MidTerm Flashcards
Attraction of like molecules and surface tension is an example of what?
Cohesive forces
Water attracting different molecules is an example of what?
Adhesive forces
Heat Changing with phase is the concept of what?
Latent Heat
The concept of water taking in temperatures at a slower rate and needing more energy to change temperature is what?
High Specific Heat
What accelerates chemical reactions?
Chemical Catalysts
What are the 4 main storages of freshwater on earth?
Groundwater, Surface Water, Soil Moisture, and Biomass
What percentage of water on earth’s surface is freshwater?
2.8%
How does water enter soils
infiltration
What is the movement of water?
Runoff
Where is the Ogalala Aquifer?
The Plains
What is the wilting point soil?
No water available
What is Porosity?
how much water you can fit in between the grains
What is field capacity?
The availability of water for plant growth, without drowning the plant.
How do you calculate Available Water?
Field capacity - wilting point
What is the largest storage of water?
Groundwater
What is an Aquifer
a place in the hydrologic cycle that temporarily stores water.
What is the recharge zone?
area where fresh water goes to a confined aquafer
What is Insolation?
Latitude, sun angle, and duration
What are controls on temperature?
Insolation, Elevation, Continentality, and ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns
What is altitudinal zonation?
altitude determining plant hardiness
What are the four drivers of global precipitation?
uneven distribution of solar energy, pressure differences, Coriolis effect, density differences.
What does the Climate Type A mean?
coldest month is over or equal 18 degrees Celsius
what does the climate type B: mean?
Dry with evaporation exceeding precipitation
What does the climate type C mean?
temperate with the coldest month is between 0 and 18 degrees Celsius
What does the climate type D mean?
Continental with coldest temperature below zero and the warmest above 10 degrees celsius
What are characteristics of the humid east?
high precipitation, smaller aquifers, more contamination, needs more food, lots of groundwater contamination
what are characteristics of the arid west?
little precipitation, lots of aquafers, little contamination, uncomfortable water supply, and growing industry and population.
Why are soils important?
they are a medium for plant growth and earth’s permeable near-surface layer
How much of our soil is minerals?
45% by volume
How much of our soil is organics?
5%
How much of our soils is water?
25%
How much of our soil is air?
25%
What does CLORPT stand for?
Climate, Organics, Relief (slope), Parent Material, Time
What does Oh Aunt Edith Be Careful Rowing! refer to?
soil horizons; organic, Topsoil, Eluviation (loss), B Illuviation (gains), Weathered bedrock, Consolidated Bedrock
What are the 12 levels of soil taxonomy
Aridsols, Oxisols, Mollisols, Gelisols, Sprondosols, Alfisols, Ultisols
What is a feature of Aridsol
volcanic ash
What is a feature of vertisols
expandable clay
What is a feature of Entisols
Young and weak soils
What is a feature of inceptisols
early horizon
What is a feature of histosols
organic peatty grassland
What is a feature of ardisols
desert (BW)
What is a feature of mollisols
grassland (B)
What is a feature of oxisols
weatherment (a climate)
What is a feature of spodosols
acidic forest soils (D climates / pine)
What is a feature of ultisols
leached zone of clay accumulation
What is a feature of gelisols
permafrost soils (E)
What is a feature of alfisols
they are c climates
Where is the biospere?
anywhere there is life
What does the biosphere consist of?
ecosystems
What does the biosphere link?
atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere to living organisms
Who founded biogeography?
Humboldt
How is insolation used by plants?
Solar energy and cellular respiration
What is NPP?
the amount of stored chemical energy
