Ch 7 Climate & Biodiversity

Ultra plankton

...

Name 4 human activities that degrade freshwater systems.

1)Dams & canals restrict the flow of 237 large rivers altering or destroying land & water wildlife habitats along the rivers. 2)Flood levees & dikes built along rivers disconnect the rivers from their floodplains, destroy water habitats & degrade adjoining wetlands. 3)Cities & farms cause cultural eutrophication which depletes the lake's dissolved oxygen leading to death & lower biodiversity. 4)Draining of inland wetlands to grow crops or cover with buildings. More than 50% of the inland wetlands have been drained in the US since the 1600's.

Climate

A general pattern of atmospheric conditions in a given area over 30 to thousands of years.

Estuary

A partially enclosed coastal area at the mouth of a river from which freshwater, carrying fertile silt and pollutant/nutrient runoff from the land mixes with salty seawater. Where a river meets the sea.

Coral bleaching

A result of pollution and rising ocean temperatures where the colorful algae die off. When the algae, a food source for the polyps die, a white skeleton of calcium carbonate remains.

global ocean

A single continuous body of saltwater although geographers divide it into 5 - Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, & Southern.

Biomes

A terrestrial region distinguished by the predominance of certain types of vegetation and other forms of life. Examples: deserts, grasslands, & forests.

Coriolis effect

Air masses moving to the north or south are deflected to the east, because they are also moving easterly (the direction of the earth's rotation) faster than the land below them.

Climate is affected by patterns of global air circulation over surface & ocean currents that distribute heat & precipitation. The following factors affect climate:

Amount of radiation reaching the Earth's surface, Earth's rotation & revolution, uneven heating & properties of air, land & water, global distribution of land and sea, elevation of land masses, & the rain shadow effect.

Delta

An area at the mouth of a river built up by deposited sediment & often contain estuaries & coastal wetlands.

El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

An example of the interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere. This large scale weather phenomenon occurs every few years when prevailing winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean weaken & change direction. The resulting above-average warming of the Pacific waters alters the weather over at least 2/3 of the earth for 1-2 years by leading to 1-2 milder winters in some areas.

Zooplankton

Animal plankton; small floating herbivores that feed on plant plankton. They live in the dimly lit middle zone of the ocean (bathyal zone). Are not photosynthesis producers.

The CNN hero for 2013

Chad Pregracke of East Moline, IL. Why?

Heat islands

Cities are given this name because they have on average more haze & smog, higher temperatures, lower wind speeds than the surrounding countryside. This is because bricks, concrete, asphalt, and other building materials hold heat. Buildings block wind flow. Vehicles & building heating/cool systems release large quantities of heat & pollutants.

Natural Capital Freshwater Ecosystem Services

Climate moderation, nutrient cycling, waste treatment, flood control, groundwater recharge, habitats for many species, genetic resources & biodiversity, scientific info.

Coastal wetlands

Coastal land areas covered with water all or part of the year. Some of earth's most productive ecosystems include marshes and mangroves.

Mangrove forest

Ecosystem, found on some coastlines in warm tropical climates that may contain any of 69 species of trees and shrubs that can live partly submerged in the salty waters of coastal swamps.

The 3 vertical zones in the open sea

Euphotic (brightly upper lit) zone, bathyal (middle dimly lit) zone, & the abyssal zone (deepest, dark & cold).

Coastal zone examples

Examples are: Estuaries & coastal wetlands (90% of all marine species), mangrove forests, coral reefs (only 0.2% of the ocean floor but huge impact).

Free services of the inland wetlands

Filter pollutants & nutrients; habitats for a variety of species maintain biodiversity; sponges for flood waters; sustain streams during dry periods; recharge aquifers; recreation; cranberries.

Natural Capital Freshwater Economic Services

Food, Drinking & irrigation water, hydroelectricity, transportation corridors, recreation, employment.

Natural Capital Marine Economic Services

Food, energy from waves & tides, pharmaceuticals, harbors & transportation routes, recreation & tourism, employment, minerals.

Surface water

Fresh water that flows or is stored in bodies of water on earth's surface. Precipitation that doesn't infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration. It is found in streams, rivers, lakes, & wetlands.

Temperate Deserts

High temp in day with low temp at night. Has more precipitation. Has drought resistant vegetation.

Tropical Deserts (Sahara)

Hot/dry, few plants, hard windblown surface strewn with rocks.

Net primary productivity (NPP) in the open sea

In the open sea, it is very low. Since the open sea contributes to so much of the earth's surface, it's the largest contributor to overall earth's NPP.

