AP Environmental Chapter 5/6 Review Questions

Difference between a warm front and a cold front

- A warm front is the boundary between advancing warm air mass and the cooler one it is replacing - while a cold front is the leading edge of an advancing massive cold air wedges beneath a mass of less dense warm air. - To remember this just remember Cold air sinks so cold front is cold air going beneath the warm air

uneven solar heating and the effects on earth's climate

- Air is heated much more at the equator where the sun rays strike directly then at the poles where sunlight strikes at an angle and spreads out over a much greater area - this explains why tropical regions are hot and polar regions are cold and temperate regions generally alternate between warm and cold temperatures

Five human activities that pose major threats to Marine systems and 8 human activities that threaten coral reefs

- Coastal development, run off of pollutants, overfishing, destruction of ocean bottom habitats, invasive species that deplete populations of native species - Ocean warming, rising ocean acidity, rising sea levels, Soil erosion, algae growth for fertilizer runoff, bleaching, increased UV exposure, damage from anchors and from fishing and diving

Convection and convection cell

- Convection is the movement of matter such as gas, it's caused when the warmer and less dense air rises while the cooler denser sinks due to gravity - Convection cell is when convection occurs when the sun warms the air and causes some of it to rise well cooler air sinks in a cyclical pattern

how humans affect deserts grasslands forests and mountains

- Deserts have been damaged by destruction of soil in underground habitat by off-road vehicles, depletion of ground water and land disturbance in pollution from mineral extraction. - Grasslands have been damaged by overgrazing of livestock, oil production and off-road vehicles in arctic tundra, conversion to crop land and release of CO2 to atmosphere from burning grassland - Forest have been damaged by clearing for agriculture or urban development, conversion of diverse forest to tree plantations - Mountains have been damaged because of agriculture, timber and mineral extraction, hydroelectric dams and reservoirs, air pollutants blowing - mountains have been damaged because of agriculture, timber and mineral extraction, hydroelectric dams and reservoirs, air pollutants blowing from urban areas and power plants

El Niño and La Niña and their effects

- El Niño: Normal trade winds blowing east to west cause shore upwellings of cold nutrient rich bottom water in the tropical Pacific ocean near Peru - la Niña: the reversible Nino cools some coastal surface waters which leads to colder winters in Canada and the US.

open sea and 3 major zones

- Euphotic zone is the brightly lit up zone we're drifting phytoplankton carry out about 40% of the worlds photosynthetic activity and have large fast swimming predators such as shark - Bathyal zone The dimly lit middle zone that receives a little sunlight and therefore does not contain photosynthesizing producers, zooplankton and small fish are found feeding in these waters - abyssal zone is dark and cold with no sunlight of supports photosynthesis and water has a little dissolved oxygen but it contains enough nutrients to support a large number of species

difference between high and low pressure

- High-pressure contains cold dense air that dissent slowly towards the earths surface and becomes warmer. Due to the warming water molecules in the air do not form droplets - Low pressure contains low density warm air at its center and it rises, expands, and cools. When its temperature drops below a certain level, moisture in the air condenses and forms clouds where water droplets form

biome and why there are 3 types and why they aren't uniform

- Large terrestrial regions each characterized by a certain type of climate and dominant forms of plant life. - The variety of biomes and aquatic systems is one of the four components of the earths biodiversity, a vital part of the earths natural capital. - biomes are not uniform,they consist of variety of areas each with somewhat different biological communities but with similarities typical of the biome - these areas occur because of the irregular distribution of the resources needed by plants and animals and because human activities have removed or altered the natural vegetation in many areas. there are also differences in vegetation along the transition zone or Ecotone between two biomes or ecosystems

lakes and their 4 life zones and what is found in each

- Littoral zone which is the top layer and near the shore and consist of shallow sunlight waters to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing - limnetic zone Which is the open sunlight surface layer away from the shore that extends to the depth penetrated by sunlight - Profundal zone is the volume of deeper water lying between the limnetic zone and the lake bottom, it is too dark for photosynthesis and oxygen levels are low - benthic zone which is in habited by mostly decomposers, Detritus feeders and some bottom feeding species of fish such as catfish

