Earth's Life Support Systems

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Photosynthesis
A process by which green plants convert water and CO2 into starch and glucose in the presence of sunlight.
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Respiration
The process in living organisms where the intake of oxygen oxidises organic substances to produce energy and release CO2.
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Transpiration
The evaporation of moisture from the pores on the leaf surfaces of plants.
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Atmosphere
The thin envelope of gases (mainly nitrogen and oxygen) that surrounds the Earth.
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Biosphere
The space at the earth's surface and within the atmosphere occupied by living organisms.
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Precipitation
Moisture (rain, snow, hail) falling from clouds towards the ground.
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Evapotranspiration
Combined loss of water at the surface through evaporation and transpiration by plants.
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Run-Off
The movement of water across a land surface.
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Groundwater Flow
The horizontal movement of water within aquifers.
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Aquifer
A water-bearing band of porous or permeable rock.
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Oxidation
A chemical process that weathers certain types of rock and involves the absorption of oxygen from either the atmosphere or water by rock minerals.
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Weathering
The in situ breakdown of rocks exposed at, or near, the land surface by physical, chemical and biological processes.
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System
A group of objects and the relationships between them.
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Closed System
A system with inputs and outputs of energy, but without any movement across system boundaries.
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Open System
A type of system whose boundaries are open to both inputs and outputs of energy and water.
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Permeable Rock
A type of rock that is penetrated by water,either through mineral pores (air spaces), or along joints, faults and fissures.
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Water Cycle Budget
The annual volume of movement of water by precipitation, evaporation, run-off etc. between stores such as permeable rock, oceans, ice sheets, vegetation, soil etc.
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Evaporation
The process by which liquid water is converted into a gaseous state.
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Condensation
The phase change of water vapour (gas) to water (liquid).
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Ablation
The loss of ice, snow, especially from a glacier, through melting, evaporation and sublimation,
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Sublimation
The phase change of water from ice to vapour.
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Infiltration
The vertical movement of rainwater through the soil.
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Groundwater
Water stored underground in porous or permeable rocks known as aquifers.
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Sink
Anything that absorbs more of a particular substance than it releases, e.g. the oceans act as a sink for CO2.
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Carbonate Rock
Rocks comprising of carbonate minerals such as limestone and chalk.
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Residence Time
The length of time that a molecule of water or CO2 etc. remains in natural storage (e.g. in atmosphere or in oceans).
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Chemical Weathering
The in-situ breakdown of rocks through chemical processes such as hydrolysis, oxidation and solution.
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Carbonaceous Rock
Rocks mainly comprising the fossilised remains of plants, e.g. coal, lignite.
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Phytoplankton
Tiny photosynthesising marine organisms in the surface waters of the oceans.
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Water Balance
The relationship between precipitation, streamflow, evapotranspiration and soil moisture and groundwater storage in a drainage basin over a year.
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Dew Point
The critical temperature at which condensation occurs.
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Catchment
The area drained by a river and its tributaries, i.e. a drainage basin.
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River Discharge
The volume of water flowing in a river channel, measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs).
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Advection
The horizontal movement of an air mass which often results in either heating or cooling.
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Dew
Deposits of moisture on the ground and vegetation due to condensation caused by radiative cooling, most often at night.
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Fog
Cloud at ground level caused by radiative cooling and advection.
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Adiabatic Expansion
The expansion of a parcel of air due to a decrease in pressure. Expansion causes cooling.
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Convection
The motion of a gas or liquid when warmed rises until it eventually cools and sinks in a continuous circulation.
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Interception Loss
Rainwater stored temporarily on leaves, stems and branches of vegetation which is evaporated and does not reach the ground surface.
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Throughfall
Rainfall, initially intercepted by vegetation, which drips to the ground.
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Stemflow
The flow of water along the branches and stems of trees and other plants to the ground.
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Infiltration
The vertical movement of rainwater through the soil/
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Overland Flow
Rainfall that runs off the ground surface either because the soil is saturated or the intensity of rainfall exceeds the soil's infiltration capacity.