Natural Capital Degradation of Marine Ecosystems & Coral Reefs

Increased UV exposure; damage from anchors, fishing, & diving; ocean warming; rising ocean acidity, rising sea levels; soil erosion; algae growth (from fertilizer runoff); bleaching; 1/2 of wetlands and 1/5 mangrove forest lost to ag & urban development; beaches eroding and sea level increasing; ocean bottom degraded by dredging & trawling; 20% of reef severely damaged & 1/4-1/3 of reefs are threatened.

Watersheds (drainage basins)

Land area that delivers run off, sediment, & dissolved substances to a stream, lake, or wetland.

Inland wetlands

Lands located away from coastal areas that are covered with freshwater all or part of the time (excludes lakes, reservoirs, & streams).

Oligotrophic lakes

Large natural bodies of standing fresh water that are deep with steep banks. They have a small supply of plant nutrients. The crystal-clear water is supplied by glaciers and mountain streams. They have small populations of phytoplankton and fish species, such as small mouth bass & trout.

Eutrophic lakes

Large natural bodies of standing fresh water that are shallow and have murky brown/green water. They have a large supply of nutrients. They can develop over time due to decomposition of & sediments of the other type of lake.

Ocean currents

Mass movements of surface and deep oceans water. They help determine the regional climates. These are created from solar heat and differences in water density (mass per unit volume).

What important ecological roles do mountains play?

Mountains are islands of diversity (away from humans). They contain the majority of the world's forest. They are habitats for endemic species (found no where else in the world). They are sanctuaries for species driven from the lowlands. They regulate the Earth's climate (packs melting earlier = low crop production). Mountains play a critical role in water cycle (store ice & snow. Melting releases water for crops/drinking.

Natural Capital Degradation of the Forests

Off-road vehicle damage; clearing for agriculture, livestock, timber, & urban development; tree plantations, pollution of streams in forests.

Natural Capital Degradation of the Grasslands

Off-road vehicles & oil production in the arctic tundra, cropland conversion, burning release CO2, & overgrazing.

Natural Capital Degradation of the Deserts

Off-road vehicles destroy soil & habitat, mineral extraction = pollution, large desert cities mean decreased groundwater

Natural Capital Degradation of Mountains

Off-road vehicles destroy soil. Timber & mineral extraction, hydroelectric dams & reservoirs, air pollution blowing in from urban areas & power plants.

Natural Capital Marine Ecosystem Services

Oxygen supplied through photosynthesis, water purification, climate moderation, carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption, nutrient cycling, reduced storm damage & coastal erosion (mangroves, barrier islands, coastal wetlands), biodiversity: species & habitats.

Net primary productivity (NPP)

Rate at which all the plants in a ecosystem produce net useful chemical energy; it's = to the difference between the rate at which the plants in an ecosystem produce useful chemical energy (gross productivity) and the rate @ which they use some of that energy through cellular respiration.

Aquatic life zones

Saltwater (marine = oceans, bays, estuaries, coastal wetlands, shorelines, coral reefs & mangrove forests) & freshwater portions (lakes rivers, streams, and inland wetlands) of the biosphere that can support life.

Marine snow

Showers of dead & decaying organisms that drift down from upper more lighted levels of the ocean providing food organisms in the abyssal waters.

Phytoplankton

Small organisms that float in aquatic ecosystems that drift in the euphotic (brightly lit upper) zone of the ocean. They carry out 40% of the world's photosynthetic activity.

Plankton

Small organisms that float in aquatic ecosystems. Types: Phytoplankton = plant, zoo = animal, & ultra plankton.

Permafrost

Soil in which water is frozen (frost) that remains for two consecutive years or longer.

Runoff

Surface water that flows into flowing bodies of water (streams & rivers)

Why should we care about coral reefs?

Take up about 0.2% of the ocean floor but have a huge impact: Protect 15% the coastlines from flooding & erosion caused by battering waves & storms. They moderate atm temp by removing CO2. They provide food, habitats for 67% of fish/25% of all marine species, & spawning for 25-33% of ocean organisms. Jobs from tourism, recreation & fishing (10% of the global catch & 25% of the catch for developing countries) of the reefs is a $40,000,000,000 per year business. Chemicals from reefs have been developed into antibiotics for treating cancer.

Weather

Temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover. Weather changes daily and with the seasons.

Hadley cells

The atmosphere is divided 6 huge regions, 3 on either side of the equator.

Another type of temperate forest

The coastal coniferous forests are another type of temperate biome along the coasts of N. America. It grows large conifers like sequoias & redwoods.

