envi geo ii

What are the theories on how ecosystems change

succession theory

disturbance theory

sucession theory

Changes are from ecological sucession

it is gradual, predictable, and slow

when do you end up with a climax species

sucession theory

back to where you started

disturbance theory

random, unpredicable

events

what is the role of time in modeling ecosysytem change

both theories are correct it just depends on the scale of the time. Short vs long term

biome

ecosystem that can be charactrized based on level of production and productivity

large ecological regions inhabited by certian types of life, especially vegitation, whos disturbance is associated with general climatic types

what are the 2 types of biomes

terrestrial

aquatic

what are the 5 terrestrial biomes

1. forest- sunlight

2. savana- seasonality- water

3. grassland- disturbance

4. tundra- low temp

5. desert- low water

high to low vegitative productivity

resource

anything that has a human use that we get from the living or non living environment

non renewable resource

resource that exists in a fixed amount

process takes years to make more

what are the non renewable resources

coal oil natural gas

, iron, copper, aluminium,

nuclear

what are renewable resources

resources that could theoretically be used forever

replaced rapidly

what are some renewable resources

biomass, wood

based on sustanible yeild

what are perpetual resources

resources that are not exaustable

what are some perpetual resources

wind water geothermal

what is the key to energy use

technologly

fossil fuels

coal oil natural gas

sedimantary rock- time and pressure

advantages to fossil fuels

easily accessible

easy to use- technologly base

high energy content per unit mass

easy to transport

can be converted into other materials for different uses- plastics/ chemicals

disadvantages to fossil fuels

limited amounts

non renewable

very polluting

use them unsustanibly- finite end

total resource base

known resource that we cannot currently extract due to cost(economic vs subeconomic) or due to lack of technology and undiscovered resources

reserves

identified stocks that can be profitibly produced with existing tech at current prices

also called ecomomic resource

reserves are part of what

total energy resource base

what are subeconomic resources

cost too much to extract

coal

mixture of organic coumpounds

carbon, sulfur, nitrogen

advantages of coal

relativley low cost for produced energy

most abundant

easy to extract

disadvantages to coal

pollution- carbon, slufur, nitrogen gases- acid precipitation

mining- surface/underground- acid mine drainage, environmental destruction, coal fires, methane release

human health impacts

Human effects of mining

Black lung- breathing in coal dust

mine collapses

explosions

primary oil extraction

fluid and flows easily

secondary oil extraction

use water under pressure to dilute leftover to be pumped out

tertiary oil extraction

pump in steam or co2 with high pressure

types of natural gas

propane, butane, methane

what is liquid petroleum gas- LPG

liquified propane and butane

very safe

what is liquified methane- LNG

liquified natural gas

very explosive

What is methane used for

home heating

what are advantages to natural gas

burns hotter, less air pollution

relatively cheap infrastructure

disadvantages of natural gas

least abundant

dangerous at wrong temp

dangerous as a liquid

Nuclear power

Controlled splitting of atomic nucleus of uranium by bombarding it with neutrons

how many barrels of oil is 1 gram of uranium equivalent to

14 barrels

what are some types of renewable resources

biomass

wood, crop residue, manure, ethanol

what is biomass indirectly

powered by the sun from waste plant material

wood as biomass

largley used in LDC

good if used sustanibily

Often not replanted as fast as cut

cheap

have to go further to get wood

harmful pollutants released when wood burned

deforestation and loss of biodiversity

Crop residue as biomass

LDC

use to heat/cook. use crop for food then unedible part dry and burn

nutrients not retuning to the soil

low net energy- a lot to produce a small amount

makes a lower crop yield happen in subsequent years

manure as biomass

dry and burn

releases methane that can be burned for energy

doesnt contribute to the nutrient cycle

ethanol as biofuel

grains, sugar beets, sugar cain

burns hotter/cleaner than oil

mixed with normal oil- lowers pollutants

ethics of growing for food vs fuel

hydroelectric power as a perpetual source of energy

moving water being used to create energy

5th of the worlds energy

adapt at many differnt scales

hydroelectric is indirect…

solar power

hydrocycle moved by solar

advantages of hydroelectric power

different scales- big or small

no air pollution

little maitancince after construction

what are the disadvantages for hydroelectric

impact on stream ecosystem- change temp, o2 concentration, flow rate, sediment build up