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Saturated Overland Flow
The movement of water across the ground- often as a thin film- when the soils is saturated.
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Infiltration Capacity
The maximum rate at which water, under the pull of gravity, soaks into the soil.
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Recharge
Net input of water into an aquifer causing a rise in the water table.
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Freeze-Thaw
A mechanical weathering process caused by water, confined in rock joints, expanding as it freezes, and as a result breaking rocks into smaller particles.
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Biological Weathering
The breakdown of rocks through the chemical and physical action of living organisms, e.g. burrowing, tree roots etc.
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Chelation
A type of chemical weathering caused by acids derived from rainwater and dead organic material.
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Canopy
The uppermost layer of treetops and branches in a forest or woodland ecosystem.
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Biodiversity
The number of plant, animal, fungi etc. species in a given area.
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Downwelling
The sinking of dense, salty (or cold) water in the oceans.
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Food Chain
A series of organisms through which food energy moves before it is completely expended.
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Porosity
The ability of a rock, like chalk, to absorb water through tiny air spaces between mineral particles.
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Albedo
Proportion of sunlight reflected from a surface.
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Monoculture
Cultivation of a single crop.
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Tree Line
The latitudinal and altitudinal limit of tree growth.
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Heat Balance
The difference between inputs of solar energy to the Earth- atmosphere system and energy outputs from terrestrial radiation and gases in the atmosphere. Currently the inputs exceed outputs and the global climate responds by warming.
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Active Layer
The near surface layer in periglacial environment which seasonally freezes and thaws.
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Carbon Sink
A long-term store of carbon in ocean sediments, carbonate rocks, forests etc.
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Carbon Source
Inputs of carbon into the atmosphere by respiration, combustion and decomposition.
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Dynamic Equilibriium
A system displaying unrepeated average states through time.
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Lag Time
The difference in time between maximum rainfall and peak river discharge.
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Abstraction
The extraction from rivers and boreholes for public water supply, agriculture etc.
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Water Table
The upper surface of the zone of saturation in permeable rocks and in the soil.
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Artesian Pressure
The hydrostatic pressure exerted on groundwater in a confined aquifier occupying a synclinal structure.
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Artesian Aquifer
A confined aquifer containing groundwater that when tapped will rise to the surface under its own pressure.
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Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
The removal of CO2 from emissions by thermal power stations and its storage in disused oil and gas wells underground.
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Positive Feedback
An automatic response to change in a system which generates further change.
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Negative Feedback
An automatic response to change in as system that restores equilibrium.
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Greenhouse Gas
Gases in the atmosphere such as CO2, CH4 and water vapour which absorb long-wave terrestrial radiation.
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Carbon Fertilisation
Rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere which increase photosynthesis and stimulate plant growth.
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Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The rate at which plants accumulate energy in the form of organic matter taking into account the energy used in respiration.
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Photoperiod
Length of day, i.e. from sunrise to sunset.
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Glacial
A prolonged cold climatic phase lasting for tens of thousands of years and causing continental glaciation in middle and high latitudes.
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Inter-Glacial
A period of climatic warming (lasting c.10000 years) between glacials.
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Desertification
The reduction in agricultural capacity due to over exploitation of resources and natural land degradation processes such as drought. Only in extreme cases does it result in desert-like conditions.
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Cap and Trade
An internal scheme to control carbon emissions. A market-based solution to climate change where polluters either cut their emissions or incur extra costs by buying tradable carbon credits.
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Polyculture
The cultivation of several different crops, often simultaneously in the same field.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

The process in living organisms where the intake of oxygen oxidises organic substances to produce energy and release CO2.

Back

Respiration

Card 3

Front

The evaporation of moisture from the pores on the leaf surfaces of plants.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

The thin envelope of gases (mainly nitrogen and oxygen) that surrounds the Earth.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

The space at the earth's surface and within the atmosphere occupied by living organisms.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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