yr 11 geo content

what are the 4 layers of atmosphere?

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

what is insolation

the amount of solar radiation received

what are the 5 factor affecting insolation

latitude, Earth's revolution and rotation, atmosphere components, topography, distributions of continents and oceans

what is albedo

the amount of light reflected back

characteristics of a low pressure system?

called cyclones, isobars are spaced closely together consists of warm, rising air, produces windy, rainy, and unstable weather

characteristics of high pressure systems

called highs or anticyclones isobars are spaced widely apart consists of cold, descending air produces stable and dry weather

what are the 3 different weather cells and where are they

Hadley cell at equator, Ferrel cell, polar cell

what is the natural greenhouse effect

when radiation reaches earth, the surface heats up and releases its own terrestrial radiation, which is then absorbed by water vapour and CO2 creating a natural warming effect

what do synoptic charts do?

records atmospheric conditions in a particular place at the particular point in time

what is an occluded front and how is it shown in synoptic charts

the meeting of cold and warm fronts. symbolised by combining the symbols of cold and warm fronts

what is a drought?

A prolonged period of below-average rainfall, leading to water scarcity and affecting agriculture and ecosystems.

what is a flood and what are the 3 types?

floods occurs when a stream or river rises above its bank full level, often due to heavy rainfall or snowmelt, can be slow-onset, rapid-onset, and flash floods

What is El Nino and its characteristics

trade winds weaken or reverse leading to less warm water leading to less rainfall so it becomes drier and hotter

What is La Nina and its characteristics

trade winds strengthen leading to more rainfall and cooler temperatures

what are the characteristics of a postive IOD

cool sea surface temps in Australia leading less clouds and rainfall and cooler than normal

impacts of negative IOD

warmer sea temperatures in Australia causing rainfall and warmer than usual

what is the global conveyer belt and what is it affected by

Global conveyer belt is formed by surface and deep sea currents and travels all around the world affected by temperature and salinity

what are the two terms that describe rainfall patterns and amounts

Seasonality refers to the regular patterns of rainfall throughout the year, variability is the degree to which rainfall amounts differ from long-term averages, leading to unpredictable weather patterns.

what are the 3 key influences affecting infiltration and runoff?

Vegetation, Soil Type, Slope Gradient

what percentage of Earth's water is fresh water?

2.65% of Earth's water is fresh water, free of salt.

What is the plate tectonic theory

theory explaining how lithospheric plates rest on the asthenosphere and if new oceanic crust is being created at mid-ocean ranges, either oceans are getting larger or equal amount of old crust is also being destroyed to maintain constant size

what is the continental drift theory

Proposed by Alfred Wegener, explaining the movement of continents from a single supercontinent.

what are the 4 layers of the earth?

Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core.

what is a divergent boundary and what landforms are found near them?

Plates move apart, leading to the formation of new crust, often seen in mid-ocean ridges. forms mountains and volcanos

what is a convergent boundary and landforms found near them

Plates collide, causing one plate to be forced beneath another, leading to mountain formation and volcanic activity. forms mountains and volcanos

what is a transform boundary and what hazards occur near them

Plates slide past each other, which can cause earthquakes but typically does not create mountains

what are the 3 gradational processes?

weathering, mass movement, erosion

explain what weathering is and its 2 subtypes

Weathering is the breakdown of rocks and minerals at or near the earth's surface, can be physical or chemical

what is mass movement

Mass movement refers to the downslope movement of rock and soil

what is erosion

Erosion involves the removal and transportation of weathered materials by agents such as water, wind, and ice

what are the 4 factors influencing vegetation?

climate (precipitation, temperature, sunlight, wind), topographic (gradient, aspect, altitude), soil nutrient levels, Biotic (human activity, relationship between plants and animals)

what is a community

several populations interacting with each other

what is an organism and species?

organisms are any form of life

what is a species?

species are types of organism that can reproduce with each other

what is a population (ecosystems)

group of species living in the same habitat

what are the 3 levels of diversity

genetic, species, ecosystem

what are the 3 levels of a food pyramid?

produces, consumers, decomposers

what is a nutrient cycle

Biochemical process that transforms essential elements such as carbon, glucose, and nitrogen into useable forms

what is a symbiotic relationship

relationships that develop between species that may or may not be mutually beneficial

what is nitrogen fixation?

Process in which nitrogen gas is transformed into other compounds so it can be used by other plants

What is biomass?

The total weight of living things in a given area

what is the asthenosphere?

A layer of partially molten material within the upper mantle, allowing lithospheric plates to move.

what are tectonic and gradational forces?

tectonic forces create new landforms through movement of Earth's crust while gradational forces erode and flattens landforms

what is the Mohorovic Discontinuity (Moho)

marks the boundary between the mantle and the lithosphere.

what are convection currents?

