APES Ecosystem Services, Soil, Climate, Atmosphere

Four types of ecosystem services

Provisioning, Regulating, Cultural, Supporting.

Provisioning services

Natural products like food, water, timber, and medicine.

Regulating services

Benefits from natural processes like climate regulation, flood control, and disease regulation.

Cultural services

Non-material benefits like recreation, spiritual value, and aesthetic enjoyment.

Supporting services

Processes that support life such as nutrient cycling, soil formation, and photosynthesis.

Four components of soil

Air, water, minerals, and organic matter.

O horizon of soil

The top layer made up of organic material like decomposed leaves and plants.

A horizon of soil

The topsoil layer under O horizon; rich in nutrients and supports plant growth.

E horizon

Eluviation layer where minerals and nutrients are leached from upper layers.

B horizon

Subsoil where minerals and salts from above accumulate; less organic material.

C horizon

Partly weathered parent rock; limited biological activity.

R horizon

Unweathered bedrock; the base of soil layers.

Layers of the atmosphere

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere.

Temperature and pressure in the troposphere with altitude

Temperature, density, and pressure all decrease with altitude.

Composition of atmospheric gases

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases (argon, CO₂, water vapor).

Coriolis effect

The deflection of moving air and water due to Earth's rotation; bends winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.

El Niño

A climate pattern where warm water moves west to east across the Pacific, causing global weather disruptions.

La Niña

A climate pattern where cool water moves east to west across the Pacific, often bringing colder and drier conditions.

Four geographic factors that affect climate

Latitude, altitude, proximity to water, and presence of mountains.