DAY 4 EXAMS

Accuracy

How close the data is to the true value

Precision

How close all the data is to each other

Repeatability

consistency of results when repeated under the same conditions

Reproduceability

other researchers can obtain the same results using the original data and methods

True value

the actual, ideal value of a quantity that would be obtained if the measurement were performed perfectly without any errors

Validity

how well an experiment or investigation actually measures what it is supposed to measure

E.g of personal errors

misreading scales, miscalculations, or using the wrong procedure

E.g of systematic errors

a miscalibrated scale consistently registers weights as higher than they actually are

E.g of random errors

what is uncertainty

not being sure of the answer

what are outliers

observation that lies an abnormal distance from other values

what are stakeholders

a person with an interest or concern in something

what is something biotic

something in the environment thats living

what is something abiotic

something in the environment that’s not living

examples of biotic factors

plants, fungi, bacteria, animals, herbivores, carnivores, decomposers

examples of abiotic factors

temperature, terrain, soil, water, sunlight, oxygen

what is a biome

a large geographical area defined by its distinct climate, vegetation, and animal life

what is an ecosystem

a community of living organisms in a particular area

what is a habitat

natural home or environment of an animal, plant or other organism

what is a community

group of living things that live in the same place or have a particular characteristic in common and how they interact

what is a population

all the inhabitants of a particular place

what is an open system

a system that has influences from outside of its self

“a system that freely exchanges both matter and energy with its surroundings”

what is a closed system

A system that doesn’t get anything coming into it

what is a semipermeable system

Only some things can come into the system

e.g. semipermeable membrane

what is an organism

a living thing

what is an autotroph

Produces it’s own food

e.g plants, algae, phytoplankton

what is photosynthesis

Plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of glucose (sugar).

What is an heterotroph

Does not produce it’s own food

e.g animals, fungi, Detritivores

What is a food chain

illustrates the flow of energy in an ecosystem by showing who eats whom

What is a food web

network of interconnected food chains, demonstrating the various paths that energy and nutrients can take through different species

What are the trophic levels

producers, primary consumers (herbivores)

secondary consumers (carnivores)

tertiary (third) consumers (carnivores)

What is a producer

organism that creates its own food

What is a consumer

something that doesn’t make it’s own food, eats producers

What is a primary consumer

an animal that eats producers, like plants or algae, and is the first level of consumer in a food chain

herbivores

What is a biomass pyramid

illustrates the total mass of living organisms at each trophic level in a food chain or food web

What is an energy pyramid

a diagram that represents the flow of energy from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem

What is a numbers pyramid

represents the number of organisms at each trophic level within a food chain or ecosystem

What is Anthropocentrism

viewpoint that places humans at the center of the universe

What is biocentrism

The value we give living things

What is ecocentrism

belief that gives inherit value to individual living things & ecosystems

What is technocentrism

world view that prioritizes technology & scientific advances

What’s the atmosphere

protective layer made of air, containing mainly nitrogen and oxygen, along with other gases like argon, carbon dioxide

What’s the hydrosphere

water on the surface of of earth

e.g oceans, rivers, lakes, rain

What’s the lithosphere

earths crust, landforms (rocks & soils)

continental crust

oceanic crust

soil structure

What’s the biosphere

living matter on earth, including all animal and plant life forms

What’s groundwater

all underground water

What’s the mantle

largest and thickest layer of the Earth, located between the crust and the outer core

What is continental crust

thicker, less dense crust that forms the landmasses of the Earth.

What’s oceanic crust

outermost layer beneath the oceans, thin, dense, and primarily composed of basalt and other mafic rocks.

What are the different soil textures

clay, silt, sand , loam

What does porosity mean

he quality of being porous, or full of tiny holes

What’s loam

Loam is a “perfect” mix of clay, loam and sand

What’s the O horizon

the topmost layer of soil, composed primarily of organic matter like decomposed leaves and plant material

What’s the A horizon

topsoil, a mineral soil layer rich in organic matter and essential for plant growth

What the B horizon

accumulation of materials leached from the A horizon, particularly clay, iron, and aluminum oxides

What’s the C horizon

primarily composed of unconsolidated parent material that has been little affected by soil-forming processes

What’s parent rock

the original rock from which soil is formed

What’s the ozone layer

absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation

the reason it’s thinning is because of the chlorofluorocarbons carbons

made up of O3 (three oxygen atoms)

What is weather

short term changes in the atmosphere

state of the atmosphere at a particular time

temperature changes

What is climate

long term changes in the atmosphere

What’s the Coriolis effect

circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere

What’s El Nino

the weather pattern where hot air is pushed towards south america through trade winds across the pacific ocean

What’s El Nina

Where hot winds are pushed from western south America towards the western pacific ocean

