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.APES.year.in.review.2015,.The.year.everyone.gets.a.5!

This article discusses the goals of environmental science and provides an overview of plate tectonics, global air circulation, ocean currents, El Niño and La Niña, and the impact of land on local climates.

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.APES.year.in.review.2015,.The.year.everyone.gets.a.5!

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  1. APES year in review 2015, The year everyone gets a 5!

  2. Introduction •Understand how natural world works •Understand how human systems interact with natural system •Accurately determine environmental problems •Develop and follow a sustainable relationship with natural world

  3. Goals of Environmental Science Understand how natural world works Understand how human systems interact with natural system Accurately determine environmental problems Develop and follow a sustainable relationship with natural world http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/plate.html

  4. Plate tectonics

  5. The Earth’s Major Tectonic Plates

  6. Spreading center Collision between two continents Ocea n trenc h Oceanic crust Oceanic crust Subduction zone Continenta l crust Continental crust Material cools as it reaches the outer mantle Cold dense material falls back through mantle Hot Mantle convectio n cell materia l rising through the mantle Mantl e Two plates move towards each other. One is subducted back into the mantle on a falling convection current. Hot outer coreInn er core

  7. EURASIAN PLATE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE ANATOLIA N PLATE CARIBBEA N PLATE JUAN DE FUCA PLATE CHINA SUBPLAT E ARABIA N PLATE PHILIPPI NE PLATE AFRICA N PLATE PACIFI C PLATE SOUTH AMERICAN PLATE NAZC A PLATE INDIA- AUSTRALIA N PLATE SOMALIA N SUBPLAT E ANTARCTIC PLATE Divergent plate boundaries Convergent plate boundaries Transfor m faults

  8. Earth’s Current Climate Zones Figure 5-2

  9. Solar Energy and Global Air Circulation: Distributing Heat Global air circulation is affected by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by solar energy, seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation. Figure 5-3

  10. Coriolis Effect Global air circulation is affected by the rotation of the earth on its axis. Figure 5-4

  11. HIGH PRESSURE Condensation and precipitation LOW Heat released radiates to space PRESSURE Cool, dry air Rises, expands, cools Falls, is compressed, warms Warm, dry air Hot, wet air Flows toward low pressure, picks up moisture and heat HIGH PRESSURE LOW PRESSURE Moist surface warmed by sun Fig. 5-5, p. 103

  12. Figure 9-5a Global air circulation

  13. Cell 3 North Cold, dry air falls Moist air rises — rain Polar cap Arctic tundra Evergreen coniferous forest Temperate deciduous forest and grassland Cell 2 North Cool, dry air falls 60° ° Desert Cell 1 North 30° ° Tropical deciduous forest Moist air rises, cools, and releases Moisture as rain Tropical rain forest Equator 0° ° Tropical deciduous forest 30° ° Desert Cell 1 South Temperate deciduous forest and grassland Cool, dry air falls 60° ° Cell 2 South Polar cap Cold, dry air falls Moist air rises — rain Cell 3 South Fig. 5-6, p. 103

  14. Ocean Currents: Distributing Heat and Nutrients Ocean currents influence climate by distributing heat from place to place and mixing and distributing nutrients. Figure 5-7

  15. ENSO The El Nino-Southern Oscillation Cycle During normal years, equatorial trades blow west Ocean is 0.5 m higher & warmer in western Pacific Upwelling currents in eastern Pacific Normal scenario

  16. El Nino Tradewinds slow and/or stop Warm water covers more of equator No upwelling in eastern Pacific Ocean (collapse of fishing industry in Peru) Global change in weather patterns

  17. El Niño effect during December through February.

  18. La Nina Increased velocity of westward tradewinds Colder water along more of equator (eastern end) Global change in weather patterns

  19. La Niña effect during December through February.

  20. NOAA / PMEL / TAO Project Office / El Niño Theme Page What are La Niña, El Niño and Normal Conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean? See What is La Nina? Go to the El Niño Theme Page oar.pmel.taogroup@noaa.gov Disclaimer | Privacy Policy La Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. El Niño is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatues in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. These are graphics of the Reynolds Sea Surface Temperature (SST) analysis from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for the entire Pacific Ocean (70N to 70S). Also see plots of the Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (the amount that the temperature differs from the normal value for the month). Also available is a graph of sea surface temperature for the entire Pacific Ocean.

  21. Note that the location of the jetstream is influenced by the location of the convection, e.g. the main mean jetstream for La Niña starts to the left of the normal scenario. These are the teleconnections to our mid- latitude weather.

