Unit 1: Climate Flashcards
What is the unit for the individual
survival and reproduction - the unit of natural selection
what is the unit for population
population dynamics - the unit of evolution
what is community
interactions among species
what is an ecosystem
flow of energy and cycling of matter
living things and the abiotic things they depend on
what is a landscape
interactions among ecosystems
what are the inputs and outputs for the individual?
inputs = food
outputs = energy expended; waste
what are the inputs and outputs for the population
inputs = births; immigration
outputs = deaths; emigration
what are the inputs and outputs for community
inputs = colonization by new species
outputs = extinction of species
what are the inputs and outputs for the ecosystem
inputs = solar energy and matter entering ecosystem
outputs = energy and matter leaving ecosystem
what are the inputs and outputs for the landscape
inputs = energy and matter entering from other ecosystems
outputs = energy and matter leaving to other ecosystems
what are the inputs and outputs for the biospehere
inputs = solar energy entering system
outputs = energy re-radiated to space
what is weather
short-term variation in temperature and precipitation
ex) the rain bomb
what is climate
annual patterns
what is a “rain bomb”
- wet microburst
- when a column of air hits the ground rapidly during a thunderstorm, larger amounts of rain can fall in a small area
what causes the greenhouse effect
clouds and surface structures absorb solar radiation and reflect it back
steps of greenhouse effect
- about 1/3 of incoming solar radiation - composed of visible and ultraviolet light - is reflected back into space by the atmosphere, clouds, and Earth’s surface
- the remaining solar radiation is absorbed by clouds and Earth’s surface, which becomes wamer and emits infrared radiation
- much of the emitted infrared radiation from earth if absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
- warmed greenhouse gases re-emit infared radiation. some goes out to space but most returns to earth
the energy that maintains earth’s climate is primarily [–]
solar
the sun strikes the thermal [–] directly at a [–] angle causing warm air to [–]
the sun strikes the thermal equator directly at a 90 degree angle causing warm air to rise
What is the firebox?
the fact that the sun strikes the earth’s equator at 90 degrees and that hot air rises
What creates currents of air and rain
the firebox
what are hadley cells
- circulation cells
- air uprising at equator
- air falling at north or south
what does the range of daylength with changing latitudes affect?
growing seasons and plant community structures