Apes Study Guide

Divergent Boundries, Identify where they most commonly occur and what landforms they create, Describe what causes the plates to move apart

-Divergent Boundries is a plate boundry where two plates move away from each other causing earthquakes and rifts. -Found along midocean ridges. -Created by magma pushing up from the mantle magma rises beneath the continent, causing it to become thinner, break, and ultimately split apart.

Identify the two types of weathering describe how they contribute to soil formation

-The two types are mechanical and chemical weathering -It contributes to soil formation as weathering breaks down and loosens the surface minerals of rock. Hence, the broken rocks are transported to another place where it decomposes and forms soil.

Transform Boundry, Explain how they form earthquakes

-Where two plates slide past eachother causing faults and earthquakes. -as the plates rub against each other, huge stresses can cause portions of the rock to break, resulting in earthquakes

What is the ring of fire? Explain why it occurs

-path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes -was formed as oceanic plates slid under continental plates -caused by the amount of movement of tectonic plates in the area.

Identify 4 ecoysystem services that intact soil provides and describe how soil filtes groundwater

-soil provides habitats for many organisms -allows for the cycling of nutrients through terrestrial ecosystems -provides a substrate for plant growth -filters water as rainwater passes through it Soil filters ground water as water percolates through soil, the small particles filter the water and reduce waste/pollutants as it makes its way to an aquifer

Define Convergent Boundry, Explain How they form?

A convergent boundary occurs when two plates collide -When two continental plates collide they push up and form mountains -When a continental plate and an oceanic plate collide the oceanic plate subduct beneath forms a trench. causes volcanoes, and earthquakes (Andes Mountains) -When two oceanic plates collide the less dense one subducts and deep trenches as well as volcanic arcs are generated

Describe how particle size relates to the porosity of soil

A large number of small particles in a volume of soil produces a large number of soil pores. Fewer large particles can occupy the same volume of soil so there are fewer pores and less porosity.

describe the charcteristics of watershed

Characteristics of a watershed an area of land that forms the drainage system for a stream or river collects surface water from land within specific topographic boundaries supply our drinking water, water for agriculture and manufacturing, offer opportunities for recreation

Describe how the coriolis effect determines global wind problems

Coriolis Effect deflects the direction of the wind to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

El Nino affect on Fisheries on the west coast of South America

During El Niño, there is a suppressed upwelling of nutrients of the coast of Peru, which means less producers have nutrients, and there are less consumers to eat the nutrients. This reduces the fish populations off the coast of South America, limiting the number of fish fisheries can take and sell, limiting their business.

Explain how a map of ate boundries can be used to predict the location of volcanoes, earthquakes, and volcano arcs

Earthquakes, volcanoes, and volcano arcs all form along the movement of tectonic plates so knowing where they are as well as the ring of fire gives an accurate prediction of where earthquakes may occur

identify the relationship between latitude and intensity of solar radiation

Generally, the higher the latitude, the greater the range (difference between maximum and minimum) in solar radiation received over the year and the greater the difference from season to season.

Describe the basic steps of a hadley/ferrel/polar cell

Hadley Cell a pattern of atmospheric circulation which warm air rises near the equator cools as it travels poleward at high altitude, sinks as cold air warms as it travels equatorward Ferrel Cell the air flows poleward and eastward near the surface equatorward and westward at higher levels plays a major part in the poleward energy (mainly heat) transport Polar Cell air in these cells sinks over the highest latitudes and flows out towards the lower latitudes at the surface smallest and weakest cells

Human activites that impact a watershed and describe the potential impact of these activities

Human activities that can impact a watershed: watercraft in the lake releasing chemicals into the water or the heavy public use of the water causing an increase in trash polluting the waters If urban planners are not considerate of watersheds there can be greater frequency and severity of flooding, channel erosion, and destruction of aquatic habitat

Define insolation

Incoming solar radiation falling upon the Earth's atmosphere.

Explain why deserts form predictably at 30 degrees N/S latuide

Most of the world's deserts are located near 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude, where the heated equatorial air begins to descend. The descending air is dense and begins to warm again, evaporating large amounts of water from the land surface. The resulting climate is very dry.

Describe how mountains can influence the microclimate of a given region.

Mountains and plateaus are exposed to the cooler temperatures of higher altitudes. The orientation of mountains to the sun creates distinct microclimates in areas such as the Alps, where entire villages remain in the shade for most of the winter season

List the relative % of gas that makes up the earth atmosphere

Nitrogen ~ 78%, Argon ~ 0.93%, CO2 ~ 0.04%, Oxygen ~ 21%, Water Vapor ~ 0-4%

Describe each of the four soil horizons, identify why organic matter is important for soil?

