Unit 2

Question 1

What is the troposphere?

Answer 1

Densest layer of the atmosphere (70-80% of atmospheric mass), contains weather, temperature decreases with height

Question 2

What are the current compositions of the troposphere?

Answer 2

N2 - 78%
O2 - 21%
Water vapor stays constant
Ar - 0.9%
Co2 - 427 ppm but increasing

Question 3

What is the stratosphere?

Answer 3

Ozone layer(O3) that absorbs UV, is warmer than troposphere, temp increases with height due to being closer to UV exposure

Question 4

What is the mesosphere?

Answer 4

Temperature decreases with height as it moves away from the ozone in the stratosphere, fewer gas molecules to absorb and retain sun energy? Upper portion is coldest part of atmosphere l, very VERY cold

Question 5

What is the thermosphere?

Answer 5

Temperature increases with height because of UV radiation.

Question 6

What is the exosphere

Answer 6

Space

Question 7

What is weather?

Answer 7

Short term conditions in a local area happening in the troposphere

Question 8

What is climate?

Answer 8

The average weather for an extended period of time over a large area due to patterns in geographical land location

Question 9

What is the coriolis effect?

Answer 9

The pattern of deflection taken by objects not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around earth. Is responsible for cyclones and trade winds. Counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. Clockwise in south hemisphere.

Question 10

What are Hadley Cells?

Answer 10

Convention currents that cycle the equator from 30N to 30S. Results in precipitation

Question 11

What are hurricanes caused by?

Answer 11

Low pressure systems. Heat from the ocean

Question 12

What is Orographic precipitation

Answer 12

As air masses travel over mountain ranges they are pushed up and cooled, causing precipitation

Question 13

What is El Niño southern oscillation(ESNO)

Answer 13

Results in warming of the Pacific Ocean of the coast of Peru due to periodic wearing of the trade winds.
Warm, dry winters in NW US
Cool wet winters in the SW US
Flooding in Peru
Drought in Australia and Indonesia

Question 14

Why do we have seasons and biomes?

Answer 14

Earth orbits sun and is at a 23.5 angle perpendicular to the ecliptic.

Question 15

What are gyres?

Answer 15

Clockwise in the N hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere, from ocean currents

Question 16

What are biomes?

Answer 16

Communities with wide geographic distribution by temperature, rainfall and plant types

Question 17

Which has more primary productivity?
Hot, humid regions
Cold, dry regions

Answer 17

Hot humid regions have greater biodiversity

Question 18

How does latitude work?

Answer 18

Going up in altitude is up north or south in latitude it gets colder and biomes change with temperature. Colder due to denser gas.

Question 19

What is a tundra?

Answer 19

Cold treeless biome that is cold and has barely any precipitation and has permafrost

Question 20

What is a boreal forest?

Answer 20

Biome made of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons. Found 50 and 60N in Europe Russia and North America. Plant growth is more restrained by temperature. Soil is nutrient poor because of slow decomposition.

Question 21

What is a temperate rainforest?

Answer 21

Biome with moderate temperatures and mucho rain, found on west coast of North America. Almost twelve month growing season. Very large trees.

Question 22

What is a temperate seasonal forest?

Answer 22

Biome with warm summers and cold winters. Has many broadleaf deciduous trees. Soil has lots of nutrients.

Question 23

What is a woodland/shrubland?

Answer 23

Hot dry summers, mild rainy winters, 12 month growing season but low precipitation and low temperatures. Wildfires 🔥😭

Question 24

What is a temperate grassland/ cold desert?

Answer 24

Cold harsh winters hot dry summers, lowest precipitation of all the temperate biomes. Graaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssss

Question 25

What is a tropical rainforest?

Answer 25

Warm wet biome between 20N and 20S of the equator, little seasonal temperature variation and lots of precipitation, mucho biodervirsity

Question 26

What is tropical seasonal forest?

Answer 26

Warm temperatures distinct wet and dry seasons. Soil is fairly fertile and can be farmed. Precipitation is BAD.

Question 27

What is subtropical desert.

Answer 27

30N and 30S with hot temperatures, desert cactus yay 🏜️

Question 28

Describe the pelagic zone of marine ecosystems

Answer 28

Light can be seen, there is nitrogen and phosphorus. There is phytoplankton(floating microscopic algae), zooplankton(small animal, eat phytoplankton???)

Question 29

Describe the benthic zone of marine ecosystems?

Answer 29

Seeeaaafloor, has shifting sand, mud, and rocky surfaces

Question 30

Describe the deep sea or abyssal zones of marine ecosystems?

Answer 30

Great great depths, no light(no photosynthesis). Living things need constant rain of organic matter from photic zone.

Question 31

What is the deep sea?

Answer 31

60% of Earths surface, good for nutrient cycling, carbon burial, and controls ocean chemistry.

Question 32

What is the coral reef coastal ecosystem?

Answer 32

Coral reefs are animals. Along warm islands.

Question 33

What is the mangrove swamp coastal ecosystem?

Answer 33

Found where is warm shallow water with no waves.

Question 34

What are estuaries of mangrove swamps?

Answer 34

Enclosed bays where rivers meet the ocean ,many organisms adapted to the weird levels of salinity? Productive. Nutrient rich. Good agriculture 🧑‍🌾.

Question 35

What are human impacts on marine ecosystems?

Answer 35

Overfishing
Fish farming
Contamination of estuaries
Shipping waste
Offshore drilling

Question 36

What are two categories of fresh water ecosystems?

Answer 36

Stationary water(lakes ponds reservoirs wetlands)
Running water (streams and rivers)

Question 37

Describe stationary water

Answer 37

Has lakes with littoral(vegetation!), and limnetic(no vegetation). Has reservoirs fill with sediment, turn warm rivers cold, change ecology of their watershed!

Question 38

What influences the productivity in stationary water?

Answer 38

Depth - shallow prompts PS
Clarity - clarity promotes Ps
Nutrients - can increase PS but too much makes Eutrophication and BOD
Temperature - the colder the slower rate of PS

Question 39

What are factors the influence dissolved oxygen?

Answer 39

Wave actin and photosynthesis
Cold temperature
Nutrients decrease due to eutrophication and biochemical oxygen demand

Question 40

What are some wetlands?

Answer 40

Swamps - have trees
Marshes - have grasses and reeds
Bogs - have built up moss
Streams and rivers - faster water makes it harder for nutrients to accumulate. Periphyton (living things on bottom). Riparian(along banks)

Question 41

What are some human impacts on freshwater ecosystems?

Answer 41

Habitat destruction: 50% are gone since 1600
Sewage
Air pollution
Nutrients

Question 42

What are some human caused extinctions?

Answer 42

Habitat change
Overexploitation
Invasive alien species
Pollution
Climate chabge