Water and Carbon Cycle Flashcards
what are interrelationships?
relationships that go both ways
what is an ecosystem?
an area of land with similar vegetation and climatic characteristics across it
what are some examples of inputs?
- precipitation
- autumn leaf fall
- seeds carried by wind and birds
what are some examples of stores/components?
- water
- soil
- water soaking through the soil/rocks
what are some examples of outputs?
- plants
- evaporation
- seed dispersal
what are some examples of flows/transfers?
- photosynthesis
- infiltration
- transpiration
what is a positive feedback loop?
where a change causes a further effect, accelerating the original change- change away from equilibrium
what is a negative feedback loop?
the system acts by lessening the effect of the original change and ultimately reversing it- holds system at or near dynamic equilibrium
what are open systems?
receives inputs and transfers outputs of energy or matter across the boundaries within it
give some examples of an open system?
- water cycle
- carbon cycle
what is a closed system?
transfers energy but not matter between system and its surroundings
what is an example of a closed system?
the earth
what are the properties of a system?
- elements
- attributes
- relationships
what is an isolated system?
a system that has no interactions beyond its boundary layer
what is a morphological system?
a system where we understand the relationships between elements and their attributes in a vague sense based only on measured features or correlations
what is a cascading system?
a system where we are primarily interested in the flow of energy and/or matter from one element to another and understand the processes that cause this movement
what is a process-response system?
a system that integrates the characteristics of both morphological and cascading systems
what is a control system?
a system that can be intelligently manipulated by the actions of humans
