Ecology: A Human Approach - Professor Pool - Exam 2 Vocabulary

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122 Terms

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biogeochemical cycle

the movement of elements or molecules between the living and nonliving parts of earth

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biosphere

the global system containing all organisms

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reservoir

a location within a biogeochemical cycle where an element or compound is stored

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flux

the transfer of molecules from one reservoir to another over a specific period of time

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residence time

the average time that an element or compound spends in a particular reservoir

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weathering

the breakdown of rock structure through mechanical and chemical processes

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greenhouse gas

a gas that absorbs infrared radiation and traps heat in the atmosphere

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nitrogen fixation

the conversion of atmospheric N2 into a reactive nitrogen compound

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denitrification

the microbiological conversion of nitrate (NO3-) into gaseous nitrogen forms including nitrous oxide (N20) and dinitrogen gas (N2)

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acid precipitation

forms of precipitation that contain unusually high concentrations of acid

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fresh water

water that is almost salt free

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hydrologic cycle

the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, land, and the ocean

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evaporation

the conversion of water from a liquid to a gas form

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transpiration

the process by which water transfers from a liquid to a gas form by entering the roots of a plant and evaporating through the leaves

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precipitation

liquid or solid forms of water that fall to Earth’s surface

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watershed

an area of land in which water drains to a single surface reservoir

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sublimation

the transformation of water from a solid (frozen) form to a gaseous form (water vapor)

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infiltration

the passage of water into the soil

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percolation

the passage of water through the soil

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runoff

the flow of water over the soil surface

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unsaturated zone

layers of surface soil and rock in which air is present in the areas around the particles

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saturated zone

layers of soil or rock in which the particles are surrounded by water

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water table

the top of the saturated zone

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aquifers

a subsurface layer of rock that contains and transports groundwater

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stream

a flow of surface water within a defined channel caused by gravity

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river

a large, naturally flowing stream

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discharge

the volume of water in a river that passes a certain point over a specific period of time

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hydrograph

a graphical representation of the variation in discharge over a specific period of time

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flooding

an overflowing of water onto land that is usually dry

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riparian zone

a narrow strip of vegetation immediately adjacent to a stream

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sediment

small particles of rock and soil transported in a stream

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littoral zone

the zone of water in a pond or lake that is near shore and shallow enough for light to penetrate the bottom

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limnetic zone

the zone of open water in a pond or lake that is beyond the littoral zone and is too deep for light to penetrate to the bottom

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profundal zone

the zone of water in a pond or lake below the limnetic zone

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thermocline

an area of water in a pond or lake where the temperature changes substantially over a very small distance

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benthic zone

the bottom of a pond or lake, consisting of layers of fine particles of minerals and organic matter; the ocean zone that includes the area at and near the ocean floor

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wetland

an area of land that is periodically or permanently saturated by water

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hydric soils

soil found in wetlands that contains large amounts of organic matter and often has low oxygen availability

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hydrophytes

a wetland plant that grows in or on water

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irrigation

the artificial capture, storage, and transport of water for crops

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renewable freshwater resource

a freshwater source that is resupplied at least as quickly as it is used

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nonrenewable freshwater resource

a freshwater source that is depleted faster than it is formed

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consumptive water use

the use of water that does not return to its source or whose quality is degraded to the degree that it can no longer serve as a usable resource

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nonconsumptive water use

the use of water that is subsequently returned to surface water supplies at or near the sit of its use

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virtual water

water that is used to produce a product

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physical water scarcity

a condition that occurs when there is not enough freshwater to meet the demands of a population

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economic water scarcity

a condition that occurs when there is sufficient physical supply but inadequate physical or government infrastructure to capture, purify, or distribute that water

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recharge rate

the rate at which groundwater naturally forms

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water right

a legal agreement that gives the owner of the right the ability to use water from some source

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desalination

the process of removing dissolved salts from saline water in order to produce water that can be used for human consumption or use

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biological magnification

the process by which animals eat other plants or animals causing toxins to accumulate in tissues at increasingly higher concentrations

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eutrophication

a condition in which excess nutrients cause the rapid growth of algae and the depletion of dissolved oxygen in the water

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point-source pollution

pollution that comes from a single location (or point)

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non-point-source pollution

pollution that comes from many widely distributed, small sources, which collectively release a large amount of pollutants to the environment