plankton and 3 examples

- Phytoplankton: includes many types of algae - ultra plankton: producers that make up the base of most aquatic food chains and webs, through photosynthesis produce half of the earths oxygen - zooplankton: feed on phytoplankton and other zooplankton which range in size from single cell to large invertebrae like a jellyfish

how the tilt of the earths axis results in seasonal changes affecting climates

- Regions north and south of the equator are tipped toward or away from the sun at different times as the earth makes its annual revolution around the sun - so most areas of the world experience widely varying amounts of solar energy which causes different seasons throughout the year

rocky vs sandy shores and types of organisms found in each

- Rocky shores are pounded by waves and numerous pools and other habitats have a great variety of species and they all occupy a different niche and changes in environmental conditions seasonally - Sandy shores support other types of marine organisms. most of them keep hidden from view and survive by burrowing, digging and tunneling in the sand and they have a evolved and specialized in niches to feed on insects and other organisms

saltwater vs freshwater zone

- Saltwater zones are known as oceans, bays, estuaries, coastal wetlands, shorelines, coral reefs and mangrove forests -freshwater zones are known as lakes, rivers, streams and inland wetlands but estuaries are a mix of salt water and freshwater

tropical cyclones formation

- Spawned by the formation of low pressure cells of air over warm tropical seas. - Areas of low pressure over these warm ocean waters draw in air from surrounding high-pressure areas and the earths rotation makes these winds spiral counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

latitude and how latitudes are designated

- The location between the equator and one of the poles - they are designated by degrees north or south and the equator is at 0° and the poles are at 90° north and 90° south and the areas between range from 0 to 90°

how ocean currents affect climate

- They help redistribute heat from the sun thereby influencing climate and vegetation especially near coastal areas. - This solar heat along with differences and water density create warm and cold ocean currents that are driven by prevailing winds, earths rotation and continental coastlines

Difference between hurricanes and typhoons and how these form

- Those forming in the Atlantic ocean are called hurricanes - those forming in the Pacific ocean are called typhoons - both take a while to form and gain strength so this allows meteorologist to track their paths and wind speeds

3 major types of deserts differing in climate and vegetation

- Tropical deserts: Hot and dry most of the year. Have a few plants and hard windblown surface strewn with rocks and sand - temperate deserts: daytime temps are high in summer and low in the winter and more precipitation than in tropical desert. The sparse vegetation consist mostly of resistant shrubs or cacti that are adapted to dry conditions and temperature variations - cold deserts: vegetation is sparse, winters are cold, summers are warm or hot and precipitation is low

3 major types of forests differing in climate and vegetation

- Tropical rainforest: near the equator, hot, moisture air rises and dumps it's moisture, lush forest have a year-round warm temperatures, high humidity and almost daily heavy rainfall which is ideal for a wide variety of plants and animals. - temperate forest: Ocean moderates the temperature so winters are mild and summers are cool, the trees in these moist forest depend on frequent rains and moisture from summer fogs, most of the trees are evergreen because of the abundance of water so they don't shed their leaves and their trunks are frequently covered with mosses and ferns in this cold and moist environment - Cold forests: Winters are long and extremely cold with winter sunlight available only 6 to 8 hours per day, summers are shorts with cold warm temperatures in the sunshine's as long as 19 hours a day during mid summer. Plant diversity is low because few species can survive the winters when soil moisture is frozen

the difference between weather and climate

- Weather is the set of physical conditions in the lower atmosphere including temp, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover in a given area over period of hours or days - climate is the general pattern of atmospheric conditions in a given area over a period Ranging from at least three decades to thousands of years

the African savanna and why it serves as an example of how differences in climate lead to the formation of different types of ecosystems

- type of grassland that contains scattered trees and warm temperatures year-round with alternating dry and wet seasons - Differences in climate result from long-term differences in weather based on average annual precipitation and temperature - these differences lead to three major climate areas known as tropical, polar, and temperate

what percentage of earth is covered with water

73%

why most soils in tropical rain forests hold few plant nutrients

About 90% of the nutrients released by this rapid decomposition are quickly taken up and stored by trees, vines, or other plants

how the rotation of the earth on its axis affects climate

As the earth rotates to the east, the equator spins faster than the regions to its north and south. This means the air masses moving to the north or south from the equator are deflected to the east because they are also moving east faster than the land below them

how combos of annual precipitation and temp averaged over several decades w/ global circulation patterns and ocean currents form deserts, grasslands and forests

