Geobiology, Hydrology, Glaciers, and Climate Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering Geobiology, Mass Extinctions, Hydrology, Groundwater, Streams & Rivers, Glaciers, Climate Systems and Energy

Geobiology

The study of the interactions between life and Earth’s physical and chemical environments.

Producers

Organisms that produce their own food using energy from the sun or inorganic chemicals.

Consumers

Obtain energy by consuming producers or other consumers.

Chemofossils

Chemical traces of life found in rocks.

Stromatolites

Layered microbial structures indicating early life.

Mass Extinctions

Periods when a large number of species disappear rapidly.

Oceans

The largest of Earth’s hydrologic reservoirs.

Porosity

The percentage of pore space in a rock or sediment.

Permeability

The ability of a material to transmit water.

Groundwater Table

Separates the unsaturated zone from the saturated zone.

Aquifer

A rock unit that stores and transmits water.

Subsidence

Ground sinking due to overpumping of groundwater.

Drainage Basin

The area drained by a river.

Meander

A bend in a river.

Braided Streams

Multiple channels formed by high sediment load and variable discharge.

Delta

A deposit that forms where a river meets a standing body of water

Alpine Glaciers

Glaciers found in mountain regions.

Continental Glaciers

Large, thick ice masses.

Till

Unsorted and angular glacial sediment.

Climate

Long-term patterns of atmospheric conditions.

Weather

Short-term atmospheric conditions.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and uppermost mantle.