Unit 2 Flashcards
What is the troposphere?
Densest layer of the atmosphere (70-80% of atmospheric mass), contains weather, temperature decreases with height
What are the current compositions of the troposphere?
N2 - 78%
O2 - 21%
Water vapor stays constant
Ar - 0.9%
Co2 - 427 ppm but increasing
What is the stratosphere?
Ozone layer(O3) that absorbs UV, is warmer than troposphere, temp increases with height due to being closer to UV exposure
What is the mesosphere?
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
What is the thermosphere?
Temperature increases with height because of UV radiation.
What is the exosphere
Space
What is weather?
Short term conditions in a local area happening in the troposphere
What is climate?
The average weather for an extended period of time over a large area due to patterns in geographical land location
What is the coriolis effect?
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.
What are Hadley Cells?
Convention currents that cycle the equator from 30N to 30S. Results in precipitation
What are hurricanes caused by?
Low pressure systems. Heat from the ocean
What is Orographic precipitation
As air masses travel over mountain ranges they are pushed up and cooled, causing precipitation
What is El Niño southern oscillation(ESNO)
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
Why do we have seasons and biomes?
Earth orbits sun and is at a 23.5 angle perpendicular to the ecliptic.
What are gyres?
Clockwise in the N hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere, from ocean currents
What are biomes?
Communities with wide geographic distribution by temperature, rainfall and plant types
Which has more primary productivity?
Hot, humid regions
Cold, dry regions
Hot humid regions have greater biodiversity
How does latitude work?
Going up in altitude is up north or south in latitude it gets colder and biomes change with temperature. Colder due to denser gas.
What is a tundra?
Cold treeless biome that is cold and has barely any precipitation and has permafrost
What is a boreal forest?
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.
What is a temperate rainforest?
Biome with moderate temperatures and mucho rain, found on west coast of North America. Almost twelve month growing season. Very large trees.
What is a temperate seasonal forest?
Biome with warm summers and cold winters. Has many broadleaf deciduous trees. Soil has lots of nutrients.
What is a woodland/shrubland?
Hot dry summers, mild rainy winters, 12 month growing season but low precipitation and low temperatures. Wildfires 🔥😭
What is a temperate grassland/ cold desert?
Cold harsh winters hot dry summers, lowest precipitation of all the temperate biomes. Graaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssss
What is a tropical rainforest?
Warm wet biome between 20N and 20S of the equator, little seasonal temperature variation and lots of precipitation, mucho biodervirsity
What is tropical seasonal forest?
Warm temperatures distinct wet and dry seasons. Soil is fairly fertile and can be farmed. Precipitation is BAD.
What is subtropical desert.
30N and 30S with hot temperatures, desert cactus yay 🏜️
Describe the pelagic zone of marine ecosystems
Light can be seen, there is nitrogen and phosphorus. There is phytoplankton(floating microscopic algae), zooplankton(small animal, eat phytoplankton???)
Describe the benthic zone of marine ecosystems?
Seeeaaafloor, has shifting sand, mud, and rocky surfaces
Describe the deep sea or abyssal zones of marine ecosystems?
Great great depths, no light(no photosynthesis). Living things need constant rain of organic matter from photic zone.
What is the deep sea?
60% of Earths surface, good for nutrient cycling, carbon burial, and controls ocean chemistry.
What is the coral reef coastal ecosystem?
Coral reefs are animals. Along warm islands.
What is the mangrove swamp coastal ecosystem?
Found where is warm shallow water with no waves.
What are estuaries of mangrove swamps?
Enclosed bays where rivers meet the ocean ,many organisms adapted to the weird levels of salinity? Productive. Nutrient rich. Good agriculture 🧑🌾.
What are human impacts on marine ecosystems?
Overfishing
Fish farming
Contamination of estuaries
Shipping waste
Offshore drilling
What are two categories of fresh water ecosystems?
Stationary water(lakes ponds reservoirs wetlands)
Running water (streams and rivers)
Describe stationary water
Has lakes with littoral(vegetation!), and limnetic(no vegetation). Has reservoirs fill with sediment, turn warm rivers cold, change ecology of their watershed!
What influences the productivity in stationary water?
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
What are factors the influence dissolved oxygen?
Wave actin and photosynthesis
Cold temperature
Nutrients decrease due to eutrophication and biochemical oxygen demand
What are some wetlands?
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)
What are some human impacts on freshwater ecosystems?
Habitat destruction: 50% are gone since 1600
Sewage
Air pollution
Nutrients
What are some human caused extinctions?
Habitat change
Overexploitation
Invasive alien species
Pollution
Climate chabge
