GEO 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Marine Ecosystem, Radiant Energy
9 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Study of the interaction of living organisms and the natural environment. Natural environment is made up of: earth spheres, surface & atmosphere, biotic factors: plants, animals, microorganisms (bacteria), etc, abiotic factors: light, water, wind, nutrients in soil, heat, solar radiation, atmosphere, etc. 1) physics of light wavelength: where and how plants use par (photosynthetically active radiation) to transform sunlight into usable energy. 2) hydrology water cycle: where source-water and water pollution come from. Ecology views each locale as an integrated whole of interdependent parts that function as a unit. How do scientists make sense of the environment? they divide the earth into spheres. That are all connected and relate to each other in many ways. All regions of earth capable of supporting life. 20-30 km thickness on either side of earth surface: this range is thin and fragile, thinner than eggshell if earth was the size of an egg. Includes parts of the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and cryosphere.
