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97 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
All of these are reflected in natural regions
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What (description)
Where (map) Why (controls & processes) |
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Natural Regions
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- an area homogeneous with respect to defined criteria”
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is water a chemical compound?
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yes.
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what are distinct physical properties of water
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dipolar- the negatives from hydrogen attract with the positive oxygen
adhesive- sticks to something else cohesion- sticks to itself capillary- no idea... high specific heat many forms universal solvent |
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What is in action in all 3 forms of water?
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adhesion and cohesion
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Does water have a low specific heat?
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NO! Its high. It needs a lot of energy to change forms.
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ice to water
water to ice? |
melting
freezing |
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ice to vapor
vapor to ice? |
sublimation
deposition |
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vapor to water
water to vapor |
condensation
evaporation |
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universal solvent
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chemical catalyst- breaks down/dissolves chemicals. 54 elements dissolve to water.
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Water is essential because
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its 75% of the world
#1 geomorphic agent- changes landscapes major control and mover of the sun - earths energy balance controls climate |
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4 storage facilities of water on earth?
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Steve Smith Oogles Girls
Surface water Groundwater Organic tissue (living stuff) Soils |
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Is fresh water readily available?
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for the most part nah
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When does water stop moving the hydrologic cycle?
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never
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What tells precipitation where to go?
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soil baby
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Soil waters input, output
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input: groundwater directly gives it up
output: evaporation |
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porosity
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capacity of soil
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rank materials in terms of porosity
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sand < silt < clay
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permeability
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how freely water can move through
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rank materials in terms of permeability
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Clay < silt < sand
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What are the soil moisture states?
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saturated, field capacity, hydroscopic
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saturated
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water is 100% or more of what soil can hold
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field capacity
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max amount it can hold with capilary force
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hydroscopic
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tightly linked with the soil...no fucking idea
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capilary is linked with porosity or permiability
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porosity
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capilary water
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able to hold the most water against the pull of gravity and available for plants.
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Infiltration versus Runoff-
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Soils are the great water gate keeper
Control how much water soaks in (Infiltration) versus how much water runs off (Runoff, causes erosion and flash floods) Control how much water is held by capillary forces (Available Soil Water - extractable by plants) Control how much free (or Gravitational) water can recharge (Percolate to) groundwater |
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percolation
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water being further infiltrated through soil
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why didn't the rain soak in in the picture?
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precip factors: more intense rain = more runoff. continuous precip means less soaking in
surface factors: less permiability because it was already saturated, texture of the soil (clay means less perm) frozen ground = no pores and melting. more slope= more runoff. |
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What is ground waters link with capillary
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none, it is free to gravitational forces.
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what are two problems with ground water
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contamination and mining (both faster than expected)
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why is ground water important
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major storage facility in the hydrologic cycle (stored in the lithosphere)
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Saturated Zone
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Water Table
follows surface contours (but more subdued) aka Aquifer “A place in the hydrologic cycle where water is temporarily stored in the lithosphere” |
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what the best texture for an aquifer
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sand (easier to pump out)
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Best aquiclude
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asphalt
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best aquitard
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clay (hard to pump out)
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difference between unconfined and confined aquifer?
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unconfined can recieve water from surface
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what is more dangerous? unconfined or confined aquifer
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confined
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difference between weather and climate?
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weather - what you get
climate- what you expect |
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How does insolation effect climate
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more insolation = hotter
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early climatology was based on what and who did it
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insolation made up climate regions.
A greek: torrid, temperate, frigid Parmenides - 500 BC A Roman Hipparchus - 140 BC made up 7 zones An Arab Idrisi ~ 1100 AD made up 12 zones All solar climate classifications based on latitude |
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Besides lattitude what are other climate controlers
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elevation, continentality vs marine,
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whats necessary for precip
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lifting mechanism and moist air
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what are the lifting mechanisms
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Charlie Conway fucks off
orographic, convection, convergent, frontal |
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Climate Regions
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“Areas with homogeneous atmospheric conditions”
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criteria for a climate region
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temperature, precip, and weather
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isotherm
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conture line on a map basically
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The Koeppen System
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Biogeographic link
Climate regions fit to vegetation regions |
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Five regional climate types
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A = tropical climates
B = arid climates C = warm, humid climates D = cold, snow-forest climates E = polar climates |
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A climate
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Hot, Humid, year-round
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B climate
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Arid (annual moisture-deficit)
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C climate
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Seasonally hot, Humid (temperate)
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D climate
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Seasonally cold, Humid (continental, subarctic)
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E climate
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Cold, Humid (polar deserts)
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Biomes (definition)
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A large stable terrestrial ecosystem complex characteristics by specific plant and animal communities
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Sub-tropical highs tend to be what kind of places (wet,dry, ect)
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Arid.
