Understanding Earth's Systems: Feedback Loops, Radiation, and
School
San Francisco State University**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
ENVS C102
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 10, 2024
Pages
5
Uploaded by UltraMantisMaster318
Module 1: Physical World1 - Systems1.What is a positive coupling? Give an example of a positive coupling.2.What is a negative coupling? Give an example of a negative coupling.3.What is a feedback loop?4.What is the effect of a negative feedback loop when one part of the system is disturbed?What about a positive feedback loop?5.How can you tell if the feedback loop is positive or negative based on the number ofpositive or negative couplings?2 - Electromagnetic and Blackbody Radiation1.How are frequency, wavelength and the speed of light related?2.How fast does electromagnetic radiation travel?3.How does wavelength and frequency relate to Energy of a photon?4.Rank the following from smallest to largest wavelength: radio, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays,infrared5.What are the three dominant forms of EM radiation emitted by the sun, in terms ofenergy flux?6.How can you determine the solar flux ‘S1’ at a radius ‘r1’ from the sun, if you know thesolar flux ‘S2’ at a radius of ‘r2’?7.What are the units used for energy flux?8.What is 100°C in Kelvin?9.How much energy flux is emitted by your skin (17°C)10. What is the wavelength of maximum emission for something that is 20,000 K?11. What is the Planck function? What is its significance?12. How can we determine the temperature of a distant star?3 - Earth Energy Balance1.Where does the energy that powers all life on Earth come from?2.What are the major processes that transfer energy on earth?3.What are the differences between the sun's radiation and the earth's?4.What are the three ways in which incoming solar radiation interacts with the atmosphericconstituents?5.What is albedo? Describe how the albedo changes between summer and winter over theSierra Nevada Mountains.
6.How much of the Sun’s energy is a) absorbed by the atmosphere, b) absorbed by theEarth’s surface, c) reflected back to space?7.Explain the Greenhouse effect on Earth. Why is it important? What would happen toEarth’s surface temperature without greenhouse gasses?8.What are the four major processes that determine Earth’s surface temperature?4 - Atmospheric Composition and Structure1.What are the three most abundant gases in Earth’s atmosphere?2.Where are the troposphere and stratosphere located relative to the Earth’s surface?3.Why does temperature decrease with altitude in the troposphere? How is thetroposphere heated?4.Why does temperature increase with altitude in the stratosphere? Which gas is involvedin the temperature increase in the stratosphere? Why is this important for biology at theEarth’s surface?5.Name three major greenhouse gases.6.What makes a gas a greenhouse gas?7.What does the atmospheric window (aka spectral window) refer to, and how does itrelate to the potency of certain greenhouse gases?8.What does atmospheric pressure refer to?5 - Atmospheric Circulation1.Draw the generalized global atmospheric surface winds, and name them2.What horizontal and vertical forces are important for atmospheric and oceaniccirculation?3.What drives horizontal pressure gradients?4.Which way does the Coriolis “force” deflect flow in the Northern Hemisphere? In theSouthern Hemisphere?5.What is the Coriolis “force” and why does it occur?6.When or where is the Coriolis force negligible?7.What is the direction of the wind around high and low pressures in the NorthernHemisphere? What types of weather are high and low pressures associated with? Why?8.Draw the location of the Polar, Hadley and Ferrel cells and indicate the latitudes wherethey occur. Draw the vertical and horizontal flow of Hadley cells.9.Which cell is responsible for the easterly trade winds? Which cell is responsible for thewesterlies?10.Why are there tropical rainforests near the equator? Why are many of the world's desertsfound around 30 degrees N and S latitudes? Why are polar regions also “deserts”?11.What is the ITCZ?
6 and 7 - Surface and Deep Ocean Circulation1.What drives the surface ocean currents?2.Draw the wind-driven ocean circulation, and name the oceanic circuits3.How does the Coriolis force relate to conservation of angular momentum?4.What is the Ekman spiral? Ekman transport? Why is it important for biological systems?5.What factor influences density in the ocean that is not important for atmosphericcirculation?6.What is an ocean gyre? What direction do they circulate in the northern hemisphere? Inthe southern hemisphere?7.What are the processes that increase and decrease salinity in the ocean?8.What features of surface water and deep water give rise to the thermocline, haloclineand pycnocline?9.How might the pycnocline differ at the tropics, temperate regions and the poles?10.What is thermohaline circulation? What drives this process? Where does it occur?11.Where is deep water formed?12.What are the names of the warm currents off the East coast of Japan, and off the Eastcoast of the US?13.Why is water cold along the west coast of the United States and warm along the eastcoast?14.Where does downwelling occur?Synthesis Concepts8 - Activity day: Physical world concept maps●No questions for this lecture day.Module 2: Ecosystems, Global Cycles andBiodiversity9 - Ecosystems + Energy Flow1.What is an ecosystem, and what components and processes does it consist of?2.What is an autotroph? What is the main form of autotrophy discussed in lecture? What isa heterotroph? What are the different types of heterotrophs discussed in lecture?
