Unit 1 Flashcards
Intro, Water Cycle, Structure and Composition of Atmosphere, Ecosystems
Continents?
N. America, S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Antarctica
Low-Income Country (LIC)
GNI: <$1,086 (Ex: Malawi)
Middle-Income Country (MIC)
GNI: 1,086 < $ < 13,205 (Ex: Vietnam)
High-Income Country (HIC)
GNI: >$13,205 (Ex: Germany)
Sustainability
The quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time. (Meetings needs of present, without harming those of future)
Pollution
Damage caused to water, air, etc. by harmful substances or waste
Biodiversity
The number and types of plants and animals that exist in a particular area or in the world generally, or the problem of protecting this
Water Cycle
Continuous movement of water above, on, and below the Earth surface
Open System
Water can flow in and out of a water system
Closed System
There is a set amount of water within the system (Ex: globe)
Evaporation
the process of a liquid changing to a gas, especially by heating
Precipitation
water that falls from the clouds toward the ground, especially as rain or snow
Transpiration
the process of losing water through the surface or skin of a body or a plant
Humidity
a measurement of how much water there is in the air
Condensation
the act or process of changing from a gas to a liquid or solid state
Interception
precipitation being blocked from touching the ground by leaves or trees
Through-Fall
water falling through leaves and branches onto the ground
Stem-Flow
water running down a stem
Runoff
water from rain or melting snow, or liquid from an industrial or farming process, that flows into a place such as a river
Aquifer
a layer of rock, sand, or earth that contains water or allows water to pass through it
Infiltration
water is absorbed by soil
Through-flow
water flowing through the soil
Groundwater
water that collects below the surface of the earth
Groundwater Flow
water moving through the ground (usually slower and deeper than through flow)
Abstracted
water from one aquifer can move laterally into another
Atmosphere
the mixture of gases around the earth
Troposphere
the layer of gases surrounding the earth from the surface to about 6 miles
Stratosphere
the layer of gases surrounding the earth at a height of between 15 and 50 kilometers that is not affected by the weather and in which the temperature increases with height
Ozone Layer
a layer of air containing ozone high above the earth that prevents harmful ultraviolet light from the sun from reaching the earth
Mesosphere
the layer of gases surrounding the earth at a height of between 50 and 100 kilometers (meteors burn through)
Thermosphere
the region of the earth’s atmosphere that is above the mesosphere and in which the temperature increases with height
Variable Gases
gases that vary spatially or over time (CO2 and H2O)
Natural Greenhouse Effect
the gradual warming of the earth because of heat trapped by carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere
Greenhouse Gases
a gas that causes the greenhouse effect, especially carbon dioxide
Chlorofluorocarbons
a gas used in refrigerators and, in the past, in aerosols
Biosphere
a part of a planet’s environment where life exists
Hydrosphere
all of the water, ice, and water vapour at or near the surface of a planet
Lithosphere
the solid outer layer of a planet
Biomes
a region of the earth’s surface and the particular combination of climate (= general type of weather), plants, and animals that are found in it
Biotic
involving, caused by, or relating to living things in the environment
Abiotic
relating to things in the environment that are not living
Species
a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other
Population
all the people or animals of a particular type or group who live in one country, area, or place
Community
a group of animals or plants that live or grow together
Competition
Competition is also a situation in which the various organisms living in the same area try to compete for a limited supply of food, water, space, etc
Ecological Niche
role that a species fills in an ecosystem
Intra-specific Competition
competition within species
Inter-specific Competition
competition across species
Food Chain
a series of living things that are connected because each group of things eats the group below it in the series
Trophic levels
any of the layers of an ecosystem with the same position in the food chain
Primary Producers
in the food chain, a plant that produces food from the sun and is then eaten
Consumers
organisms that do not produce their own food
herbivores
eat only primary producers
omnivores
eat both plants and animasl
carnivores
eat only meat
Decomposers
an organism such as a bacterium or fungus that makes dead plant and animal material decay
limiting factor (in food web)
amount of energy available to each trophic level
Biomass
energy that gets carried over a trophic level
Carbon sink
an area of forest that is large enough to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere and therefore to reduce the effect of global warming
Carbon Source
when carbon is released from a carbon sink, the sink becomes the source
Cryosphere
parts of the earth’s surface where water exists as ice
Pedosphere
organic matter in soil (remains)
