pleistocene glaciation

Question 1

what determines terrestrial biomes

Answer 1

temperature and precipitation

Question 2

patterns of biome distribution are along what gradient?

Answer 2

latitude

Question 3

what determines aquatic biomes

Answer 3

water temp, salinity, depth (light and pressure)

Question 4

spatial autocorrelation

Answer 4

“distance decay”
- distance increases = increase difference b/w environments

Question 5

geographic gradients

Answer 5

patterns of variation
- elevation, temperature, latitude/longitude

Question 6

geographic template

Answer 6

nonrandom patterns of spatial variation
- determines geographic patterns of populations, species, communities

Question 7

ecosystem engineers

Answer 7

species that can modify their geographic template

Question 8

solar radiation and latitude

Answer 8

• warms temp
• converted to chemical energy
• varies by location

Question 9

3 mechanisms of heat transfer (higher to lower temp)

Answer 9

conduction, convection, radiation

Question 10

conduction

Answer 10

direct heat transfer (solids)

Question 11

convection

Answer 11

heat transfer through gas or liquid

Question 12

radiation

Answer 12

waves pass through space
- sun –> earth
- heats matter depending on type

Question 13

radiation is a function of ?

Answer 13

latitude

Question 14

elevation

Answer 14

• cooling and decreased air as inc.
• decreased density of air above = cooler (less molecules) and thinning air

Question 15

adiabatic cooling

Answer 15

expanding gases lose heat as molecules move apart

Question 16

greenhouse effect

Answer 16

H2O vapor and CO2 absorb radiant heat
- inc. radiation = inc. reflection = dec. absorption

Question 17

which side of continents is cooler?

Answer 17

wind-ward side (bc of rain shadow effect)

Question 18

wind patterns at the equator

Answer 18

air heated –> expands –> less dense = rises –> reduced pressure = SURFACE WINDS

Question 19

Coriolis effect

Answer 19

winds blow E –> W = slower bc they go against earth’s W –> E rotation

Question 20

3 wind belts

Answer 20

polar easterlies, prevailing westerlies, tropical easterlies

Question 21

westerlies

Answer 21

winds blowing toward poles deflected east
- important for trade (boat) routes

Question 22

what drives major ocean currents?

Answer 22

surface winds and Coriolis effect

Question 23

Mediterranean climate

Answer 23

dry/hot summers, mild/rainy winters

Question 24

rain shadow effect

Answer 24

causes warm/dry climates on leeward side of temperate mountains

Question 25

el nino year

Answer 25

no Humboldt current = increase in water temps and rain = warmer years - ~4-7 years

Question 26

la nina year

Answer 26

Humboldt current = brings cooler water from poles --> equator = cooler years

Question 27

humboldt current

Answer 27

drives cooler water poles --> equator

Question 28

enzo effects

Answer 28

el nino/la nina cycles; from current patterns

Question 29

milankovitch cycles

Answer 29

cyclical changes in earth's orbit around the sun

Question 30

eccentricity

Answer 30

how E's shape orbit ≠ perfect - ellipses (not circle) - effects heat budget and distribution

Question 31

precession

Answer 31

orientation of earth's axis on the solar system - solstice = most s. radiation

Question 32

what drives glacial periods?

Answer 32

milankovitch cycles

Question 33

how many major ice ages?

Answer 33

5

Question 34

first glacial period

Answer 34

huronian

Question 35

cryogenian ice age

Answer 35

most intense - "snowball earth" - earth = completely frozen

Question 36

Phanerozoic ice ages

Answer 36

3 glacial periods: - andean/sahavan - Karoo - cenozoic

Question 37

pleistocene glaciation

Answer 37

- ice = 1-2 miles thick - glaciers melt

Question 38

pleistocene epoch notable event

Answer 38

- epic ice age ends; glaciar melt --> great lakes

Question 39

cycle of glaciation

Answer 39

~40,000-100,000 year cycle of glacial and interglacial periods

Question 40

how many peak glacial periods?

Answer 40

~5 in last 400,000-500,000 years

Question 41

how do milankovitch cycles drive glacial cycles?

Answer 41

- inc. eccentricity = inc. distance from sun = dec. temp - inc. obliquity = dec. temp

Question 42

precesion

Answer 42

amount of sun/earth tilt

Question 43

inc. glaciation cause what feedback loop?

Answer 43

inc. snow/ice = inc. reflection of sun (inc. albedo) = dec. absorption of sun heat = drives continued glaciation

Question 44

how do glacial fluctuations effect the planet in non-glaciated regions?

Answer 44

- dec. temp - inc. snow at lower elevation

Question 45

why was the Sahara desert huge during glaciation?

Answer 45

lack of water (in glaciers not in air) = inc. drieness

Question 46

importance of the Pleistocene glaciation

Answer 46

- Pleistocene = last epoch (before current) - important major glaciations - created the great lakes

Question 47

LGM (last glacial maximum) =

Answer 47

Wisconsin Glaciation - 20,000 years ago - melting = Great Lakes!

Question 48

driftless area

Answer 48

small portion of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois w/o any historic glaciers - glaciers always surround area (in each 5 glaciation periods) - created rock formations and deep river valleys

Question 49

formation of the great lakes

Answer 49

- glacial retreat after Pleistocene - ice melts = largest freshwater body

Question 50

the Great Lakes make up __ of all of earth's freshwater

Answer 50

1/5

Question 51

the land under the Great Lakes is still recoiling/rising from...

Answer 51

the Pleistocene glaciations; 1-2 miles of ice

Question 52

beringia

Answer 52

land bridge b/w Asia and North America exposed during sea level fall

Question 53

bering strait

Answer 53

land that connects asia/North America

Question 54

what was important about beringia/bering strait?

Answer 54

allowed for exchange of life b/w previously isolated continents - plant/animal migrations --> human migrations

Question 55

epeiric sea/epicontinental sea

Answer 55

sea level rise/fall exposes or floods portions of continental plates

Question 56

megafauna

Answer 56

very large animals (mostly mammals); previously dominated - ex: mammoths

Question 57

megafaunal extinctions

Answer 57

humans and climate = mass micro-extinction of megafauna

Question 58

we are currently in a ___ period

Answer 58

interglacial

Question 59

biological evolution

Answer 59

changes in heritable characteristics of a population over generations

Question 60

4 important points of biological evolution

Answer 60

1. heritable (descent w/ modification) 2. random genetic changes (common ancestry and mutations) 3. population level 4. over time (generations)

Question 61

natural selection is an example of...

Answer 61

a mechanism for biological evolution

Question 62

5 types of biological evolution

Answer 62

1. genetic drift (bottleneck and founder effects) 2. sexual selection 3. random mating 4. horizontal gene transfer 5. natural selection

Question 63

genotypes

Answer 63

genetic changes: mutations

Question 64

phenotypes

Answer 64

physical changes (appearance)

Question 65

biological fitness

Answer 65

ability to reproduce and pass on genes to future generations - new traits that increase survival = adaptations

Question 66

5 components of natural selection (VISTA)

Answer 66

V: Variation by non-random mutations I: Inheritable S: Selection (environmental pressures) T: Time A: Adaptation (@ population level)