Lec 1-6 PDF - Earth and Ecosystems
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This document contains lecture notes and sample questions on topics related to Earth and ecosystems, including climate, weather, and geological processes. The topics covered are likely to be from an undergraduate-level earth science course. The document appears to be a collection of lecture materials and questions, rather than a complete exam.
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Lec 1-6 climate vs. weather, climate controls, methods for past climate reconstruction, mechanisms driving natural climate fluctuations, climate feedbacks, evidence for present climate change, Earth’s greenhouse effect and radiative forcing. 8: endogenic vs. exogenic systems, the rock cycle, p...
Lec 1-6 climate vs. weather, climate controls, methods for past climate reconstruction, mechanisms driving natural climate fluctuations, climate feedbacks, evidence for present climate change, Earth’s greenhouse effect and radiative forcing. 8: endogenic vs. exogenic systems, the rock cycle, plate tectonics. 9: weathering processes, mass movements, river systems. 10: glacial and periglacial landscapes. 11: soil formation, soil profiles, soil characteristics, human impacts on soils. 12: energy flows and nutrient cycles, communities and species distributions, biodiversity, ecosystem stability, biogeographic divisions. Systems theory Map scales EM spectrum in relation to the Sun and Earth Ozone Radiation balance (albedo, role of clouds) Heat transfer Winds and the forces that determine their speed and direction Relative humidity/saturation/dew-point Midlatitude cyclones Tropical cyclones Precipitation partitioning at Earth’s surface (i.e., water budget) Groundwater GEO 131 Energy, Earth, and Ecosystems; © Claire J. Oswald 56 Sample questions – short answers (3 marks each) List the geographic features that control local climates. Briefly describe three of the mechanisms driving natural climate fluctuations. Describe the natural and human enhanced greenhouse effect in terms of radiative forcing. Describe the difference between Earth’s endogenic and exogenic systems. Include an example process for each. Describe the differences between multiple-thread and single-thread stream channels in terms of their characteristics and topographic setting. Give an example of a glacial erosional landform and a glacial depositional landform. Briefly describe how they form. Briefly describe the effects of present climate change on glacial and periglacial landscapes. List and briefly describe three soil physical properties that we can measure or characterize. What is net primary productivity and why is it important to measure? What is an ecological niche? Give an example Sample questions – long answers (5 marks each) List and briefly describe five lines of evidence for present climate change. List and briefly describe the five factors that affect weathering processes. List and briefly describe the five primary natural soil-forming factors. List and briefly describe the five main soil horizons. Describe three human impacts on soil. Describe three ways in which humans have disturbed Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. What is biodiversity, how is it threatened, and why is it important to protect?