Average precipitation and average temperature acting together as a limiting factors over a long time, help to determine the type of desert, grassland, or forest in any particular area, and the type of plants animals and decomposers found in that area

why cities have more haze and smog, higher temps and lower wind speed than countryside

Bricks, concrete, asphalt and other building materials absorb and hold heat and buildings block wind. Motor vehicles and the heating and cooling systems of buildings release large quantities of heat and pollutants which as a result cities tend to have more haze and smog, higher temperatures and lower wind speeds than their surrounding countryside

upwelling and how it affects ocean life

Bring cool and nutrient rich water from the bottom of the ocean , It supports a large populations of phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish. Strong upwellings occur along the steep western coast of continents and push surface water away from the land

2 biggest threats to marine systems

Climate change in ocean acidification

coral bleaching and threats to coral reefs

Coral reefs form in clear, warm coastal waters and tropical areas and they are vulnerable to damage because they grow slowly and are disrupted easily. Runoff of soil and other chemicals from the lands can cloud the water and block sunlight that the algae and shallow reefs need for photosynthesis. One of the results such as pollution and rising ocean water temperatures is coral bleaching, which can cause the colorful allergy, upon which corals depend on for food, to die off.

how Savana animals survive seasonal variations in rainfall and how elephants are important component of African savanna

Elephants are a keystone species in the African savanna,they keep the Savannah from being overgrown by these woody plants and prevents grasses which form the foundation of the food web from dying out bc most of the animals there are grass eaters so they would die out if this happened. They also dig for water during the drought. And create water holes for other animals - basically without the elephants the Savannah food webs would collapse and the savanna would become shrubland but they are vulnerable to extinction because of the illegal killing of elephants for their valuable Ivory.

estuary vs coastal wetland and why they have high NPP

Estuary is an aquatic zone where river meets the sea wild coastal wetlands are coastal land areas covered with water all or part of the year. They have high NPP because they have ample sunlight penetrating through the shallow waters so they can photosynthesize very easily , Additionally they have plant nutrients that flow from the land

major 3 life zones in the ocean

Euphotic, Bathyal, and Abyssal

what economic and major ecosystem services do freshwater systems provide

Filtering degrading toxic waste and pollutants, reducing flooding, assisting stream flows during dry periods, recharging groundwater aquifers, maintaining bio diversity, supplying valuable product such as fish, providing recreation for birdwatchers, photographers or boaters

How tornadoes form and their effects

Funnel shaped cloud that form over land and they occur when cool downdraft and warm a draft of air meet and interact. The large warm front moves rapidly over the denser cold air mass and it rises and forms vertical convection currents that suck air upward and causes a spinning, vertically rising air mass. They cause mass destruction wherever they touch ground

greenhouse gases and examples

H2O, CO2, methane and nitrous oxide absorb some of the solar energy and release a portion of it as infrared radiation that warms the lower atmosphere and the earths surface which plays a role in determining the lower atmosphere's average temperatures and the earths climate. - The earth surface absorbs much of the solar energy and transforms it into a longer wavelength infrared radiation which then rises into the lower atmosphere. Some heat escapes into space but most is absorbed by the molecules of greenhouse gases which is known as the greenhouse effect

why many of the worlds temperate grasslands have disappeared

Have been converted to farmland, because their fertile soil's are useful for growing crops and grazing cattle

why biodiversity is so high in tropical rainforests

In just a single tree there are a variety of several thousand different insect species, at least 50% of the known terrestrial plants and animal species are in rainforest this is due to the climate that most animals are capable of surviving in

Insolation and how it's related to latitude

Insulation is the input of solar energy in a given area and it varies with latitude

3 major types of grassland differing in climate and vegetation

Interiors of continents in areas that are too moist for desert to form and to dry for forests to grow - savana: contains widely scattered clumps of trees and usually warm temperatures year-round with alternating dry and wet seasons. Herds of grazing and browsing animals migrate to the Savana to find water and food in response to seasonal and year to year variations in rainfall - Temperate: winters can be bitterly cold and summers are hot and dry and annual precipitation is sparse and falls on evenly throughout the year. Organic matter accumulates to produce deep fertile topsoil so that the grass is adapted to droughts and fires that Burns plant parts above ground do not harm the roots. (Short and tall grass prairies are subcategories) - Cold grasslands or arctic tundra: lies south of the arctic polar ice cap and treeless plains are bitterly cold with frigid winds and covered in ice and snow. Winters are long with a few hours of daylight and scant precipitation which falls as snow

why open sea have low NPP and how scientists learned of high biodiversity in oceans

