Environmental science chap 7

Eutrophic lakes

A lake with a large supply of nutrients, such lakes usually are shallow and contain and have murky brown or green water.

weather

A set of physical condition of lower atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, and other factors in a given period of hours or days. The most Important factor in weather of any area are atmospheric temperature and precipitation.

Delta

At its mouth a river may divide into small channels and flow through this.

Coastal Wetland

Coastal land areas covered with water all or part of the year

Greenhouse gas

Gases in the atmosphere, including water vapor, carbon dioxide,Methane, and nitrous oxide that absorb some of the solar energy and release a portion of it as heat that lower atmosphere. The gases play a role in determining the lower atmosphere's average temperatures and thus the earths climate.

Cultural eutrophication-lake

Humans adding excessive nutrients to the lake

Oligotrophic lakes

Lakes that have small supply of plant nutrient

ocean currents

Mass movements of surface and deep ocean water. These currents help to determine the regions climate.

Runoff

Surface water that flows into the bodies of water.

Aquatic life Zone

The aquatic equivalents of biomes

Climate

The general pattern of atmospheric Condition in a given area over periods ranging from at least three decades to thousands of years.

watershed drainage basin

The land Area that delivers runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream, lake, or wetland.

Greenhouse Effect

The natural warming of the lower atmosphere. without this natural warming effect, the earth would be a very cold and mostly lifeless planet.

Rain shadow effect

The process where the warmer air from the mountain top hold moister but does not release much of the moister and instead tend to dry out plants and soil below

Edge effect

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

Permafrost

This is an outcome of the extreme cold. an Underground soil in which captured soil in which captured water stay frozen for more than two consecutive years.

Coral Reefs

formed by massive colonies of tiny animals called polyps, they slowly build reefs by secreting a protective crust of limestone around their soft bodies. a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral

Freshwater Zone

lake,rivers, streams, and inland wet lands.

Inland wetlands

lands located away from coastal areas that are covered with fresh water all or part of the time. e.g swamps

Biome

large territorial regions, each characterized by a particular type of climate and a certain combination of dominant plant life.

Saltwater/Marine life zone

oceans and their bays,coastal wetlands, coral reefs, and mangrove forest.

Surface water

precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate.

Ocean acidification

the rising level of acidity in ocean waters. this is occurring because the oceans obsorb 25% of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by human activity.

Estuary

where a river meets the sea