Environmental Science Final

The process by which an ecosystem transitions from barren to mature (fully developed)

Sucession

Why did no one believe Wegener’s theory?

He could not explain HOW the continents moved

Continental drift is the theory that:

Continents were once together

Benefits of knowing information regarding plate tectonics include:

Mapped ocean ridges and mapped earthquake sites

What is the thickest layer of the Earth?

The mantle

What is a transform boundary:

Two plates slide past each other

At a convergent plate boundary:

One plate subducts and one stays at the surface

You are a scientist on the JOIDES Resolution. You want to drill to the mantle. Where is your best bet to reach it?

At the mid-ocean ridge, the crust is thinner, and at a hotspot like Hawaii or Iceland

Metamorphic rocks are:

Rocks that have been modified by heat and pressure

Igneous rocks differ from metamorphic rocks because:

They are formed from completely molten rock material

We can use rocks to reconstruct:

Past volcanic eruptions, climate history, sea level, and the movement of tectonic plates

Soil formation is not influenced by:

Tides

Soil horizon thickness is:

Different in all biomes

If a geologist finds a sequence of rock layers with the oldest layer at the top and the youngest layer at the bottom, what can be inferred?

The sequence has likely been overturned or disrupted.

What best describes a tributary?

A stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river

Stream discharge refers to:

The volume of water flowing through a stream or river at a given point

What is the primary factor that determines the velocity (speed) of a stream or river?

Gradient

Glacial ablation refers to:

The melting and sublimation of ice from a glacier

What role do glaciers play in the global climate system?

Glaciers help regulate global temperatures by reflecting sunlight

What does glacial equilibrium refer to?

The balance between a glacier’s accumulation and ablation

Glacial Lake Hitchcock was primarily associated with which major glacier?

The Laurentide Ice Sheet

What types of sediments are commonly found in areas previously occupied by Glacial Lake Hitchcock?

Sand and gravel

Where was Glacial Lake Hitchcock located?

North America

When was the Last Glacial Maximum?

20,000 years ago

What caused the LGM?

Change in Earth’s orbit

Which celestial body has the greatest influence on tides?

The moon

When do spring tides occur?

When the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned

Sea level is rising because:

Glaciers are melting, and warm water takes up more space

In 2024, you are scheduling the Form 3 field trip in 2034:

You schedule it for April because climate data says that’s a good time for an outdoor activity

What statement best describes the history of Earth’s climate?

It is constantly changing

The pigment of mice can be dark (D) or light (d). What is the dominant trait?

Dark

Phenotype and genotype are:

One is what you see, the other is what the genes code is for

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium:

It predicts the frequency of alleles/genes in a population

Why do we say that we are entering a new mass extinction?

Because we’re on the brink of a very fast and rapid shift in climate

What was one main line of evidence for continental drift, and how did it support that theory?

The continental drift theory is the theory that the continents were once together but drifted apart, and are still drifting. The main line of evidence is fossils. By finding animals that can’t fly or swim on different continents, this shows that they used to be together, as there was no way they could have gotten to different continents if they were separated.

Does the moon influence the tides, and how so?

Yes, the gravitational pull from the moon creates a bulge of water, which then results in high tides. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels.

Is secondary succession faster than primary succession, and why?

Yes, because secondary succession begins with pre-existing soil and on land that has had an ecosystem before, but was destroyed. Primary succession, however, happens in an area where there has been no life prior, so it takes longer for soil to form and for nature to take its place there.

What is radiometric dating, and how does it compare to relative dating?

Radiometric dating uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine a precise age, while relative dating establishes the chronological order of events without specifying specific dates.

How can scientists use rocks to reconstruct environmental change?

By studying rocks and the fossils they contain, as rocks preserve information about the past environments, and fossils provide information on past life forms.

The recessive allele b occurs with a frequency of 0.8 in a population of crabs that is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequency of the heterozygous combination is 0.1. What is the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and what is the frequency of homozygous dominant individuals?

The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium predicts the frequency of alleles/genes in a population. Homozygous dominant (0.1) + heterozygous (0.1) + homozygous recessive (0.8) = 1

The Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Frequency of homozygous dominant genotype + frequency of heterozygous genotype + frequency of zygous recessive genotype = 1

WORK AND PRACTICE ROCK CYCLE DIAGRAM WITH ARROWS!

Through which processes can rising sea levels and tides influence towns and cities that are not on the coast but are located on major rivers?

It creates an increased flood risk, alters the flow of the river, and causes saltwater intrusion from the ocean can contaminate freshwater sources used by these inland cities, posing a threat to drinking water and agriculture.

Explain what a watershed is and how floodplains, tributaries, meanders, and watershed divides control what happens within a watershed.

A watershed is an area of land that consists of all the water and land between ridges that drains to a particular outlet. A watershed is drained by a system of tributaries, which are streams that flow into larger rivers or lakes. Floodplains act as storage areas for excess water during flooding, meanders cause erosion on the outer banks and deposition on the inner banks, shaping the river's course and floodplain, and watershed divides define the boundaries of a watershed, determining where water flows and ultimately which river system a watershed drains.