APES Unit 4

Watershed

Drainage basin, or landscape that makes water drain to a specific area

Flood Plains

Area where river floods, very fertile soil, erosion control, diverse species, improves water quality

Rain Garden

Captures rain water to increase infoltration and reduce runoff

Rain Barrel

Collects water for gardens

Mississippi Watershed

Largest watershed in the US, in mostly agricultural states

Nuclear Fusion

Pushing Hydrogen together to create heavier elements

Core of the Earth

Innermost zone, made of nickel and Fe, very hot due to radioactive decay

Mantle of Earth

Above core, mostly magma, made of asthenosphere (inner) and lithosphere (outer)

Hot Spots

Places where molten material from the mantel reach the lithosphere

Theory of Plate Tectonics

The Earth’s lithosphere is made of plates which are in constant motion

Volcanoes

Created by hotspots from moving plates creating islands, newest = largest

Divergent Plate Boundary

Moving apart

Convergent Plate Boundary

Moving towards

Transform Plate Boundary

Moving past

Continental-Continental CPB

Forms mountains

Oceanic-Continental CPB

Forms volcanoes when O-Plate goes under C-Plate and melts

Oceanic-Oceanic CPB

One crust goes under and creates volcano islands

O Horizon

Matter in stages of decay, top layer typically

A Horizon

Mix of organic matter and minerals, below O

B Horizon

Subsoil, accumulated minerals, metals, and nutrients, below A

C Horizon

Least weathered, most similar to parent material, rocks

E Horizon

Between O and A, mostly leached nutrients

Humus

Spongey top layer of soil, very little decomposition of organic materials

Weathering

Breaking down of materials due to being exposed to the elements

Erosion

Physical removal of weathered particles from ecosystem

Porosity

Space between soil particles, larger the particles = larger spaces = more room for water, good for plants

Infiltration

Rate of water moving through the soil

Permeability

How fast the soil drains

Water Holding Capacity

How much soil binds to water, sand low, clay high (more likely to be water logged)

Cation Exchange Capacity

Ability for soil to absorb and release cations, plants take more nutrients from soil by exchanging H+ for minerals

Soil Bases

Ca, Mg, K, Na

Soil Acids

Al and H

Bases Saturation

Proportion of bases: Acids, more acid less nutrients

High CEC

More minerals, higher productivity, able to retain more cations

Alkaline Soils

high in C, Mg, K, very basic

Atmosphere Composition

Mostly N, O, little Argon, CO2, traces of other chemical and ozone

Troposphere

Closest layer to the Earth, where mostly gases and pollution are

Stratosphere

Layer of ozone, protects from radiation, above troposphere

Mesosphere

Meteorites burn up, above stratosphere

Thermosphere

Aurora Borealis, satellites, above mesosphere

Exosphere

Outerspace

Tropopause

When temp begins to increase is Stratosphere due to combination and breaking of ozone

Adiabatic Heating/Cooling

When temperature changes due to the pressure in the air, more pressure → heating, less pressure → cooling

Latent Heat Release

When water condenses and releases heat

Hadley Cells

Convection Currents that cycle between the Equator and 30 N/S, release cool air at 30 N/S creating deserts in those areas

Ferrel Cells

Convection Currents that cycle between 30 and 60 N/S

Polar Cells

Convection currents that cycle between 60 and 90 (poles) N/S

Coriolis Effect

The earth rotates it surface faster than the atmosphere causing deflection of wind, Northern hemisphere moves right and Southern moves Left

Land Heating

Only heats surface, less absorption, quick heating and cooling

Water Heating

Energy enters deep and slowly, slow to heat and cool

Specific Heat

amount of energy required to raise the temperature of an object

Surface Currents

Follows wind patterns

Gyres

Circles created by currents in large oceans, moves warm water around earth, Clockwise N, Counter S

Deep CUrrents

Carry deep water from the poles

Rainshadow Effect

Mountain ranges catching lots of rain on one side (windward) and the other getting the cool dry air (leeward) left from the clouds causing one side to be lush while the other is dry

Upwelling

Water moving away from coastline and picking up the cool nutrient rich water underneath

Downwelling

Water moving towards coastline pushing warm water and moving nutrients away

El Nino

Trade winds at equator slowing or going in opposite direction causing down welling in Central and South America and Upwelling in Indonesia and Australia

La Nina

Extreme of normal year, Upwelling in South+ central America, Downwelling in Australia and Indonesia

Thermohaline Circulation

Difference in temperature and salinity of water causing currents to move, the water warms up as it gets closer to the equator and rises creating a circuit

Insolation

Solar Radiation/ Area, more area less heat

Albedo

Reflectivity of a surface, more albedo less heating

Tropic of Cancer

23.5 degrees north, Jun 21st the sun hits it at 90 degree angle and is hottest

Tropic of Capricorn

23.5 degrees south, Dec 21st is when sun hits at 90 degree angle and is hottest

Arctic Circle

24 hours of sunlight is northern summer and darkness in northern winter

Antarctic cirlce

24 hours of sunlight in northern winter and darkness in northern summer