3.Look at the example of the food chain and food web in the slides. Describe the flow ofenergy between trophic levels in a food chain. Now describe what’s happening in thefood web. How is a food web different from a food chain?4.How do photosynthesis and respiration relate?5.How efficient is energy transfer between trophic levels? Why? Where does it go? Inwhich form is energy “lost” from the system? Which form of carbon is returned?6.What do detritivores and decomposers do? What resources do they use for energy?7.What is the difference between gross and net primary productivity? How do youcalculate NPP? What are the units?8.How may NPP vary across space and/or time?10 - Water Cycle1.What is the source of energy for the water cycle?2.How is water distributed among the global reservoirs?3.What are the fluxes in the water cycle?4.Which flux requires an organism to mediate it?5.Is E higher or lower than P over the land? How about over the ocean? What is the mainconclusion you can draw from making these comparisons? What is the role of the oceanin supplying moisture to the land?6.What is the role of water in moving energy and material? What are some examples ofmaterials moved by the water cycle?7.Define the following terms: reservoir, flux, residence time,and steady state. Be able tocalculate residence times.8.What are some examples of human influences on the water cycle?10-12 - Biogeochemical Cycle study slides [F 2024]11 - Carbon Cycle1.What is biogeochemical cycling?2.Name the main reservoirs in the global carbon cycle (consider the aquatic and terrestrialcommunities as the biosphere)? How do the relative sizes (inventories) compare?3.We discussed two forms of carbon in the reservoirs: organic carbon and inorganiccarbon. How are the two forms different? Which reservoirs are the different formspresent in?4.Draw a sketch of the natural cycling of carbon on land (e.g., the diagram presented inlecture).5.How does carbon cycle in the ocean? What is the role of upwelling?6.Parts of the carbon cycle are relatively rapid. Others are very slow. Which is thedifference between these two cycles?7.What is the role of upwelling in the carbon cycle?8.How have humans perturbed/altered the natural carbon cycle? Identify 2 ways.9.Is the system in steady state? If not, what’s the major source of carbon that is out ofbalance? What are the sinks for excess carbon? (And what are sources and sinks?)
10. How do we know that our current CO2 level in the atmosphere is not just normalvariability?11. How has the concentration of atmospheric CO2 changed over the past 800,000 years?How has CO2 changed since the pre-industrial era?12 - Nutrients: Phosphorus & Nitrogen Cycle1.What is a limiting nutrient?2.Why is phosphorus important for life?3.Which reservoir has the largest inventory of phosphorus? Which form(s) of phosphorusare usable by plants and animals?4.Draw a sketch of the natural cycling of phosphorus on land (e.g., the diagram presentedin lecture).5.How is phosphorus removed or increased by humans? Which compartment(s) areaffected by human impacts?6.Why is nitrogen important for life?7.Why is nitrogen a limiting nutrient? Which form(s) of nitrogen are usable by plants andanimals?8.Draw a sketch of the natural cycling of nitrogen on land (the diagram presented inlecture). Identify the key pathways into the system and release from the system, and thedifferent nitrogen compounds.9.What is the role of upwelling for N and P? (Note, we didn’t talk about the marine cycle forN, but this mechanism is the same for C,N and P.)10. What are excess nutrients? What are the consequences of anthropogenic increases innutrients in agricultural systems?13 - Biodiversity1.What is biodiversity? Describe the multi-dimensional nature of biodiversity. Be sure toaddress the 3 levels (gene, species, ecosystem) and 4 dimensions of biodiversitydiscussed in lecture (taxonomic, phylogenetic, genetic, and functional). For each of thedimensions, identify advantages that the dimension offers (e.g., why it’s a valuablemeasure, especially in terms of cataloging biodiversity or communicating with thepublic/policymakers).2.Identify and describe the major factors that affect the global patterns of biodiversity.3.How do we measure biodiversity? Make sure you can calculate the 3 taxonomicdiversity metrics (alpha, beta, gamma) for the class examples using richness wediscussed.4.What are the different types of extinction?5.What are the key threats to biodiversity? What are the consequences of biodiversityloss?6.What are ecosystem services? What are the 4 types and examples?14 - Activity Day: Biomes