APES Chapter 4 Vocabulary House

Climate

The average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time.

Troposphere

The layer clostest to Earths surface.

Stratosphere

16 to 50 km above Earths surface.

Albedo

The percentage of incoming sunlight that is reflected from a surface.

Saturation Point

The maximim amount of water vapor that can be in the air at a given temperature.

Adiabatic Cooling

Lower pressure allows the rising air to expand in volume, an this expansion lowers the temperature of the air.

Latent Heat Release

Water vapor in the atmoshphere condenses into liquid water, energy releases.

Hadley Cells

Convection currents that cycle between 30 degrees N & S & the equator.

ITCZ

Area of Earth that receives the most intense sunlight, where the ascending branches of the 2 Hadley cells converge.

Polar Cells

Convection currents that are formed by air that rises at 60 degrees N & S & sinks at the poles.

Coriolis Effect

Deflection of an objects path due to Earths rotation.

Gyres

Large-scale patterns of water circulation.

Upwelling

Upward movement of water toward the surface.

Thermohaline Circulation

Drives the mixing of surface water and deep water.

ENSO

Periodic changes in winds and ocean currents.

Rain Shadow

Dry air produces arid conditions on the leeward side of the range.

Biomes

A particular combination of average annual temperature and annual precipitation and contain distinctive plant growth forms that are adapted to that climate.

Tundra

Cold, treeless, low growing vegetation.

Permafrost

Underlying subsoil.

Boreal Forests

Forests made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons.

Temperate Rainforests

Moderate temperatures and high precipitation.

Temperate Seasonal Forests

Receive over 1M of precipitation annually.

Woodland/Shrubland

Hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Temperate Grassland/Cold Desert

Lowest average annual precipitation of any temperate biome. Cold, harsh winters and hot, dry, summers.

Tropical Rainforests

Warm and wet, with little seasonal temperature variation.

Tropical Seasonal Forests & Savannas

Warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Subtropical Deserts

Hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and sparse vegetation.

Littoral Zone

The shallow are of soil and water near the shore where algae and emergent plants grow.

Limnetic Zone

Open water, where rooted plants can no longer grow or survive.

Phytoplankton

Floating algae.

Profundal Zone

Producers cannot survive here because its beneath the limnetic zone in lakes, so nutrients arent easily recycled into the food web.

Benthic Zone

The muddy bottom of a lake or pond beneath the limnetic and profundal zones.

Freshwater Wetlands

Submerged or saturated by water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation.

Salt Marshes

Found along the coast in temperate climates. Contain nonwoody emergent vegetation.

Mangrove Swamps

Occur along tropical and subtropical coasts. Contain trees whose roots are submerged in water.

Intertidal Zone

Narrow band of coastline that exists between the levels of high tide and low tide.

Coral Reefs

Found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline, tiny animals that secrete a layer of limestone to form an external skeleton.

Coral Bleaching

Algae inside the corals die.

Photic Zone

The upper layer of water that receives enough sunlhgt to allow photosynthesis

Aphotic Zone

The deeper layer of water taht lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis.

Chemosynthesis

Can use the energy contained in the bonds of methane and hydrogen sulfide, which are both found in the deep ocean, to generate energy.