Physical environment

Question 1

air cycles globe

Answer 1

warm air rises at equator -> then to pole -> cool down -> surface -> at surface back to equator

Question 2

currents & gyres

Answer 2

current: patterns of water movement
- affected by global wind patterns
- warm water to pole -> cools down gets back (golfstream)
gyres: dominate water movements in oceans
- clockwise in north
- counterclockwise in south

Question 3

percipitation distribution
where biggest?
north south?

Answer 3

latitudinal pattern
highest where trade winds come together (intertropical zone):
equator
then around 50deg
southern hemisphere more rain -> more ocean area

Question 4

maritime influence on climate

Answer 4

locations close to large water bodies (big lakes, oceans) have more stable climate
large water bodies store thermal energy

Question 5

mountain influence on climate

Answer 5

altitude (up) -> temp (down)
mountainridge creates rainshadow on leeward side (arid) when between water and land
luvwards is moist
wolken regnen sich an den bergen aus

Question 6

microclimate influences

Answer 6

can affected by local soil, temperature, wind, moisture,….

can be warmer further up the mountain when grassland above forest

Question 7

water cycle changes

Answer 7

if big stream breaks (golfstreams) -> global changes…

much cold water gets in stream

Question 8

water properties

Answer 8

-bipolar
-hydrogen bonding possible
-ice lower density than water
-good heat capacity -> buffer for changes -> beneficial
to live close to water
-bouyancy beneficial for gravity -> less structural stability
needed in water
-plankton can float in water

Question 9

water mixing

Answer 9

most dense at 4 degrees
epilimnion
  warm low density surface
thermocline
  zone of rapid water changes
hypolimnion
  cold, high density, deep waters

Question 10

plankton

Answer 10

float in water
forest of water bodies
major compenent of food web
1/4 of oxygen we breathe
primary producers

Question 11

light intensity water

Answer 11

decreases exponentially with depth
longwave penetrates deeper -> water is blue
the darker the less colorfull

Question 12

water movements

Answer 12

upweling at equator and coasts (coriolis effect?)
upwelling zones are enriched with nutrients
upweeling causes mixing of material energy & genetic information
increases biodiv

Question 13

water habitats consequences for life

Answer 13

vertebrates have torpedo shape

primary production only in photic zone

Question 14

absorbance spektra (photosynthesis)

Answer 14

different organisms different pigments to absorb light (chlorophyll, carotine, ect, …)
-> different niches

Question 15

photosynthesis absorption spektrum

Answer 15

~400 - 700 nm

Question 16

light reflection on water

Answer 16

the lower the angle, the less penetration

the more waves, the less penetration

Question 17

forest vs meadow absorbance

Answer 17

forest (80% by canopy, 10% reflected)

meadow (35% in higher plants, 35 % in lower plants, 20% reflection)

Question 18

LAI (leaf area index)

Answer 18

total leaf area/ projected ground area

most part of leaf area in upper third of the tree

Question 19

available light down canopy

Answer 19

exponential decrease (groundlevel only ~10%)

Question 20

what can tree do?

Answer 20

change angle of leaf (60deg -> 50%)
high altitude -> low sun angle -> leaf maximal area
hot and dry -> reduce area to sun -> not dry out
light, photosynthesis and water balance are related

Question 21

forest change in seasons

Answer 21

spring lightest (not many leafes, high radiation)
-> forest floor is blooming
summer darkest (most leafs)

Question 22

geosphere vs biosphere

Answer 22

geo -> abiotic , bio -> biotic

Question 23

unweathered rock

FACHBEGRIFF

Answer 23

regolith (ground): hard, crumbled rock:
medium for plant growth
recycling system

Question 24

mechanical weathering

Answer 24

water
temperature -> freezing expands water -> breaks rocks
wind -> scours surface with dust and sand
organisms -> roots split rocks

Question 25

cheamical weathering

Answer 25

breaks down stones and minerals organisms -> produce water oxygen and acid organis material from dead organisms or shed tissues

Question 26

factors for soil formation

Answer 26

interrelated factors: - parent material - biotic factors - climate - topography - time

Question 27

``` parent material (soil formation) + origin ```

Answer 27

physical and chemical character determines soil properties origins: underlying bedrock glacial deposits (till) windborne sand (eolian) gravitiy moving down slope(colluvium) sediments caried by water bodies(fluvial)

Question 28

biotic factors (soil formation)

Answer 28

plants -> transfer organic carbon to soil (from CO2) roots -> break up stones animal -> burrow and dig the soil fungi & bacteria -> decompose organics

Question 29

climate (soil formation)

Answer 29

abiotic!! temperature -> rate of chemical reactions water -> chemical weathering and leaching (maximal at high temperatures and with much water) irrelevant und cold and dry condis

Question 30

time (soil formation) | how long?

Answer 30

it takes long time for proper soil to form | reformation 2000 to 20000 years!!!

Question 31

erosion

Answer 31

when soil is dry -> easily eroded by wind | -> dust storms -> "dust bowl"

Question 32

effect of dust storms

Answer 32

``` killes lifestock buried infrastructure health risk useless farmland mass migration (homeless) ```

Question 33

danger of erosion

Answer 33

50% of land surface is farmland farmland higher risk of erosion bc soil plowed and vegetation removed -> destabilization of soil crop land often without vegetation -> bare soil 80% of cropland moderate or servere soil erosion

Question 34

soil texture which 3? importance?

Answer 34

``` different sizes of particles (soil forming process) sand 0-2mm silt 0.002 to 0.05mm clay < 0.002mm (most stable) movement of air and water through air root penetration ```

Question 35

coarse soils

Answer 35

large pores | rapid water drainige

Question 36

medium fine soil

Answer 36

medium pore size | more surface for water -> more chemical activity

Question 37

very fine soils

Answer 37

compacted (caddle) poor aeration difficult root penetration

Question 38

soil depth

Answer 38

depends on slope grasslands deep soils -> grasses deep roots -> adds OM to soil forest shallow soils -> falling leaves major source of OM

Question 39

soil layers

Answer 39

organic layer (leafs, uncomposed) topsoil (mineral soil, dark color from OM) subsoil (mineral and slat particles) onconsolidated material (thick stones ect)

Question 40

how moisture loss?

Answer 40

capillary water | evaporation and plants

Question 41

water fills all pores held by capillary forces | FACHBEGRIFF

Answer 41

field capacity

Question 42

point where plants can no longer extract water (FACHBEGRIFF)

Answer 42

wilting point

Question 43

available water | FACHBEGRIFF

Answer 43

AWC (available water content) | field capacity - wilting point

Question 44

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

Answer 44

is important for soil fertility | if not many in soil -> anions(nutrients) get washed away

Question 45

soil pH

Answer 45

from 3 to 9 | if to acidic - toxic A3+ can be leached

Question 46

differences aquatic and terrestial

Answer 46

water mixes -> faster exchagen of energy, dna and matter water structure influence on physical structure of organisms thermal capacity of water