What is coal

combustible rock

primarily composed of carbon

formed from the remains of plants that died millions of years ago

What is oil and gas

naturally occurring

combustible hydrocarbons formed from the remains of prehistoric organisms

such as: giant ferns and trees

What is limestone

sedimentary rock primarily composed of calcium carbonate

formed by the accumulation and lithification of shell fragments, coral remains

What is nitrogen fixation

process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into reactive forms like ammonia (NH3) or ammonium (NH4+) that plants and other organisms can use

animals use nitrogen as sources of nitrogen for building organic molecules like proteins and nucleic acids

What is denitrification

naturally occurring process where bacteria convert nitrate in soil into nitrogen gases

What is urea

Urea is the waste from the blood before it’s diluted with water in the kidneys

waste product formed by the body during protein breakdown

What are legumes

ecological importance due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants

What is the carbon cycle

the movement of carbon atoms between different reservoirs on Earth, including the atmosphere, biosphere, ocean, and geosphere

What is weathering

natural breakdown or dissolving of rocks, soil, and minerals at the Earth's surface due to exposure to the environment

What is desorption

the opposite of adsorption

process where a substance, previously adsorbed onto a surface, is released or detached from that surface

What is a limiting factor

any environmental factor that restricts the growth, distribution, or abundance of a population or an organism

What is eutrophication

excessive enrichment of a water body with nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus

Why is the sun so important

it's the primary source of energy for life on Earth

drives photosynthesis

What are the solar cycles

nearly periodic changes in the Sun's activity

characterized by variations in sunspot numbers, over an approximately 11-year period

represent the rise and fall of solar activity

transitioning from a minimum of sunspots (solar minimum) to a maximum (solar maximum) and back again. 

What percentage of light reaches the earth?

38% visible light , 53% infrared light , 9% ultraviolet light

How did the atmosphere form

As Earth cooled, an atmosphere formed mainly from gases spewed from volcanoes

included hydrogen sulfide, methane, and ten to 200 times as much carbon dioxide as today's atmosphere.

What are short term changes?

Daily Changes – day/night cycles |

Monthly changes- The moon cycle

Seasonal changes – summer/winter, monsoon/dry season

What are long term changes?

Climate change, increased rainfall, droughts, glacial melting, land cover changes, desertification, ecological succession.

What’s the greenhouse effect

natural process that warms the Earth's surface

happens when gases in the atmosphere trap some of the Sun's outgoing heat preventing it from escaping back into space

This trapped heat contributes to the Earth's overall temperature

making it habitable for life. 

What’s the enhanced greenhouse effect

increase in the Earth's surface temperature due to the trapping of more heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

This occurs because human activities, like burning fossil fuels and deforestation

What are the effects of climate change

hotter temps

more intense natural disasters (drought and storms)

How do scientists use charcoal deposits in forest areas to determine past climates

to reconstruct past climates, specifically past fire regimes and vegetation changes

amount and type of charcoal found in sediments, soils, or lake beds can reveal information about the frequency and intensity of fires

types of trees that were present in the past. 

What is geological sequestration

the process of storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in underground geological formations

What is biological sequestration

the natural process by which plants, soil, and oceans store carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, effectively removing it

What are ecosystem services

the numerous benefits that humans derive from healthy ecosystems, like clean air and water, food production, and flood control

services ecosystems do for free when we allow them to

What is intergenerational equity

emphasizes that decisions and actions of one generation should not unfairly burden or compromise the well-being and opportunities of future generations

What is intragenerational equity

fairness within the same generation

ensuring equitable distribution of resources and opportunities among individuals of the present time

What is a regulatory framework

regulatory framework is a structured set of rules, standards, and guidelines

established by a government or regulatory body to govern a specific industry or sector.

What is thermohaline circulation

movement of seawater in a pattern of flow dependent on variations in temperature

give rise to changes in salt content and hence in density.

What is the southern oscillation (ENSO)

naturally occurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific Ocean that swings between El Niño (warm phase) and La Niña (cool phase)

What is the water circulation

the movement and mixing of water within a body of water or a system

What are the trade winds

consistent, easterly prevailing winds that blow across the tropical and subtropical regions of Earth, primarily towards the equator

What is the Indian ocean dipole (IOD)

a climate pattern characterized by sustained changes in the difference between sea surface temperatures in the tropical western and eastern Indian Ocean

significant impact on Australia's climate and agriculture, particularly in southern and eastern regions.

What is the absolute location of Greenland?

71.7069° N, 42.6043° W

What is the relative location of Greenland?

In the north Atlantic ocean off the northeastern coast of Canada.

What continent is Greenland geologically apart of?

North America

What is the distribution of the population of Greenland?

Concentrated mainly on the southwest coast