large ones are expensive and hard to build

faliure/ retire dams

decrased loss off value of land

wind as perpetual source of energy

air wants to move from high pressure to low pressure- cold to warm

negitives of wind

light

noise

bird strikes

maitancice

life span/ recycling issues

road to access

agriculture space removed

advantages of wind

unlimited in certian locatiaions

moderate net energy

no co2 pollution

multi purpose location- still graze animals

alternate wind energy

kite energy

solar as perperpetual energy production

passive vs active

passive solar

orienting house to face the sun

planning design/materials to absorb energy in the day and release it at night

ceremic, concrete, dark, collecting walls

active solar

collector PV pannels- creates current— converts to enegy

can connect to grid, doesnt have too

disadvantages to solar

not good way to store in batteries

pollutants in production

life span/ recycling

Molten salt solar

or mirrors reflect

high heat capacity- boil water- create heat- move turbines

geothermal as perpetual

tappering energy from the earths asthenosphere

iceland

heat radiating in soail- water

hot water/fluid in tubes- transport

underground always constant temp around 6 ft down- lock into that

tidal energy

underwater turbines

specific locations

storing issues

animal/biodiversity harm

what are the major atmospheric gasses

excluding water vapor

nitrogen, oxygen

argon, co2, methane, ozone

what are the 2 main functions of the atmosphere

1. regulator of heat loss'

2. regulator of radiation

what is the relationship between pressure and temp in the atmosphere

pressure decreses exponentially as altitude increases

temp rises with altitude in some layers and decreases in other

what is the main purpose of the troposphere

traps heat

where weather happens- holds water vapor

95 of earths mass

what is the main purpose of the stratosphere

zone of light, stable air, little weather

ozone layer- reduces radiation

charactristics of the troposphere

lowest

ground to -60 degrees celcius

air movment- turbulent- weather- distributeds pollutants

cools as it increases

what is ambient atmospheric lapse rate

air cools constantly with increase in altitude

-3.5f per 1000 ft or -6.4 c per 1000meters

what are the different pauses

significant change in temp trend

tropopause, stratopause, mesopause

define the devision of the atmospheric zones

characteristics of the stratosphere

tropopause to about 30 miles up

stable air temp— then reverse trend with altitude, followed by stable

increases air temp due to ozone

thin air

planes- less pressure, above storms

mesosphere

constant temp then a decrease with altitude

thermosphere

stable temp then reverse temp until space

how much energy from the sun makes it to the surface

less than half

-depends on wavelengh

depends on nature of gasses it passes through in the stratosphere adn troposphere

how are humans influencing how much sun reaches the surface

human changes the amount of gasses in the troposphere

what is electromagnetic energy

from the sun

constant amount of solar energy hitting the earth- generally constant- varries bc of sunspots/shifts

how does lenght of wave effect

long to short

radio- micro- infared- visiblw- uv- xray- gamma

what is 91% of the toatal energy hitting part of

visible/ long wave

short lenghts

damanging

blocked by gasses in atmosphere

what happens to the waves that make it to the earth

absorbed as heat and is stored and released

44% hits earths surface

what happens to most of the short wavelenghts

most is converted into energy in the atmposphere by gasses in the stratosphere

what gases interpheres in the stratosphere

ozone

interpheres and shoots back to space and is retured in a longer wavelengh- infared/heat

what does it mean if there is 03 depletion

more heat trapped in the atmosphere

what happens to visible/long wavelenghs

some is absorbed and converted into heat by gasses and particles in the troposphere

some is reflected and scattered back to space

56% of solar radiation…

never actaully hits the earth

how is used by photosynthesis

0.08%

wind and ocean circulation is driven by

solar radiation

100% solar radiation in…

100% out

some out as heat

what percent hits the earth

44%

what percent of the radiation that hits the earth hits directly

23%

creates shadows, warms earth

albedo

2% reflected directly back into space

indirect diffuse

21%

fills in the shadows

heat balance

inclomga nd outcoming radiation balanced

mained fairtly even temp

around 60 f or 15 c

atmosphere as a heat regulator

green house effect

heat trapping gasses interphere with outgoing infrared

humans add more heat trapping gasses which

raises total temp

less is able to escape