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subsidence

the gradual shrinking of an area of land

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atmosphere

the envelope of gases that surrounds a planet and that is held in place by the planet’s gravitational field

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trace gases

gases present in the atmosphere at concentrations less than 1%

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inert

for a chemical, having a limited ability to react with other chemicals under normal conditions

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chemically reactive

for a chemical, having the ability to undergo chemical reactions under normal conditions

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element

a substance that cannot be chemically broken apart into other substances

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oxidation

the process by which forms of oxygen participate in a variety of chemical reactions in which oxygen atoms are added to other elements and compounds

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radiatively active

a property of gases that absorb incoming solar radiation or outgoing infrared radiation and which, thereby, alter the amount of heat present in the atmosphere

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atmospheric pressure

the pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere

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density

the mass (amount of matter) of a substance per unit of volume, expressed by the equation d = m/V

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troposphere

the lowest layer of the atmosphere, which is characterized by the turbulent mixing of air

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stratosphere

the second layer of the atmosphere, which ranges from a lower altitude of 7 km in far northern or southern latitudes and 17 km at the equator to an upper limit of 50 km

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atmospheric circulation cell

a pattern of large-scale movement of air around the planet caused by the unequal heating of Earth’s surface

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Hadley cell

an atmospheric circulation cell that consists of rising warm air from the tropics replaced by a surface flow of cooler air from about 30 degrees North or South latitude

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polar cell

an atmospheric circulation that consists of rising warm air from about 60 degrees North or South latitude and cooling air moving from the North or South Pole

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Ferrel Cell

an atmospheric circulation cell located between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees North or South latitude

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Coriolis effect

an apparent clockwise deflection of winds in the Northern Hemisphere and an apparent counterclockwise deflection in the Southern Hemisphere

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jet stream

a narrow band of winds that occurs near the top of the troposphere at the intersection of air masses with different properties

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storm

a disturbance in the normal condition of the atmosphere that is characterized by the formation of an area of low atmospheric pressure

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monsoon

a seasonal reversal in wind direction that occurs over parts of some continents

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weather

phenomena occurring in the atmosphere at a certain point in time, which result from short-term variations in atmospheric conditions

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variance

a measure of variation around the mean

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droughts

an extended period of below average precipitation

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nitrogen oxides

pollutants that include the gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which together are called NOx

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sulfur oxides

pollutants that include the gases sulfur oxide (SO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), which together are called SOx

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ozone

a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms (O3)

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primary pollutant

a chemical form of pollution that is released directly into the atmosphere

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secondary pollutant

a chemical form of pollution that is formed when primary pollutants and other gases react in the atmosphere

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particulate pollution

solid materials of varying chemical composition that are suspended in the atmosphere

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lead

a metal found in the atmosphere as a form of particulate air pollution

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carbon monoxide

an odorless, colorless gas with the chemical formula CO that is produced during the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels

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wet deposition

a process in which different types of chemicals that dissolve into water fall out of the atmosphere to the ground

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dry deposition

a process in which different types of chemicals are directly deposited from the atmosphere to the land without precipitation

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ozone layer

a naturally occurring region of highly concentrated ozone between 15 and 40 km in the atmosphere

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chloroflueorocarbons

(CFCs) a class of chemical compounds that were created for use as refrigerants and aerosol propellants but also proved to cause the loss of the stratospheric ozone

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salinity

the total mass of salts compared to the mass of the water in which they are dissolved

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mixed layer

the surface layer of the ocean, which mixes as a result of waves and temperature variations

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transition layer

the middle layer of the ocean, in which temperature and salinity decline quickly

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deep ocean

the deepest layer of the ocean, where temperature and salinity stay more or less constant and overall density is lower than the other layers

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ocean current

a directional and continuous flow of seawater caused by a variety of factors including but not limited to wind and waves

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upwelling

an ocean current that flows from the deep ocean to the surface ocean

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downwelling

an ocean current that flows from the surface ocean to the deep ocean

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thermohaline circulation

a global set of surface and deep ocean currents that are caused by differences in temperature and salinity

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Gulf Stream

a huge current of warm water that starts in the tropics and travels up the eastern coast of the United States

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intertidal zone

the ocean zone that includes the area at the edge of land and water, between the high and low tides

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coastal zone

the ocean zone that includes the area from land to the edge of the continental shelf