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Biomes are defined by
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Biomass, NPP, Species richness, Ecological complexity, and # of ecosystems and ecotones
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More topography (more hills and shit) Means:
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More diversity
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Alexander Von Humbolt
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Phytography, studied plants
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Why Focus on plants? Huge definition
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Plants are autotrophs: only they convert solar energy to chemical energy which means
Plants form the bottoms of food chains/webs Size of pyramid base is a function of available energy and water, ergo, climate is THE major cfiving mechanism. Link to atmosphere, regional climates Link to Hydrologic cycle The major biological storage facility Input from soils Output to atmosphere Influence groundwater recharge (influence on infiltration/ runoff ratio) Link to Lithosphere Infiltration-runoff ratio Protects soils from erosion-roots hold soils in place on slopes Link to Soils Organic matter in soils comes mostly from plants Soil quality (edaphic factors- organix nutrients, mineral nutrients, available water capacity) – Fertility, erosion potential, ease of tillage, sustainability |
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What are the different kinds of plants
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Trees, Shrubs, Lians Herbs, Bryophtyes (mosses) Thalophytes - Lichens(fungi + algae), succulents
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Forest Biome Letters
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A C D
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Savanna
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A C D
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GrassLand
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BS
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Desert
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BW
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Tundra
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E
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Things that affect biomes
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Obvious stuff like Temp and Precip. Wind, Fire Frequency.
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Mojave Desert
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Joshua Tree
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Great Basin Desert
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– shrubs (saltbush and sagebrush)
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Sonoran Desert
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Saguaro, organ pipe, palo verde, ocatillo
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Saguaro, organ pipe, palo verde, ocatillo
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Choya, Yucca, Texas horse crippler
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Why do Tress not show up in a lot of places
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Too cold, Too much fire, Not enough water
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Grasslands are better adapted why?
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90% below ground, can suvive frequnt fires and freezing.
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Svannas
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Are like grasslands but since its not super cold there some trees appear in favored sites
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Forest Biome Characteristics
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Mositure surplus! High Biomaass and NPP. Access to sunlight is biome limiter...think raniforest
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SOILS.
What are they? What are they made of? What do they look like? |
Solids (50%)
Mineral material ~45% Organic material~5% Spaces (50%) Water Atmosphere |
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Soil organic material
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about 5% of soil. the 'active ingrediant' HUMUS
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HUMUS
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, Mobile, Nutrients, Pigment, Cement
Broken down organic stuff from forest floor |
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Soils are Biogenic this means
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(respiration) they are HUMID and Carbon Dioxide Rich
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O-Horizon
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Organic material, Water, Air, Not a mineral horizon Think forest floor
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A-Horizon
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The “topsoil”, Humus enriched mineral horizon, Dark, Fertile
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E-Horizon
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Zone of losses (eluviation), Ashy gray, Infertile
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B-Horizon
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Zone of “gains” (illuviation), Higher chroma, Better structure, more clay
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A, E, B =
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Solum (Epipedon)
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C-Horizon
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Original parent material, Unconsolidated
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R-Horizon
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Weathered bedrock, Consolidated - maybe some cracks
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Soil of Conifer forests, col, humid climate
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SPODOSOLS - D climates, Strong E-horizon
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Deciduous forests in temperate, humid climates, young parent materials
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ALFISOLS - C climates, “Youngish” parent material, Strong B-horizon
(Young parent material think A early in alphabet) |
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Deciduous forests in subtropical, humid climates, old parent materials
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ULTISOLS - Same as Alfisols except… Warmer & wetter, Older parent materials too, less fertile
Old parent think U (;ate in alphabet) |
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Temperate grasslands, steppes and savannas
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MOLLISOLS - BS Climate, Monster A-horizon
think moles in a grassland, like gophers |
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Desert biomes with xerophytic vegetation
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ARIDISOLS - BW Climate, Xerophytes, Lots of salts
Arid-desert, duh |
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Exceptions to region soil rules:
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Saturated places, or 'new earth' (volcanic activity)
Young soild, flood planes, and steep slopes |
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Packers won by what score last night?
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45-7
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Take a Study break
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Seriously Take one
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hue
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color
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value
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high = white (low hummus)
low = black (high hummus) |
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chroma
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low = gray (undersaturated)
high = colorful (saturated) |