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HES Biomes Notes Biomes- Groups of ecosystems with organisms adapted to particular abiotic factors. So, abiotic factors determine the biome. Background Information Global Processes Determine Weather and Climate • Climate- The average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period- typically several decades. Climate is what you expect. • Weather- the short term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area. These include temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, wind speed and atmospheric pressure. Weather is what you get! Earth's Atmosphere • Atmospheric layers delineated by temperature • Gasses w/constant proportions o Nitrogen 78% o Oxygen 21% o Argon 0.09% o Carbon Dioxide 0.039% (390 PPM) • Particulate Matter (PM) o Ash o Soot o Pollen o Mineral dust o Salt spray • EMS and the Atmosphere o Radio micro IR visible UV X-rays Gamma o Main part of the spectrum absorbed the by ozone layer UV o Main part of the spectrum that reaches the Earth’s surface Visible o Main part of the spectrum that is radiated by the Earth’s surface and then absorbed by GH gas gasses IR Terrestrial Biomes Abiotic Factors that dictate Terrestrial Biomes I. Latitude- Earth/sun relationship; angle of rays; daylight hrs Angle of the Sun’s rays; Earth's Tilt and the Seasons o The amount of the surface area over which the Sun’s rays are distributed. o The variation in angle at which the Sun's rays strike o The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.5 ˚ o When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, and vice versa. II. Global atmospheric circulation- Global patterns of air movement (Convection Currents) are initiated by unequal heating of the Earth and are influenced by the Earth’s rotation and the Coriolis Effect Unequal Heating of Earth o As the Sun's energy passes through the atmosphere and strikes land and water, it warms the surface of Earth. But this warming does not occur evenly across the planet. o Some areas of Earth reflect more solar energy than others. o The % of incoming sunlight that is reflected from a surface is called its albedo. Earth's Rotation and the Coriolis Effect o As Earth rotates, this causes a deflection of objects that are moving directly north or south Air has four properties that determines its movement (convection currents) o Density- less dense air rises, denser air sinks. o Adiabatic heating or cooling- as air rises in the atmosphere its pressure decreases and the air expands. Conversely, as air sinks, the pressure increases and the air decreases in volume. o Latent heat release- when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water and energy is released. o Water vapor capacity- warm air has a higher capacity for water vapor than cold air. III. Global ocean circulation Global ocean currents are mainly a result of global wind patterns and also show deflection due to the Coriolis Effect. The circular pattern of major ocean currents are called gyres. Gyres that cross latitudes, bring in warm or cold water into their new surroundings, and affect climate in that region. IV. Coastal/Continental Specific Heat of Water Global atmosphere and ocean currents V. Topography- Mountain Effects & The Rain Shadow When air moving inland from the ocean that contains a large amount of water vapor meets the windward side of a mountain range (the side facing the wind), it rises and begins to experience adiabatic cooling. Because water vapor condenses as air cools, clouds form and precipitation falls. The presence of the mountain range causes large amounts of precipitin to fall on its windward side. The cold, dry air then travels to the other side of the mountain range (the leeward side), where it descends and experiences higher pressures, which cause adiabatic heating. This air is now war and dry and process arid conditions on the leeward side forming the region called a rain shadow. HES Biomes Notes Aquatic Biomes Background Largest part of biosphere Nearly 75% of Earth’s surface Boundaries between biomes indistinct More complex food webs than terrestrial biomes o different depths add 3rd dimension to food webs o photosynthesis confined to surface water o difficult to study vast and deep ocean (Moon, Mars better studied than ~95% of ocean) Marine Biomes Algae supply much of world’s O2 Take in large amounts of CO2 (photosynthesis, gas dissolution) Avg 3.5% salinity (mostly Na+ and Cl-) Open ocean, Intertidal, Neritic, & Benthic zones o Open ocean The depth that light can penetrate in the open ocean is dependent on the amount of sediment and algae suspended in the water. o Photic zone- the zone that receives enough light to allow photosynthesis. Lowest P; Higher T, High DO, low CO2, phytoplankton, some large nekton (whales, sharks) and many small nekton. o Disphotic zone- Photic down to darkness; Temps down to 4°C; small nekton rise to shallow water at night to feed. o Aphotic zone- Deeper water that lacks light for photosynthesis; Low DO, high CO2; High P; Temps near 4°C; nekton and benthos dependent on“marine snow” – organic debris raining down from surface region; unusual adaptation of bioluminescence. Chemosynthesis- The process that occurs in the aphotic zone when some species of bacteria use methane and hydrogen sulfide to generate energy. o Intertidal Alternating wet/dry Narrow band of coastline between low and high tides o Neritic Over the continental shelf Warm, shallow waters beyond the shoe Most diverse marine biomes- coral reefs and kelp forests o Benthic Seafloor Freshwater Biomes < 1% salinity Organisms that cannot survive larger salt concentrations Standing water (ponds, lakes) o Littoral zone- the shallow area of soil and water near the shore where algae and emergent plants grow. o Limnetic zone- open water, where rooted plants can no longer survive. Phytoplankton are the only photosynthetic organisms. This zone extends to as deep as sunlight can penetrate. o Profundal zone- the zone where sunlight cannot penetrate and therefore producers cannot survive. o Benthic zone- the muddy bottom of a lake or bond beneath the limnetic and profundal zone. Flowing water (streams, rivers) Watersheds & Estuaries Wetlands Boundary regions between terrestrial and aquatic biomes Regions of wet topographic depressions Tidal and Nontidal Abiotic Factors that dictate Aquatic Biomes I. Salinity- Freshwater, Saltwater, or Brackish II. Flow- standing or moving III. Depth of light penetration IV. Temperature V. Pressure