Unit 2 – Biomes, Weather, and Climate

Unit 2 – Study Guide

• Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems: Know the characteristics of all biomes and aquatic ecosystems. If you want to use graphic organizers during the test, print them and submit them to the teacher by Wednesday, 12/11. Organizers will be returned on the test day.

• Weather: Weather refers to the day-to-day conditions of Earth's atmosphere.

• Climate: Climate describes long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation over many years.

• Greenhouse Effect: The greenhouse effect is the process where energy enters Earth's atmosphere as light, and a portion is trapped as heat. Greenhouse gases absorb and re-radiate this heat, preventing it from escaping back into space.

• Greenhouse Gases: Key greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor.

• Seasons: Earth's tilted axis and rotation around the sun cause the seasons. Different regions receive varying amounts of direct sunlight, leading to different temperatures.

• Latitudinal Regions: Tropical regions are near the equator, temperate regions are between the tropics and the poles, and polar regions are near the poles.

• Air Pressure and Density: Warm air is less dense than cold air and rises, creating low-pressure areas. Cold air is denser and sinks, creating high-pressure areas.

• Pressure and Precipitation: Low-pressure areas often experience higher precipitation because rising air cools and condenses, forming clouds.

• Mountains and Precipitation: Mountains force air to rise, cool, and condense, leading to precipitation on the windward side. The leeward side, sheltered from the wind, experiences a rain shadow effect and is drier.

• Coriolis Effect: Earth's rotation causes winds to curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

• Surface Winds: Trade winds move from east to west, westerlies from west to east, and polar easterlies from east to west.

• Ocean Currents: Factors that influence ocean currents include solar heating, winds, salinity, and Earth's rotation.

• Upwelling: Upwelling is the movement of cold, nutrient-rich water from the depths to the surface, often caused by winds.

• El Niño/La Niña (ENSO): These cyclical climate patterns affect weather patterns globally. El Niño events lead to changes in high and low-pressure systems and affect upwelling patterns.

• Photosynthesis: The process used by plants and other organisms to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into energy.

• Chemosynthesis: A process where some organisms produce energy using chemicals instead of sunlight.

• Food Webs: These show complex relationships between different organisms in an ecosystem.

• Trophic Levels: These represent different positions in the food web, from producers (plants) to consumers (animals) to decomposers.

• Invasive Species: Invasive species can disrupt the balance of ecosystems by competing with native species.

• Water Cycle: The continuous movement of water between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere. Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and seepage are key parts of the cycle.

• Carbon Cycle: The continuous movement of carbon through the environment through various processes. Photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and decomposition are crucial parts contributing to the cycle.

• Nitrogen Cycle: The process of nitrogen moving through different forms in the environment, including the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms. Fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification are parts of the cycle.

• Phosphorus Cycle: The movement of phosphorus through the soil and living organisms. Weathering, assimilation, and decomposition are key parts of this cycle.

• Wetlands: Wetlands can improve water quality and reduce runoff, potentially beneficial for farming.