Eeb Midterm 1 -1

Front 1

What is Jenny's clorpt equation?

Back 1

Clorpt is a mnemonic for Hans Jenny's equation for soil properties.

CL: Climate, regional

O: Organisms

R: Relief - topography

P: Parent material: Initial physical state

T: Time - since ecosystem began

Front 2

What is missing from the Clorpt equation?

Back 2

Anthropogenic effects

Front 3

What is climate?

Back 3

The average weather over time. Weather = temperature, precipitation, wind

Front 4

What are different ways energy from the sun can be transferred to the earth? (5)

Back 4

Radiation, conduction, convection, advection, latent heat transfer

Front 5

What is the magnitude of incoming short-wave radiation?

Back 5

342 watts / m2, wavelength <4 microns (um)

Front 6

What percentage of incoming radiation is absorbed by earth's surface?

Back 6

49%

Front 7

What is albedo? What does it measure?

Back 7

Albedo is the fraction of short-wave solar radiation that is reflected off of the Earth's surface back into space. About 3% of solar radiation is reflected. Albedo is a measurement of the reflectivity of the Earth's surface.

Front 8

Where is albedo highest and lowest?

Back 8

Albedo would be highest in areas of ice/snow. Albedo would be low over oceans - water absorbs light

Front 9

What percentage of light is absorbed by the atmosphere? What specifically is absorbing the light?

Back 9

About 20% - absorbed by water, CO2, O3, dust, vapor

Front 10

What is radiation?

Back 10

Heat transfer by electromagnetic radiation through air or space

Front 11

What is conduction?

Back 11

Heat transfer that does not involve any motion of the objects involved (atom-atom or molecule-molecule collisions transfer energy from one region to another)

Front 12

What is advection?

Back 12

Heat transfer by horizontal movement

Front 13

What is sensible heat?

Back 13

Heat energy that can be sensed (e.g. by a thermometer) and involves no change in state.

Front 14

What is latent heat?

Back 14

Heat absorbed or released by evaporation or condensation, respectively, of water.

Front 15

What is the coriolis effect?

Back 15

Due to Earth's rotation objects are deflected to the clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere. Due to conservation of angular momentum as air moves to a region of earth with a longer or smaller radius.

Front 16

What is a gyre?

Back 16

Large circulation systems in surface ocean waters

Front 17

What is the intertropical convergence zone?

Back 17

Region of low pressure and rising air where the sun's rays are perpendicular to the earth's surface.

Front 18

Why is there more radiation at the equator?

Back 18

Because the sun's rays go through less atmosphere due to the spherical shape of the Earth. At the equator the radiation is distributed over a smaller area and is more concentrated.

Front 19

What is the rain shadow effect?

Back 19

The western trade winds carry moist air off the ocean. When it is forced to rise over mountains, the moisture condenses. When it goes over the mountains, the other side of the mountains becomes dry (deserts).

Front 20

What is soil?

Back 20

Solid, liquid, gas and organic material that interacts with biota.

Front 21

What are the primary soil constituents? (4)

Back 21

Minerals (45%), air (25%), water (25%) and organic material (5)

Front 22

What is weathering?

Back 22

Weathering is a natural process that removes Si, Na, Ca, and Mg from soil. It enriches the soil in Al and Fe.

Front 23

What is the relationship between weathering, nutrient availability in soil, and plant fertility?

Back 23

Weathering increases nutrient availability in soil and influences fertility.

Front 24

What is an example of physical weathering?

Back 24

Disintegration, no chemical change

Front 25

What is an example of chemical weathering?

Back 25

Reacting with oxidizing or acidic agents to change the chemical form of the soil

Front 26

What affects the rate of chemical weathering?

Back 26

Temperature, moisture, surface area, primary/secondary minerals

Front 27

What is cation exchange capacity?

Back 27

Total negative charge in the soil - CEC is a measure of how much positively charged material can stick to it.

Front 28

What would be a quality of soil with high CEC?

Back 28

High organic matter

Front 29

Rank these ions in order of how tightly they are held on to negative charges in soil:

Ca2+ - H+ - Mg2+ - Na+ - NH4 - Al3+ - K+

Back 29

Al3+>H+>Ca2+>Mg2+>K+=NH4>Na+ (goes in order of highest atomic radius to lowest)

Front 30

*What are four examples of base cations?*

Back 30

Na+ , Ca2+, Mg2+, K+

Front 31

What is base saturation?

Back 31

% CEC occupied by base cations - soil will be more fertile with higher percentage

Front 32

Fill in the blank (soluble or insoluble?) Over time, ______ elements are washed away and soil becomes enriched in _______ elements.

Back 32

Soluble (Si, Na, Ca, K) , Insoluble (Al, Fe)

Front 33

What influences the overall charge of soil?

Back 33

Soil colloids in the soil

Front 34

Charge of layered silicate clays:

Back 34

Negative

Front 35

Charge of organic colloids:

Back 35

The charge of these colloids is dependent on the pH.

Front 36

What is a soil colloid?

Back 36

Soil colloid refers to the most active portion of the soil that largely determines physical and chemical processes.

Front 37

Charge of non-crystalline minerals

Back 37

charge if pH dependent but usually +

Front 38

Chemical weathering reactions: Hydration

Back 38

Water molecules bind to minerals (e.g. iron and aluminum oxides often undergo hydration reactions)

Front 39

Chemical weathering reactions: Hydrolysis

Back 39

H2O --> H+ + OH-; H+ replaces cation from a mineral structure

Front 40

Chemical weathering reactions: Dissolution

Back 40

Water dissolves cations and anions in minerals. Example: CaSO4 + 2H2O --> Ca2+ + SO4 (2-) + 4H2O (gypsum is dissolved)

Front 41

Chemical weathering reactions: Redox

Back 41

Minerals containing Fe, S, Mn are especially susceptible to redox reactions. For example, when rocks containing Fe are exposed to air, ferrous iron (Fe(II)) is oxidized to ferric iron (Fe(III)).

Front 42

Chemical weathering reactions: Complexation

Back 42

Organic acids form organic complexes (chelates) with metals (eg Al and Fe). Important in mobilizing these elements.

Front 43

Chemical weathering reactions: Carbonation and other acid reactions

Back 43

CO2 dissolves in water, forms carbonic acid that reacts with primary and secondary minerals.

Front 44

What generates convective motion in the atmosphere?

Back 44

Earth's atmosphere absorbs about 90% of the outgoing long-wave radiation emitted by earth, which causes the atmosphere to be primarily heated from the bottom up.

Front 45

What is the main source of large-scale patterns of atmospheric circulation?

Back 45

The tropics receive more energy from the sun than they emit to space, whereas the poles emit more energy to space than they receive from the sun. To balance the inequalities, heat is transported from the equator towards the poles.

Front 46

Where are the four major areas of high pressure in the atmosphere?

Back 46

The two poles and 30 degrees north and south. Air descends and precipitation is low.

Front 47

Where are the three major zones of low pressure?

Back 47

The equator and 60 degrees north and south. Air rises and precipitation is high