It's low except in the upwellings areas, however because the open sea cover so much of the earth surface and makes the largest contribution to the earths overall NPP and the open sea contains more biodiversity than we thought a few years ago, scientist discovered this because they did a census where they sailed around the world and stopped every 320 km to pump seawater through extremely fine filters and gather data on bacteria viruses and microbes

examples of inland wetlands and their importance

Marshes, swamps, prairie potholes, flood planes, they are important because they are filtering and degrading toxic waste and reducing flooding and sustaining stream flows and recharging ground water aquafiers

nekton benthos and decomposers and examples

Nekton: fish turtles and whales , Strongly swimming consumers Benthos: Bottom dwellers such as oysters and sea stars Decomposers: mostly bacteria would break down organic compounds in the dead bodies and waste of aquatic organisms

Prevailing winds formation and how they affect climate

North east tradewinds and south east tradewinds that are major surface winds that blow almost continuously. Warm air cools as it flows north east or south east of the equator and it becomes dense and sinks to the equator and the coriolis effect makes it curl in a westerly direction

aquatic life zone

Salt water and freshwater portions of the biosphere that can support life

what are coastal coniferous or temperate rain forests

Scattered coastal temperate areas with ample rainfall and moisture From dense ocean fogs. They keep their leaves year round and have wax coated leaves that withstand the intense cold and drought of winter

why temperate deciduous forests typically have a thick layer of decaying litter

Temperate forest have a slower rate of decomposition because they have cooler temperatures and fewer decomposers than tropical forest have so they accumulate a thick layer of slowly decaying leaf litter

chaparral and the risks

Temperate shrubland. Because it is close to the sea it has a slightly longer winter rainy season than the bordering desert highs and experiences fogs during the spring and fall seasons. The soil is thin and not fertile so fires start by lightning or human activity spread swiftly because vegetation dries out. They are usually followed by flooding during winter rainy seasons causing mudslides

4 factors that determine the types and numbers of organisms found in the 3 layers of aquatic life zones

Temperature, dissolved oxygen content, availability of food and availability of light and nutrients required for photosynthesis

salinity and how it's measured

The amount of various salts such as sodium chloride dissolves in a given volume of water

turbidity and how it occurs and a harmful impact

The depth of the euphotuc zone in oceans and deep lakes is reduced when the water is clouded by excessive growth of algae known as turbidity this can be one of the problems plaguing shallow coral reefs and it is impacting the environment negatively because they can no longer photosynthesize without sunlight

how desert plants and animals survive

They beat the heat and every drop of water counts. They have Wax coated leaves that reduce water loss or they become dormant during peak periods of extreme heat or some don't even sweat to prevent water loss

desert ecosystems and their vulnerability to long term damage

They have slow plant growth, low species diversity, slow nutrient cycling, low bacterial activity in their soil's and very little water so it can take decades to centuries for their soil's to recover from disturbances such as off-road vehicle traffic which can destroy the habitats for a variety of animal species that live underground. The lack of vegetation makes them vulnerable to heavy wind erosion from sand storms

major ecosystem and economic services provided by marine systems

They produce more than half of the oxygen we breathe and, as a vital part of the water cycle, provide most of the rain that sustains our water supply. In addition we get food, energy from waves and tides and pharmaceuticals also, water purification, reduce storm damage from mangroves and barrier Island etc.

arctic tundra and permafrost

Underground soil in which captured water stays frozen for more than two consecutive years and it keeps melted snow and ice from draining into the ground.

coastal zone

Warm, nutrient rich, Shallowater that extends from the high tide mark on land to the gently sloping shallow edge of the continental shelf

Rainshadow effect and how it leads to the formation of deserts

When drier air mass passes over the mountain tops, it flows down the Leeward slopes which is facing away from the wind and warms up. This warmer air can hold more moisture but it typically does not release much of it. This tends to dry all plants and soil below, sometimes this leads to the formation of deserts over many decades