1. Ch 7: Climate and Biodiversity Environmental Science 101 Elden Hawkes Potomac College

2. What Factors Influence Climate Weather  Set of physical conditions of the lower atmosphere. Temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, etc. Climate  An area's general pattern of atmospheric conditions over periods ranging from at least 3 decades to thousands of years.

3. Three major factors determine how air circulates circulates in the lower atmosphere.  Uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun.  Rotation of the earth on its axis.  Properties of air, water, and land.

5. Greenhouse gasses warm the lower atmosphere Greenhouse Gasses  Small amounts of gasses in the atmosphere that absorb and release heat that warms the atmosphere. Water Vapor (H 2 O) Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) Methane (CH 4 ) Nitrous Oxide (N 2 O)

8. Rain Shadow The loss of moisture from the landscape and the resulting semi arid or arid conditions on the leeward side of high mountains

9. How does climate affect the nature and location of biomes? Biomes  Large terrestial regions characterized by certain types of climate and dominant plant life.

11. Three types of deserts Desert  Annual precipitation is low and often scattered unevenly throughout the year.  Desert soils have little vegetation and moisture to help store heat and the skies above are usually clear.

12. Tropical Deserts  Dry and hot most of the year. They have few plants and a hard windblown surface covered with rocks. Sahara and Namib deserts of Africa Cold Deserts  Vegetation is sparse. Winters are cold, summers are warm or hot, & precipitation is low. Golbi Desert in Mongolia Temperate Deserts  Daytime temperatures are high in summer and low in winter. More precip. Than tropical desert. Mojave Desert in California

13. Three types of grasslands Grasslands  Occur mostly in the interiors of continents in areas too moist for deserts and too dry for forests.

14. Tropical Grasslands  Contains scattered clumps of trees. It has warm temperatures all year round with alternating dry & wet seasons African savannas Temperate Grasslands  Winters are bitter cold and summers are hot and dry with uneven precipitation year round. Tall-grass and short grass prairies Cold Grasslands  Treeless plains swept by bitter cold temperatures year round.  Arctic tundra

15. Three Types of Forests Forests  Lands that are dominated by trees.

16. Tropical Forests  Found near the equator. Lush all year round with warm temperatures,high humidity, and heavy rainfall. Temperate Forests  Grow in moderate average temperatures that change seasonally. Warm summers, cold winters. Temperate deciduous forests Cold Forests  Found in subarctic climates. Winters are long and cold with short summers. Evergreen coniferous forests

17. How Have we Affected the World's Terrestrial ecosystems? 62% of the world's major terrestrial ecosystems are being degraded or used unsubstantiably.

18. What are the Major types of Aquatic Systems? 71% of the earth's surface is covered with salty ocean water. Two Types of Aquatic Life Zones  Saltwater/Marine  Freshwater Aquatic Biodiversity  Plankton Phytoplankton Zooplankton Ultraplankton  70% of ocean primary production

19. Why are the world's oceans important and how have we affected them? Coastal Zone  Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow water that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the gently sloping shallow edge of the continental shelf.

21. Estuaries  Where rivers meet the sea. Seawater mixes with freshwater as well as nutrients and pollutants from streams and runoff from the land. Chesapeake Bay  Coastal Wetlands Coastal lands covered with water all or part of the year.  Mangrove Forests

23. Coral Reefs  Zooxanthelle Symbiotic relationship between photosynthetic algae and reef building animals.  Bleaching Lose of photosynthetic algae Damage 16% of world’s coral reefs  Exploitation Tropical fish trade TNT

24. Open Ocean  The sharp increase in water depth at the edge of the continental shelf separates the coastal zone from the vast volume of the ocean.  Euphotic Zone Brightly lit upper zone where drifting phytoplankton carry out about 40% of the world's photosynthesis.  Bathyal Zone Less sun equals less photosynthesis Zooplankton & smaller fishes live here.  Abyssal Zone Dark very cold with little dissolved oxygen.

26. Human Degradation Coastal Development Runoff of nonpoint pollution Point source pollution from ships Overfishing Trawlers destroying ocean bottoms Invasive species Increased CO 2 emissions

27. What are the major types of Freshwater systems and how we affected them? Freshwater life zones  Includes standing bodies of freshwater such as lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds.  Lakes Large natural bodies of standing freshwater. Oligotrophic lakes  Have small supply of plant nutrients. Deep w/ steep banks. Eutrophic Lakes  Large supply of nutrients needed for primary production. Shallow and murky

28. Watershed: All land area that contributes water to a particular stream, river, or major water body.

29. Freshwater Inland wetlands are vital sponges Inland wetlands  Lands covered with freshwater all or part of the time and located away from coastal areas. Filtering & degrading toxic wastes Reducing flooding & erosion Helps replenish groundwater Maintains biodiversity Supplying sustainable products (food) Provides recreation.