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El Niño is caused by a slowing of the South East Trade Winds. As the SE Trade winds die down or
reverse, transport of cool water from the depths of the Pacific ceases. With no new water to
displace it, the upper level warm water mass that is typically located near Australia drifts
eastward across the Pacific, bringing with it large amount of rain.
Water locked in ice is melting as a result of climate change. The liquid water as opposed to the
white surface of the ice warms the troposphere by reflecting less sunlight back into space. Due
to the increased temperature of the troposphere, it can hold more water vapor. Warmer air is
less dense and can hold more water. This is all about the density of the warmer air and its ability
to hold water
Volcanoes can send huge amounts of smoke and ash into the air, blocking the suns rays for
extended periods of time. Scientists believe that early Earth formation had large #’s of coolings
from volcanic activity.
Burning fossil fuels produces sulfur dioxide gas as the trace amounts of sulfur present in the
fuels combines with the oxygen in the air according to the equation: S8 + 8 O2 → 8 SO2. Metals
rarely occur in their pure form. Most often, they exist as some combination of metal oxides and
metal sulfides. Refining any metal sulfide produces sulfur dioxide (SO2). 2 MS + 3 O2 → 2 MSO3
→ 2 MO + 2 SO2
In the summer months, green leafy plants are able to trap the CO2 from the air and, through
photosynthesis, produce water and sugars. In the winter months, the photosynthetic process
slows, leaving a greater amount of CO2 in the air.
In 1970, the concentration of CO2 is approximately 328 ppm. By 1990, it is roughly 358 ppm.
Since 1950, carbon emissions have nearly quadrupled, mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels
including natural gas, petroleum, and coal.
Energy from the sun is primarily in the visible and UV portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The Earth’s surface absorbs the energy from the sun and then releases it as infrared radiation
(heat) which has less energy and a longer wavelength. Greenhouse gases like water vapor,
carbon dioxide and methane trap IR radiation and reflect it back towards the Earth.
Volcanoes can send huge amounts of smoke and ash into the air, blocking the suns rays for
extended periods of time. Scientists believe that early Earth formation had large #’s of coolings
from volcanic activity.
Guano is the excrement of seabirds and seals. It contains ammonia, nitrates, phosphoric acid,
and uric acid. It is used to produce fertilizers.
Specialist species will be impacted because their spectrum of resources acquisition is smaller
than generalist and thus they cannot operate outside of their small spectrum.Increased
temperatures will likely cause increases in pest. Plants will move out from the equator.
Since 1950, carbon emissions have nearly quadrupled, mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels
including natural gas, petroleum, and coal.
In the summer months, green leafy plants are able to trap the CO2 from the air and, through
photosynthesis, produce water and sugars. In the winter months, the photosynthetic process
slows, leaving a greater amount of CO2 in the air.
In 1970, the concentration of CO2 is approximately 328 ppm. By 1990, it is roughly 358 ppm.
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Though there has been an increase in mean global temperature over the years, it is less than 10
C. This seems like a small change, but even this slight increase in temperature has had a drastic
impact on the Earth.
Bacteria take atmospheric nitrogen (N2) and convert it into nitrates (NO3-) that are useful to
plants in a process called nitrogen fixation.
Burning of fossil fuels, slash and burn agriculture and using peat for fuel all add CO2 to the
environment directly through the following process. CxHy + O2 → CO2 + H2O
Cutting down the rain forest increases CO2 because tress take the carbon dioxide from the air
and convert it into useful sugars. If there are fewer trees, less CO2 can be removed from the
atmosphere.
Of the freshwater in the world, almost 70% is trapped in glaciers and icecaps, 30% is
groundwater, leaving less than 1% as surface water (rivers, lakes, streams, etc.).
The tilt of the Earth’s axis is 23.5 degrees.
When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, days are longer (15-16) and the sun
rays are more direct.
Nitrogen is the most abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The wet, mild winter allows for the fauna that grows in the chaparral biome to grow dense.