  22. Topography and Local Climate: Land Matters Interactions between land and oceans and disruptions of airflows by mountains and cities affect local climates. Figure 5-8

  23. Rain shadow Figure 9-6 Rain shadow

  24. Tropic of Cancer Equator High mountains Polar ice Polar grassland (arctic tundra) Temperate grassland Tropical grassland (savanna) Chaparral Coniferous forest Temperate deciduous forest Tropical forest Desert Tropic of Capricorn Fig. 5-9, p. 106

  25. Polar Tundra Subpolar Temperate Coniferous forest Desert Deciduous Forest Grassland Tropical Chaparral Desert Savanna Rain forestTropical seasonal forest Scrubland Fig. 5-10, p. 107

  26. The ROCK CYCLE

  27. Erosion Transportation Weathering Deposition Igneous rock Granite, pumice, basalt Sedimentary rock Sandstone, limestone Heat, pressure Cooling Heat, pressure, stress Magma (molten rock) Melting Metamorphic rock Slate, marble, gneiss, quartzite Fig. 15-8, p. 343

  28. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF USING MINERAL RESOURCES Minerals are removed through a variety of methods that vary widely in their costs, safety factors, and levels of environmental harm. A variety of methods are used based on mineral depth. Surface mining: shallow deposits are removed. Subsurface mining: deep deposits are removed.

  29. Open-pit Mining Machines dig holes and remove ores, sand, gravel, and stone. Toxic groundwater can accumulate at the bottom. Figure 15-11

  30. Area Strip Mining Earth movers strips away overburden, and giant shovels removes mineral deposit. Often leaves highly erodible hills of rubble called spoil banks. Figure 15-12

  31. Contour Strip Mining Used on hilly or mountainous terrain. Unless the land is restored, a wall of dirt is left in front of a highly erodible bank called a highwall. Figure 15-13

  32. Mountaintop Removal Machinery removes the tops of mountains to expose coal. The resulting waste rock and dirt are dumped into the streams and valleys below. Figure 15-14

  33. Environmental Impacts of Mining Acid Mine Drainage Erosion and Sedimentation Cyanide & Other Toxic Releases Dust Emissions Habitat Modification Surface and Groundwater Contamination

  34. Coal mining affects the environment Strip mining causes severe soil erosion and chemical runoff Acid drainage = sulfide minerals on exposed rock surfaces react with oxygen and rainwater to produce sulfuric acid Mountaintop removal causes enormous damage

  35. Coal mining harms human health Subsurface mining is harmful to human health Mine shaft collapses Inhalation of coal dust can lead to fatal black lung disease Costs to repair damages of mining are very high These costs are not included in the market prices of fossil fuels, which are kept inexpensive by government subsidies Mining companies must restore landscapes, but the impacts are still severe Looser of restrictions in 2002 allowed companies to dump rock and soil into valleys, regardless of the consequences

  36. Soil:

  37. Texture Sand 2.0-.02 mm Silt .02-.002 mm Clay.002mm ≥ some microscopic Aridsols- dry lands + desert, lack of vegetation, lack of rain unstructured vertically, irrigation leads to salinization b/c of high evaporation.

  38. LOAM: 40%sand 40% silt 20% clay Loam is theoretically the ideal soil

  39. HUMAN IMPACTS ON TERRESTRIAL BIOMES Human activities have damaged or disturbed more than half of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems. Humans have had a number of specific harmful effects on the world’s deserts, grasslands, forests, and mountains.

  40. Easter Island Sustainability - A system/process can continue indefinitely without depleting resources used. *no sacrifice to future generations* Stewardship Caring for something that does not belong to you Sound Science Use the scientific method

  41. A. Human population growth More than 7 billion people currently last 25 yrs population grew by 2 billion projected that population will be 10 billion by 2050 increase pop → increase need for resources

  42. B. Soil degradation Demand for food destroys the soil erosion minerals in soil are depleted salinization increased use of pesticides Overuse of fresh water

  43. C. Global Atmospheric Changes Global Warming CO2produced from fossil fuel burning acts like a blanket around the earth. Plants take CO2out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis 6CO2+6H2O => 602+ C6H12O6 Ozone depletion Chemicals released from the surface of the earth destroy our ozone shield. No stratospheric ozone, no protection from the UV rays of the sun.

  44. D. Loss of Biodiversity Habitat destruction leads to a loss of many species starting with the plants exact # of species lost is unknown because not all species are identified strong ecosystems need biodiversity 1959-1980 25% of all prescription drugs from natural resources Wild species keep domestic species vigorous Aesthetics

  45. •Rachel Carson was a scientist who wrote Silent Spring in 1962. •It addressed the growing use of pesticides (DDT) and their unpredicted effects on song birds. •Original users of pesticides did not know that the poisons used to kill insects would accumulate in other living things and kill them too. BIOACCUMULATION

  46. More Cool Environmentalists John Muir – Sierra Club Ansel Adams – Photography (Yosemite) Aldo Leopold – Sand County Almanac Henry David Thoreau – Walden Garrett Hardin – Tragedy of the Commons

  47. Ecosystems Levels of organization of matter Universe Ecosphere/biosphere Ecosystems Communities Populations Organisms Cells Atoms

  48. Ecosystems Plants and animals interacting with their abiotic environment. Ecosystems exist in biomes. Climate –avg temperature over time *Weather –daily variations in temp and precipitation Microclimate and Other Abiotic Factors * light intensity * Soil type * topography

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