What is aquatic ecology?

1. What is aquatic ecology? • System based approach to studying the environment • Biotic and abiotic interactions • Examples?

2. What do we study? • Watersheds • Topography • Stream flow and orders • Water quality • Organisms and what their presence or absence means www.nj.gov/dep

3. Earth’s Energy • It is all about an exchange of energy E= mc2 • Law of Conservation of Energy: • Energy cannot be created or destroyed. • Law of Conservation of Mass/Matter: • Matter cannot be created or destroyed.

4. 1. Solar Power • 99.985% of energy that enters the Earth’s system is from the sun • Drives the winds, oceans & waves • Causes rocks to weather, forming soil

5. 2. Geothermal Energy • .013% is energy that originates within the Earth from friction & radioactive material • Drives the movement of the plates • Powers volcanoes, geysers, earthquakes & the rock cycle

6. 3. Tidal Energy • .002% is energy that results from the Sun & Moon’s pull on Earth’ s ocean • Slows Earth’s rotation

7. I. Laws of Thermodynamics • 1st Law –energy/matter can not be created nor destroyed, only changed from one form to anotherE= mc2 • 2nd Law- when energy changes, it is converted from a more useful, more concentrated form to a less useful, less concentrated form. • Energy can never be recycled completely. Some energy is lost, usually as heat or light.

8. J. Albedo • The percentage of energy that is reflected off the Earth without being changed • Forest = low albedo reflects 5-10% • Snow covered field = high albedo 80-90%

9. II. Origin of the Universe A. Hypothesis- possible explanation for an observed set of facts B. Theory- a hypothesis, which has been repeatedly tested without yet being disproved. C.Big Bang Theory – most widely accepted scientific explanation of the formation of galaxies

10. Approximately 13.7Billion Years Ago Dense sphere of Hydrogen exploded Huge Hydrogen cloud moved outward, as areas within it condensed to form galaxies Galaxies continue to move outward Big Bang Theory

11. Big Bang

12. D. Evidence of Big Bang • Edwin Hubble found evidence distant galaxies are moving away from the Milky Way • COBE satellite has measured background radiation in space thought to be the echo of the Big Bang

13. Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) The microwave light captured in this picture is from 379,000 years after the Big Bang, over 13 billion years ago: the equivalent of taking a picture of an 80-year-old person on the day of their birth.

14. 6 Facts on the Origin of the SS. All planets move around the sun (revolve) in the same direction The orbits (paths) of the planets around the sun are all nearly circular (elliptical) Most of the orbits are in nearly the same plane III. Formation of the Solar System

15. The sun turns on its axis (rotates) in almost the same plane as the planets & in the same direction the planets revolve. • Most of the planets rotate in the same direction as the sun. • Exceptions are: Venus & Uranus • 6 of the 8 planets have moons, most revolving in the same direction as the planets. • Exceptions are: Mercury & Venus

16. IV. Protoplanet Hypothesis • Approx. 4.5 Billion years ago • Cloud of gas & dust rotated slowly • Gravity caused the cloud to condense • Most of the clouds material was at its center • The condensing caused it to rotate faster

17. Compression was so great nuclear fusion began (star began to shine) • H +H = He & energy • The rest of the matter of the cloud began to collect in little whirlpools • These whirlpools eventually condensed into more compact masses known as protoplanets • proto = earliest or first

18. V. As the Earth began to form it had neither oceans nor an atmosphere • 3 sources of heat on early Earth: • Compression from gravity • Radioactive minerals • Friction from meteorites

19. VI. Formation of the Oceans • Iron melted & sank toward the center of Earth, forming a dense core • Water & other gases were released from the rock as sinking hot iron passed it • Volcanic eruptions also added steam & gases • The steam condensed & rained to form the oceans

20. VII. Origin of the Atmosphere • Volcanoes erupted releasing gases, mostly water vapor (over 50%), carbon dioxide (CO2) & sulfur gases • No free oxygen • Free oxygen was possibly from the breakup of water molecules by sunlight in the upper atmosphere

21. Eventually plants added free oxygen to the air during photosynthesis • CO2 + H2O + sunlight = food (sugars & starches) & O2 • CO2 + H2O + sunlight are the reactants of the equation • food & O2 are the products of the equation • Today atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen & 21% Oxygen

22. Atmospheric Composition

23. VIII. Formation of Continents • Melted Iron & Nickel sinking to the core could have forced lighter rock to surface, forming a super continentOR • Continental formation from lava flows

24. IX. Structure of the Earth • Inner Core- layer of the Earth composed of solid iron & nickel • Outer Core - layer of the Earth composed of liquid iron & nickel

25. Mantle - largest Earth layer • composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, & iron • Crust - outer most layer of Earth • the deepest mines & caves go no further than the crust • thicker under the continents than the ocean

26. Layers of the Earth