O Horizon- the uppermost horizon of soil. It contains organic material or humus. It consists of loose decaying organic material, insects, and microorganisms. A Horizon- Top Soil layer consists of mineral matter mixed with some organic matter. Important to plant growth, it is where seeds germinate and plant roots grow. Dark colored layer. E Horizon- Eluviated layer, Made of sand and silt. Light in color (brown). Has lost most of its minerals (like iron and aluminum oxide) and clay as water drips through the soil. (leached layer) B Horizon- Subsoil, Contains clay particles washed down from the A horizon. The lower limit of most plant roots and burrowing animals. (reddish brown) C Horizon- Contains partially weathered rock. Plant roots do not penetrate this layer. (Lightbrown, yellowish) R Horizon- Contains unweathered bedrock. It is beneath all the other layers of soil. Four main O,AB,C Why is organic matter important in soil? improves the soil's capacity to store and supply essential nutrients

Explain the steps that lead to an El Nino event.

Occurs in the pacific ocean near Asia, however, when trade winds become weak there is less upwelling that normally keeps the east side of the ocean cool. These weakened trade winds cause the entire ocean to warm and causes the Southern United States to be wetter and the northern United States/Canada to be warmer. Can cause warming of the atmosphere. Peaks during winter.

Explain the steps that lead to a La Nina event.

Occurs in the pacific ocean near Asia, it is the strengthing of trade winds that cause upwhelling to be stronger and push the eastern cold water to the west. La Niña causes the jet stream to move northward and to weaken over the eastern Pacific. During La Niña winters, the South sees warmer and drier conditions than usual. The North and Canada tend to be wetter and colder. This means that places like Indonesia and Australia can get much more rain than usual. However, the cold water in the eastern Pacific causes less rain clouds to form there. So, places like the southwestern United States can be much drier than usual.

Describe how ocean temperature can influence the climate in a given region.

Ocean currents act as conveyor belts of warm and cold water, sending heat toward the polar regions and helping tropical areas cool off, thus influencing both weather and climate.

El Nino affect on Weather patterns on the west coast of South America

Peru and Chile become warm and wet. → flooding, landslides

rain shadow effect

Precipitation falls on the windward side of a mountain range, resulting in lush vegetation & a warm, moist climate on one side, but a desert area on the leeward side.

Describe how soil texture relates to water holding capacity

Soils with smaller particles (silt and clay) have a larger surface area than those with larger sand particles, and a large surface area allows a soil to hold more water.

Identify the location on earth where sunlight is most direct

The equator

Describe each of the 5 layers of the atmosphere

Troposphere contains 75% of the atmosphere's total mass layer closest to the Earth's surface greenhouse gases to maintain the temperature on Earth Weather takes place an pollution Stratosphere second layer of the atmosphere as you go upward ozone layer protecting living things from too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun Mesosphere temperature decreases with height throughout the mesosphere. the gases are all mixed up rather than being layered by their mass coldest because there are few gas molecules in the mesosphere to absorb the Sun's radiation Thermosphere absorbs the sun's radiation, making it very hot protects it from some of the sun's most harmful radiation temperature changes with solar activity Exosphere very edge of our atmosphere very few molecules in this layer lightest atmospheric gases such as hydrogen and helium exist shields the Earth from meteors, asteroids, and cosmic rays

Explain why urban planners must consider the watershed and its boundries when designing structures near rivers and streams

Watersheds are important because the surface water features and stormwater runoff within a watershed ultimately drain to other bodies of water. It is essential to consider these downstream impacts when developing and implementing water quality protection and restoration actions. Everything upstream ends up downstream.

Explain how the earth's tilt determines the seasons and the number of daylight hours at any given location on earth's surface

When the location is angled towards the sun, it gets longer days and higher temperatures. When angled away, days are shorter and cooler

Explain how the earths rotation around the sun determines the intensity of solar radiation received at any given point on earths surface

When the sun's rays are vertical, the Earth's surface gets all the energy possible. ... The 23.5° tilt in the Earth's axis of rotation is a more significant factor in determining the amount of sunlight striking the Earth at a particular location.

Describe how the angle of the suns rays striking earths surface determines the intensity of soil radiation

When the sun's rays strike Earth's surface near the equator, the incoming solar radiation is more direct (nearly perpendicular or closer to a 90˚ angle). ... At higher latitudes, the angle of solar radiation is smaller, causing energy to be spread over a larger area of the surface and cooler temperatures.

Identify the direction the wind blows between 0-30, 30-60, 60-90

Wind Direction 0 to 30 degrees: east to west 30 to 60 degrees: west to the east 60 to 90 degrees: east to west

Identify the three soil particles from largest to smallest

silt/clay particles are from 0.002 to 0.05 mm in diameter sand ranges from 0.05 to 2.0 mm particles larger than 2.0 mm are called gravel or stones.

Identify two chemical measures of soil quality and describe how those chemical measures relate to plant growth

soil pH extreme pH levels affect the availability of nutrients phosphorus-phosphates harvests the sun's energy and converts it into growth and reproduction.

Why does so much precipitation occur near the equator?

solar heating is intense year-round, the Sun heats the ocean, evaporating tremendous amounts of water

Describe the temperature gradient of earths atmosphere

temperature increases as you gain altitude in the stratosphere and the thermosphere. temperature decreases as you gain altitude in the troposphere and mesosphere

Define parent material

the geologic material from which soil horizons form.

Explain how a soils water holding capacity relates to plant growth

the water retained in the soil can compensate for a lack of precipitation in dry years