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Geo Exam 2
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| soil horizon | soils organized into distinct horizontal layers |
| humus | mix of decomposed and biologically synthesized organic materials (usually dark color) |
| elluviation | removal of finer particles and minerals from upper horizons of soil |
| illuviation | downward movement and deposition of finer particles and minerals from upper horizon of soil |
| bioturbation | organisms churn up soil |
| soil degradation | decline in soil quality, health, and fertility |
| soil erosion | topsoil is removed by natural forces and human activities |
| Pleistocene Glaciation | epoch characterized by repeated cycles of glacier expansion and retreat (major sea level drops) |
| alpine glaciation | glaciers in mountain ranges |
| continental glaciation | large ice sheets |
| cryosphere | portions of hydrosphere and lithosphere that are perennially frozen (ice, snow, etc) |
| iceberg | floating ice created by calving ice (large piece breaks off) |
| cirque | bowl shaped valley |
| arête | sharp ridge |
| horn | 3+ surfaces grow together (pyramid) |
| tarn | small lake in cirque |
| fjord | flooded valley |
| kettle | steep sided hole filled with water |
| drumlin | hill (direction of ice flow) |
| glacial till | unsorted mixture of sediment ranging in size from clay to boulders |
| moraine | produced by deposition of glacial till |
| meandering stream | river with single sinuous channel (outer curves=erosion)(inner curves=deposition) |
| stream load | material carried by stream |
| floodplain | flat, low area adjacent to meandering channel and subjected to flooding |
| bluffs | steep cliff or slope that overlooks the water formed by erosion |
| cut bank | eroded bank found on outside bend of meandering stream |
| point bar | crescent shaped deposit of material that forms on inside bend of meandering stream |
| thalweg | just below surface above deepest point of stream; fastest flow |
| eutrophication | natural or human caused enrichment of water occurs with excessive nutrient inputs, leading to hypoxia |
| hypoxia | concentration of dissolved oxygen decreases to level that can no longer support living organisms |
| turbidity | how much material is in body of water (clean water=low turbidity)(cloudy water=high turbidity) |
| point source pollution | originates from single identifiable source ex. pipe |
| non-point source pollution | originates from more than one source ex. fertilizers |
| littoral zone | shore; extends to highest waterline reached on shore during a storm |
| coastal salt marshes | pole ward of 30°N and S latitude; wetland with protected shorelines |
| mangroves | equator ward of 30°N and S latitude; help filter out pollutants, protection from storms, and maintains biodiversity |
| coral reefs | underwater ecosystem houses a large amount of marine life; coral bleaching |
| coral bleaching | coral expel zooxanthellae (living inside) which give coral nutrients and color causing them to turn white and eventually die |
| Medieval Warm Period | 800-1200 A.D.; warmer temps in North Atlantic and parts of Europe, North America, and Asia |
| Little Ice Age | 1200-1900 A.D.?, regional cooling in North Atlantic and Europe ; Hudson bay stayed frozen 3 weeks longer each spring |
| The Year Without a Summer | 1816; caused by mount Tambora eruption in 1815; summer temp was unnormal |
| dendrochronology | study of past climates using tree rings |
| proxies | used to infer past climate conditions (ex. tree rings, ice cores, corals, etc) |
| uniformitarianism | same processes active today were operating at same place and intensity throughout time |
| pith | first year of growth |
| early wood | lighter part |
| late wood | darker part |
| limiting factors | plant processes are constrained by primary environmental variable that's most limiting to them (water, sunlight intensity, soil type (development and moisture), nitrogen availability, fire frequency, fertility and nutrients) |
| master/composite chronology | average time series of tree-ring data derived from multiple trees in specific region spanning years |
| complacent ring pattern | tree rings are roughly same width for many consecutive years;little variation |
| cross-dating | finding matching patterns of different trees to find exact year |
| intercropping | growing two or more crop species closely |
| intertillage | cultivating soil between rows of growing crops |
| invasive species | non-native species that are harmful/cause ecological, Economic, or human health problems |
| non-native (alien or exotic) species | species introduced to a location they do not naturally occur |
| greenhouse effect | natural process which specific gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat from sun |
| anthropogenic climate change | caused by human activity |
| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) | leading UN body for assessing science related to climate change |
| greenhouse gases (GHGs) | gases in atmosphere that trap heat by absorbing infrared radiation emitted from planet's surface |
| Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) | four GHG concentration trajectories for climate modeling representing different future scenarios based on emissions (RCP2.6-RCP8.5) |
| mitigation | reduce or prevent emissions of GHG or severity of climate change |
| adaptation | taking action to prevent or minimize damage, or adjust to new environmental conditions and take advantage |
| carbon tax | tax levied on carbon-based fossil fuels in proportion to amount of carbon associated with production and use |
| cap-and-trade system | laws that limit or 'cap' carbon emissions from particular sectors of economy and issue allowances or permits to emit carbon to match the cap |
| glacial erratic | large rocks transported by glaciers that differs from underlying bedrock |
Created by:
2026gtheisen