Rain shadow effect

The effects of prolonged precipitation on the leeward side of a high mountain range when prevailing winds flow up & over, dropping moisture on the windward side creating semi-arid and arid conditions on the leeward side. This sometimes leads to the formation of deserts like Death Valley (part of the Mojave Desert).

Ocean acidification

The newest growing threat is the rising levels of acidity in ocean waters. Occurring because the oceans absorb 25% of the CO2 (carbon dioxide) emitted from the atmosphere by human activities (like burning of fossil fuels). A form of degradation that could devastate the biodiversity of the coral reefs.

Cultural eutrophication

The process of humans inputting nutrients through the atmosphere & from cities & ag areas within a lake's watershed can accelerate the bottle sediments forming in lakes. It often puts excessive nutrients into lakes.

Edge effect

The tendency for a transition zone between 2 different ecosystems to have greater species diversity & a higher density of organisms than are found in either of the individual ecosystems.

Ecotone

The transition zone between 2 different ecosystems or biomes containing habitats that are common to both ecosystems along with other habitats that are unique to the transition zone.

Open sea

The vast volume of ocean that lies beyond the continental shelf. This is where there is a sharp increase in water depth.

browsing animals

These animals are primarily twig- & leaf-nibbling.

Sea-grass beds

These are a component of coastal marine biodiversity; They are underwater ecosystems in shallow coastal waters that host as many as 60 species of grasses & other plants, located along most continental coastlines.

Oceans

These saltwater (marine) ecosystems account for 71% of the planet. 250,000 species live within the oceans. They are important for climate moderation.

Temperate (Deciduous) Forests

This North American biome grows oak, maple & birch trees. It has warm summers & cold winters. It has lots of precipitation in the form of rain/snow. Lots of nutrients. When logging occurs, regrowth can take 100-200 years.

Temperate Grasslands

This biome has cold winters with hot & dry summers. Its annual precipitation is sparse, falling unevenly through the year. High winds. The grasses die every year causing organic matter in the top soil. Humans like to convert it to farmland. (Iowa & out West).

Cold coniferous or boreal forest

This biome is located just south of the arctic tundra. It is cold & moist. It has a long winter with little light. The summers are warm to cool. The needles from the cone-bearing trees are acidic making the soil nutrient poor.

Tropical Rain Forests

This biome is near the equator. Its hot, moist air dumps moisture year-round in the form of heavy rains. Its warmth & humidity creates biodiversity. The canopy is caused by broadleaf evergreens that block light to the floor of the forest (rot quickly - nutrient poor)

Tropical Grasslands (Savanna)

This biome, in East Africa, has scattered clumps of trees with warm temperatures year round. It has dry & wet seasons.

Cold Grasslands

This fragile biome is called arctic tundra. It is South of the polar ice caps. Like the name implies, it is cold with bitter winds. It has permafrost. It is usually snow covered with little daylight. Treeless. During the 8 weeks of summer when melting occurs, it can't drain; so there are wetlands in the summer. The ground is nutrient poor.

Elevation

This is the height above sea level. Climate and vegetation vary based on this height & latitude (coordinate that specifies the North-South position on the earth's surface).

Zooxanthellae

Tiny single-celled algae that live in the tissues of the polyps (in a mutually beneficial relationship) or the coral reefs.

lianas

Vines (that drape trees) that reach for the treetops to gain access to sunlight. These vines grow from 1 tree to another (providing walkways for many species living up there).

Cold Deserts (Gobi Desert)

Warm during day/cold at night. Low precipitation, & sparse vegetation.

Coastal zones

Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow water that extends from the high tide mark on land to the gentle sloping, shallow edge of the continental shelf (the submerged part of the continents).

Greenhouse gases

Water, Carbon dioxide, Methane (CH4), & Nitrous oxide (N2O). These gases play a role in determining the lower atmosphere's average temperatures & the earth's climates.

Greenhouse effect

is the natural warming of lower atmosphere.

Lakes

large natural bodies of standing freshwater formed when precipitation runoff, streams, rivers, and ground water fill depressions in the Earth's surface.

Examples of inland wetlands

marshes, swamps, prairie potholes (depressions carved out by ancient glaciers) & flood plains.

The reason that Seattle, WA climate is warmer than Iowa's because of the

ocean loop.

Name the 3 zones that streams flow through.

source zone (has headwater streams in the mountains & highlands), transition zone (wider, lower-elevation streams), & the floodplain zone (has rivers that empty into larger rivers or into the ocean).

What are the limiting factors (for types & number of organisms) for aquatic systems?

temperature, sunlight, dissolved oxygen (DO) content, available nutrients (for photosynthesis = C, N, P for Phosphorus) & food.