Module 08: Response to disturbances

Module 8: Response to disturbancesRecall negative feedback (stable ships, relationships): greater the disturbance, the greater the restoring force (pendulums too)Resistance is how hard it is to move the pendulum (ecosystem) away from center
Resilience is how fast the pendulum (ecosystem) returns to normal
Biodiversity and disturbances:This is strange stuff:Rare disturbances = competition, so only a few species dominateCommon disturbances = only fast reproducers survive, so low biodiversityIntermediate disturbances = highest biodiversity
Watershed: drainage basin usually leading to a large body of water (Chesapeake watershed is huge):https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/chesapeake-bay-watershed-geography-and-facts.html
How do you think this impacts the water quality, phosphates, nitrates and silt in the Chesapeake bay?Why are we not allowed above the fences behind Pu'u La'e La'e?On Oahu, the watershed is guarded by a barbed wire fence-why?How are the Himalayas acting as a watershed?
Poisoned waters:Video:http://physics.hpa.edu/physics/apenvsci/videos/poisoned_waters/POISONED_WATERS.mp4
http://physics.hpa.edu/physics/apenvsci/videos/poisoned_waters/poisoned_waters.m4v
Weblog page:http://physics.hpa.edu/groups/apenvironmentalscience/weblog/973c4/Poisoned_Waters_videoPBS.html
On campus try these:http://physics.local/physics/apenvsci/videos/poisoned_waters/POISONED_WATERS.mp4
http://physics.local/physics/apenvsci/videos/poisoned_waters/poisoned_waters.m4vhttp://physics.local/groups/apenvironmentalscience/weblog/973c4/Poisoned_Waters_videoPBS.html
quiz
why is the soil on Kauai so poor, and how does it get its Potassium?
how does the size of the Cheseapeake watershed impact eutrophication in the Chesapeake bay?
what is the difference between resistance and resilience in natural systems?
why do rotting fish smell so bad?
Summary notes:Systems
systems are usually connected, exchange matter and/or energy
main energy source is our sun, or past suns (e.g. uranium)
feedback loops (again)
spheres: litho=stone, bio=living, hydro=water, atmo=above
geosphere: crust-mantle-core-inner core (spins, no way!)
plates-who thought this up? need to understand convection
where are oldest parts of crust? trick question
subduction zones, mid atlantic ridges (atlantis?)
eq: deep near subduction zones, shallow in transform faults
mid atlantic ridge: how do we know this? submarines
himalayas-how? matterhorn-what?
water cycle: evaporation and transpiration (eTO)
precipitation-condensation is first (condensation nuclei, e.g. vog)
aquifers-underground lakes, low turnover rate (pesticides) Oglalla
water can be ground water: aquifer, water table, water lens or surface waterCycles
conservation of matter (neglect E=mc2)
nutrient cycles: carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen COPN
primary producers-photosynthesis: CO2, water and light/heat
create sugar as stored food, structural element
consumers-eat primary producers, decomposers break down waste/detritus
cellular respiration (flowers in hospitals) at night
carbon also in HCO3- ion (seawater) and CaCO3 (seashells, limestone)
greenhouse effect from CO2 captured as plants->oil/coal "carbon bank"
phosphorus: rocks and water (stone and sea), erosion, very limited supply in biosphere (Waterloo bones)
P only absorbed in aqueous form (aq)
too much = eutrophication (also nitrogen) see dead zones
eutrophication: too much of a good thing, when algae dies, decomposes, creates hypoxic zones
aerobic vs. anaerobic bacteria-wounds
nitrogen cycle-NPK
N2 to life: lightning and bacteria (N2 to ammonia NH3 then to NO2 and NO3 (plants absorb NO3)
denitrifying bacteria change NO2 back to N2 (gas)
Haber process
See figure 3.30-nitrogen uptake
golf courses-Mauna Kea, iBoat
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