Atmosphere and Climate
This layer of the atmosphere contains all weather.
Troposphere
Large circular surface currents are known as these.
Gyres
This term describes long-term average weather patterns over a large region.
Climate
These two factors primarily determine biome distribution.
Temperature and precipitation
The first organisms to colonize bare rock are called these.
Pioneer species
This term describes short-term atmospheric conditions in a local area.
Weather
Cold, nutrient-rich water rising to the surface is called this.
Upwelling
This oscillation involves periodic warming of Pacific Ocean waters near Peru.
El Niño
This zone in oceans receives enough light for photosynthesis.
Euphotic zones
This type of succession occurs when soil is already present after a disturbance.
Secondary succession
This effect describes how Earth’s rotation deflects winds and ocean currents.
Coriolis Effect
Cold, nutrient-rich water rising to the surface is called this.
Thermohaline circulation
During this phase, trade winds are stronger and effects are opposite of El Niño.
La Niña
This type of biome includes estuaries, wetlands, and coral reefs.
Aquatic biomes
This is the stable, mature end stage of ecological succession.
Climax community
These pressure-driven movements redistribute heat and create wind patterns.
Convection currents
Warm water flows along these coasts of continents, generally warming nearby land.
East coasts
This happens when El Niño weakens upwelling, harming fisheries off South America.
Decreased nutrient supply (or collapse of fisheries)
This biome has the highest biomass and very high rainfall, often found in coastal regions.
Temperate rainforest
This term describes changes in ecosystems across space, like altitude or latitude.
Zonation
This phenomenon occurs when air rises over mountains, cools, and causes precipitation on one side.
Orographic precipitation
This major current helps keep northwestern Europe warmer than expected for its latitude.
Gulf Stream (or North Atlantic Drift)
This global effect of ENSO includes shifting jet streams and causing droughts or floods worldwide.
Alteration of global weather patterns
These microscopic organisms form the base of marine food webs.
Phytoplankton
Species with this characteristic are especially vulnerable to extinction due to limited habitat.
A limited geographic range (or being endemic)