does condensation occur?

A

when air cools + is less able to hold water vapour

phase change of vapour to liquid water

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29
Q

when does cloud formation happen?

A
  • when air is saturated, either bc it has cooled below the dew point or evaporation means the air has reached its max water holding capacity
  • condensation nuclei are present
    the greater the amount of moisture in the cooling air, the greater the condensation + cloud formation
30
Q

what are cryospheric processes?

A

ablation -> output from glacial system due to melting
accumulation -> inputs to a glacial system from snowfall
sublimation -> ice changing directly into water vapour

31
Q

on a smaller scales what kind of system are the water + carbon cycle?

A

open systems

32
Q

what are key components to the fast water cycle?

A

land plants + microscopic phytoplankton

33
Q

what happens to precipitation in high latitudes + mountainous catchments?

A

often falls on snow + may remain on the ground for several months -> considerable time late between snowfall + run off

34
Q

higher intensity precipitation

A

will move more rapidly overland (10-15 mm/hour) into streams + rivers

35
Q

What are cumuliform clouds?

A

flat bases, most often form when air is heated locally through contact with earths surface -> causes heated air parcels to rise freely through the atmosphere (convection), expand (due to the fall in pressure with altitude) + cool. As cooling reaches dew point, condensation begins + clouds form

Vertically developed

36
Q

What are stratiform clouds?

A

Develop when a warm air mass moves horizontally across a cooler surface. This process together with some mixing + turbulence = advection

37
Q

What are cirrus clouds?

A

Form at high altitude, consist of tiny ice crystals, they do not produce precipitation + have little influence on water cycle

38
Q

What does condensation at or near the ground produce?

A

Dew + fog

Both types deposit large amounts of moisture on vegetation + other surface

39
Q

carbon exchange in photosynthesis

A

avg 120 GT a year
Co2 + water are used by green plants + marine phytoplankton to convert high energy to chemical energy (glucose) -> maintains growth
in doing so they release Co2 to the atmosphere in respiration

40
Q

carbon exchange in chemical weathering

A

most weathering inc rainwater which contains Co2, derived from the soil as well as the atmosphere
rain water slowly dissolves limestone + chalk in a process known as carbonation

41
Q

What do lapse rates describe?

A

The vertical distribution of temperatures in the lower atmosphere + the temp changes that occur within an air parcel as it rises vertically away from the ground

42
Q

How do clouds form by convection?

A

The ground heated by the Sun warms the air in contact with the surface to 18°C. Because the air is warmer than its surroundings it is less dense = atmospheric instability.
When it’s internal temperature reaches dew point condensation occurs + clouds start to form

43
Q

What is evaporation?

A

Phase change of liquid water to vapour. Heat is need to break the molecular bonds of water -> does not produce rise in temp but means energy is absorbed as latent heat + released later in condensation.

44
Q

carbon exchange in combustion

A

occurs when organic material reacts or burns in the presence of oxygen -> releases CO2 as well as other gases
wildfires caused by lightning are essential to the health of some ecosystems eg coniferous forest of the Rocky Mountains
can be human activity eg firing of forest to clear land for cultivation or the burning of fossil fuels (nearly 10 GT a yr) to power global economy

45
Q

What is infiltration

A

Water soaks into the soil

46
Q

What is overland flow

A

Rainfall flowing over the ground surface either bc the soil is saturated or bc the rainfall is exceeding the soil infiltration capacity

47
Q

What is infiltration capacity?

A

The max rate soil can absorb rain

48
Q

what other marine organisms extract carbonate + calcium ions form sea water to build their shells?

A

coccolithophores, molluscs + crustaceans

49
Q

factors affecting interception loss?

A
  • interception storage capacity
  • wind speed -> rates of evaporation increase with wind speed
  • vegetation type -> interception losses are greater than agricultural crops
50
Q

what is ablation

A

the loss of ice from snow, ice sheets etc due to melting, evaporation + sublimation

51
Q

what are the main carbon exchanges?

A

precipitation, photosynthesis, weathering, respiration, decomposition + combustion

52
Q

carbon exchange in precipitation

A

atmospheric co2 dissolves in rainwater to form weak carbonic acid -> due to anthropogenic emissions acidity increase = potential harmful effects to marine life

53
Q

carbon exchange in photosynthesis

A

avg 120 GT a year

Co2 + water are used by green plants + marine phytoplankton to convert high energy to chemical energy (glucose)

54
Q

carbon exchange in weathering

A

most weathering inc rainwater which contains Co2, derived from the soil as well as the atmosphere

55
Q

carbon exchange in physical weathering

A

freeze thaw breaks down rocks, increases surface area exposed to chemical attack

56
Q

carbon exchange in respiration

A

the process in which carbohydrates fixed in photosynthesis are converted to CO2 + water
respiration absorbs oxygen + releases CO2
the volume of carbon exchanged by respiration + photosynthesis each year is 1000x greater than that moving through the slow carbon cycle

57
Q

carbon exchange in decomposition

A

organisms eg bacteria + fungi breakdown organic matter, releasing CO2 to the atmosphere + mineral nutrients to the soil. rates of decomposition depend on climate, fastest rates occur in warm humid environments

58
Q

carbon exchange in combustion

A

occurs when organic material reacts or burns in the presence of oxygen -> releases CO2 as well as other gases
wildfires caused by lightning are essential to the health of some ecosystems eg coniferous forest of the Rocky Mountains

59
Q

what are two ways the ocean takes up carbon?

A

physical pump

biological pump

60
Q

what happens in the physical pump?

A

CO2 enters the ocean from atmosphere by diffusion, surface ocean currents then transport the water + its dissolved CO2 polewards, where it cools, becomes more dense + sinks. this downwelling occurs in North Atlantic between Greenland + iceland
eventually deep ocean currents carry carbon to areas of upwelling, there cold carbon rich water rises to the surface + CO2 diffuses back into atmosphere

61
Q

what happens in the biological pump?

A

carbon is exchange between oceans + atmosphere through marine organisms
phytoplankton near the ocean surface combines sunlight, water + dissolved CO2 to produce organic material. carbon locked in the phytoplankton either accumulates in sediments on ocean floor or is decomposed + released into the ocean as CO2

62
Q

what other marine organisms extract carbonate + calcium ions from sea water?

A

coccolithophores, molluscs + crustaceans

63
Q

what temperatures of water best absorbs CO2

A

cold

64
Q

what are downwelling currents?

A

occur in areas of cold, denser water sinks
bring dissolved co2 down to the deep ocean. once there, the co2 moves into slow moving deep ocean currents staying there for hundreds of years

65
Q

what are upwelling currents?

A

occur along coast lines, the currents bring deep cold ocean water to the surface, the water warms + some of dissolved CO2 is released back

66
Q

what is gross primary productivity?

A

total amount of energy fixed by green plants

67
Q

what is net primary productivity?

A

the energy left over g/m2/yr eg growth, energy stored

68
Q

when does precipitation occur?

A

when the water molecules within a cloud combine + became too big -> coalescence

69
Q

why is carbon so important?

A
  • co2 photosynthesis
  • used for economic resources eg power the global economy
  • life is built on carbo atoms eg proteins, carbohydrates etc
70
Q

what is the water table?

A

the upper surface of the zone of saturation in permeable rocks + the soil

71
Q

what is base flow?

A

the water input to streams + rivers from natural reservoirs eg aquifers, soils etc

Earth's Life support systems (9 decks)

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