Moves the tectonic plates, rising up at mid-ocean ranges and subducting when oceanic plates meet continental plates

what is land cover?

physical and biological features of Earth's surface eg. mountains, trees

What is land use

what the land is being used for

what is a sere?

a new community in succession

what are keystone species

animals that play foundational role in ecosystems

what are reasons for natural land cover change?

climate change, geomorphological processes, ecological succession

what are reasons for human induced land cover change

climate change and population growth

what are the impacts of human changing natural land cover?

higher albedo, loss of biodiversity from habitat fragmentation, pollution from run-off

What are the 11 types of land cover?

tree cover, shrub cover, grasslands, herbaceous freshwater wetlands, mangroves, sparse vegetation, bare ground, snow and glaciers, water bodies, artificial surfaces, cropland

what is ablation?

glacier or ice sheet losing more ice mass than it gains

what is calving

process of chucks of ice breaking away from a glacier to become icebergs

what is peak water?

when run-off of a glacier reaches max. and it begins declining

what is the snowline?

the boundary between accummulation and ablation

what are glacial periods

temps are below overall average and ice sheets move to equator

what are interglacial periods

temps are warmer and icesheets and glaciers retreat

what is defined as an ice age

Earth is in an ice age when there is permanent and extensive ice cover someone on the planet

what are glaciers?

Glaciers are a system of flowing ice that moves under the force of gravity

what are the 4 types of glaciers and some of their characteristics

mountain glaciers and terminates before it reaches the sea, valley glaciers originate in the snowfields of high mountain ranges and terminate on land, Tidewater glaciers are valley glaciers but terminate at sea, ice sheets form in polar regions

what is glacial plucking and abrasion, where is it deposited

when ice freezes around a rock and it gets trapped and moves with it leading to abrasion where rocks are deposited at the glacier's snout and may be carried away by meltwater

explain the impact of dust and soot on glaciers and ice sheets

dust and soot darken surface of glaciers and ice sheets thus lowering albedo and increasing melting

how are the polar ice sheets melting?

increasing sea and air temperatures, mineral dust, soot, and dust decreasing albedo, cyroconite

what are the impacts of glacier retreat? (just the main idea, not substuff)

sea level rise, disruption of ocean currents, long-term decline in water resources, glacier tourism, glacial lake outburst floods, loss of biodiversity, water contamination, melting permafrost

what are the impacts of sea level rise and how does it occur

loss of land ice and warming temperatures leads sea level rise

how do glaciers retreat impact ocean currents?

fresh water from Greenland lowers salinity of water, disrupting global conveyer belt due to lower salinity

how to glacier retreat impact long-term decline in water resources?

1/6 of humans get water from glacial meltwater, change in meltwater impacts food, drinking water, and river flow will become more dependent on rain

how do glacial lake outburst occur and what are the impacts?

terminal moraine allows water out leading to glacial lake being emptied and destroying valley with waves of water mixed with rock and ice, damaging land, infrastructure and ecosystems downstream

how to glacial lakes form

as glaciers retreat, the cirque they once occupied is empty and gets filled with meltwater, forming a glacial lake which is held back by the terminal moraine

how does glacier retreat impact biodiversity?

continued glacier meltwater keeps rivers flowing during summer and drought many temperature-sensitive organism becomes extinct when water rise

how does glacier retreat impact water quality?

Permafrost contaminants that were frozen in ice are being released which reduces water quality downstream

how does glacier retreat impact permafrost?

ice within permafrost is melting and the ground collapses as mass is lost leading to sinkholes as the ice thaws, allowing frozen organic matter to decompose and release CO2 and methane

what is soil made up of?

mix of inorganic miners (clay, sand, silt), air, water, and organic matter

what are the different levels of soil

leaf litter, topsoil, zone of leaching, subsoil, parent material, bedrock

why is topsoil important?

topsoil is most important since its nutrient dense and easily eroded by wind and water

what are trophic levels and describe the 3 types

feeding level of an organism, tertiary (decomposers), secondary (consumers), primary (producers)

what is a service function

The environments provision of balance and stability through the natural systems

what is a source function

the environment's provision of raw materials and natural resources

what is the purpose of a sink function

The environment's ability to absorb, break down, and recycle wastes

what is the purpose of a spiritual function

the cultural, recreational, or psychological value of the environment for people

what are the global commons

resources that no individual or country owns or has legal responsibility for, and are shared between all people

what are the 3 main types of worldviews

Anthropocentric, Stewardship, Ecocentric

What is ecological footprint

area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods consumed and assimilate the wastes generated

what is a settlement

Settlement is any place in which people live

what is economic activity

economic activity is the activity of providing, making, buying, or selling commodities or serves by people to satisfy their needs and wants

What is economic integration

the growing inderdependence of national economies

what is economic restructuring and its impacts

is the significant and enduring changes in the economy's nature and structure brought about by the global economy's emergence

what is culture

the way of life of a group of people or set of shared meaning

what is cultural diffusion, adoption, and adapation

the dispersion, or spread, of different cultural elements between countries

what is cultural adaption

modifying one culture to incorporate aspects of another

what is cultural adoption

accepting and integrating different cultural elements into one's own

impacts of transnational companies (TNCs) on the economy and society (pos/neg)

positive impacts include, job creation, more stable income, economic diversification / negative impacts include work exploitation, profits sent overseas,

what is cultural imperialism and some impacts

the dominance of one culture over another, crowds out local cultures and leads to stereotyping, prejudices, discrimination

what are world cities

cities with major influence or importance in the global economy

what are the drivers of international integration

transport and telecommunication technologies, world trade, TNCs, cultural imperialism, world cities, migration, tourism

what is replacement-level ferility vs ferility rate

no. of babies required to sustain population vs avg. no. of children a women will have in her productive years

factors influencing population change

birth and death rate, fertility rates

factors affecting ferility rates

level of economic and social wellbeing, cost of raising children, religious beliefs and cultural tradition