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16 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What causes spatial and temporal variation in temperature and moisture?
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-Same photon flux spread over larger land surface near poles than at equator
-Tilt of Earth’s axes sets up seasonality of northern and southern hemispheres |
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Adiabatic cooling
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Rising air experiences lower atmospheric pressure, expands in volume, losing temperature. (First Law of Thermodynamics*—work done to expand air parcels comes at expense of heat energy.) If it cools below dew point, air will lose its moisture (as clouds, or precipitation)
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Dew point
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The amount of moisture in the air
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Dew point temperature
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temperature to which the air would have to cool (at constant pressure and constant water vapor content) in order to reach saturation, at which the air is holding the maximum possible amount of water vapor possible at the existing temperature and pressure
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Global moisture patterns
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Each 30 degrees alternates weather type. At the tropics (0 degrees) and at temperate rain forests (60 degrees) the ascending moist air releases moisture, resulting in rain. At the 30-degree N and S, as well as the poles, the descending dry air absorbs moisture, resulting in deserts.
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Coriolis effect
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An object at equator is moving east at 24,000 miles per day. If it moves north, the earth beneath moves more slowly, so it veers right. If it moves from north towards equator, also goes right. Reverse is true in southern hemisphere.
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Mediterranean climate
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if land warmer than ocean, moisture not dropped (until adiabatic cooling over mountains) => summer drought
If land cooler than ocean, moisture dropped => winter rains |
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Thermocline
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Stratum of rapid temperature change.
winter and summer stratification, oxygen on surface, but necessary nutrients sunk to bottom - winter: ice floats - summer: surface heated, creates hot layer that doesn't mix spring and fall overturn - the circulation in the water of lake mixes both oxygen and nutrients evenly |
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Eutrophic (river, lake estuary)
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nutrient rich, likely to
produce noxious or harmful algal blooms (cyanobacteria, toxic dinoflagellates) example of bottom-heavy pyramid |
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Mesotrophic
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intermediate nutrient concentrations
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Oligotrophic
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low nutrient concentrations, very clear water
(“good” water quality for humans and fish) example of top-heavy pyramid |
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Detritus
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dead organic matter
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Estuary
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where rivers empty into oceans, fresh water (0 % salt) meets salt water (3 % salt): tidal prisms with heavier salty water underneath - important nurseries for
offshore fisheries |
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Tidal prism
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wedge of fresh water overlies denser salt water
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Evidence of global warming
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•Glacier shrinkage on mountains around the globe
•Satellite, balloon measurements show lower atmosphere is warming at similar rate to surface •Permafrost melting in Arctic •Acceleration of Greenland deglaciation due to moulins •Warming of upper layers of the ocean |
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energy (carbon) sources on a river
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upstream: terrestrial, detritus carbon (dead leaves)
middle: attached algae bottom: fine particulate detritus and phytoplankton |