These ideal growing conditions are then followed by hot, dry summers. This means that there is
an abundance of dried, brittle plant matter - similar to kindling.
In DNA and RNA, phosphorus is present as phosphate, which is the substance that binds
together long chains of sugars, which are then bound to various bases. In ATP (adenosine
triphosphate), there are three phosphates attached to an adenosine nucleoside.
In photosynthesis, the carbon atoms found in carbon dioxide are used to create sugars. In
respiration, the opposite is true. Carbon atoms found in sugar molecules are used to create
carbon dioxide.
Phosphorous does not exist in gaseous form, thus it takes longer to process through the
Phosphorus cycle then other nutrient cycles.
If the oceans become 1 degree (F) warmer, the volume increases by 0.01% which will cause a
rise of about 1 foot in sea level with beach lines moving landward about 20 feet. Due to the high
specific heat and high heat of vaporization of water, a change in the temperature of the water
will result in long term effects to the sea level as well as the water cycle.
Runoff is likely to increase due to non-permeable surfaces, so C and E can be eliminated
immediately. Choice B can be eliminated because groundwater recharge will decrease due to
the increase in runoff. When you have non-permeable surfaces, the water does not infiltrate the
soil. With the loss of vegetation, transpiration and evaporation will decrease.
Carbon Cycle: Some ocean organisms build their shells and skeletons by using dissolved CO2
molecules in seawater to form carbonate compounds such as calcium carbonate (CaCO3). When
these organisms die there bodies sink to the bottom of ocean and help form limestone deposits.
Asphalt and concrete and other man-made surfaces have led to increased surface runoff. This
means that instead of slowly being absorbed into soils, water is transported to streams and
other bodies of water.
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Decreasing the use of fossil fuels would impact the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
In ammonification, organic, nitrogen-containing compounds are converted to ammonia.
Carbon and Sulfur both exist in the gaseous phase at some point in their cycles. Phosphorus
does not have a gaseous stage and thus that cycle is a longer process as the exchange only
occurs between solid and liquids.
Helium is a monatomic element, therefore it does not contain any bonds. When we say that a
greenhouse gas “traps” energy and reflects it back towards the Earth, it is not the individual
atoms that are absorbing the energy, but rather the bonds between the atoms. Since helium
does not contain bonds, it is not able to act as a greenhouse gas.
Assimilation occurs during photosynthesis when carbon dioxide is taken from the environment,
trapped and converted into sugar.
Water locked in ice is melting as a result of climate change. The liquid water as opposed to the
white surface of the ice warms the troposphere by reflecting less sunlight back into space. Due
to the increased temperature of the troposphere, it can hold more water vapor. Warmer air is
less dense and can hold more water. This is all about the density of the warmer air and its ability
to hold water.
A positive feedback mechanism is one in which an action causes a reaction. That reaction causes
more of the initial action, which causes more reaction, etc. Melting of Arctic sea ice is a positive
feedback mechanism because the ice melts due to increased temperature, but this causes more
water vapor (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere, which causes the temperature to increase
further, which would then melt more ice, etc.
Most energy on earth is a derivative in some form of the energy from the Sun. Exceptions are
deep water ocean vents.
Some decomposers get the energy they need by breaking down glucose in the absence of
oxygen. This form of cellular respiration is called anaerobic respiration, or fermentation. Instead
of carbon dioxide and water, the end products of this process are compounds such as methane
gas (CH4, the main component of natural gas) ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, the key component of
vinegar and hydrogen sulfide.
Phosphorus is an anti-player, meaning it is insoluble. Phosphorus compounds are hard to break
down. The Phosphorus cycle falls into the sedimentary cycle, it doesn’t have a gaseous phase
and it moves through the environmental very, very, slowly.
Decomposition occurs rapidly in tropical rainforest because of the combination of warm
temperatures and lots of moisture (60 to 160 inches of precipitation a year).