Rainforests
1: What are the two types of rainforests? In the United States, where are our rainforests located? (Be specific). What percentage of our original rainforests does this represent?
The two types of rainforests are temperate and tropical. The U.S, has our rainforests located in the Pacific Northwest. The percentage of original rainforests is 25%.
Tundra
2: Where is the Tundra Biome located? What is permafrost? What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by Tundra?
The tundra biome is located in the North Pole. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of ground. 20% of the Earth's surface is Tundra.
Taiga
3: Where is the Taiga Biome located? What is the soil like in the Taiga- why?
The Taiga is the largest biome it's location is between 50 degrees latitude North and the Arctic Circle. The soil in Taiga biomes are thin and lacking nutrients, because of slow decomposition.
Desert
4: How much rainfall is characteristic of deserts? Explain where most deserts are located and the RAINSHADOW Effect.There is less than 10 inches of rain per year. Most deserts are found between 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south. The rainshadow effect is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area, that blocks direct contact from water or wind, and is underneath a shadow of dryness.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
5: What is special about this biome? Deciduous trees have special leaves that are adapted to the biome- explain.
This biome is special because it has adapted to all 4 seasons and their temperatures
Grasslands
6: Grasslands are found on every continent except for one- which? How much rainfall do grasslands get- why is this important? What are the 3 types of grasslands that are found in North America? What are grasslands called in other places in the world?
Grasslands are found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. The grasslands receive between 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. Too much rain will cause it to become a forest and too little will cause it to become a desert. The three grasslands in North America are Short Grass Prairie, tall Grass Prairie, and Mixed Grass Prairie. In South America they are "pampas," in Europe, they are "steppes," in Africa, they are "Savannas."
Rivers & Stream
7: How much water on Earth does running water represent? What is a watershed? What are the two main processes that happen to surface water? What is the longest river in the world? What is the longest river in the United States? What is a hydroelectric dam?
Running water represents about 3%. A watershed is a set of streams and rivers that all lead to a single larger body of water such as another river, a lake or an ocean. The two main process that happens to surface water are surface runoff and infiltration. The longest river in the world is the Nile river. The longest river in the United States is the Mississippi river. A hydroelectric dam is a man-made dam used to create electricity from running water.
Ponds & Lakes
8: What is the difference between a pond and lake? Name the four stages of succession of a pond. Explain how an Oxbow Lake is formed. What is the largest lake in the world? What is the largest lake in the United States? What is the deepest lake in the world? What is Lake Effect Snow? Explain. What is the cause of summerkill in some lakes?
A pond is shallow and supports rooted plants. A lake is deeper and big enough for waves to be produced. The four stages of succession of a pond is 1) seeds inhabit the the ponds. 2) Debris increases and vegetation appears. 3) Emergents appear. 4) When pond floors are close enough to the bottom, emergents can grow across the floor and the ponds become a marsh. An oxbow lake is formed when the oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. The largest lake in the world is Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the U.S. is Lake Superior, and the deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal. Lake Effect Snow is when cold winds blow and picks up moisture from warm lakes and cools down when it goes uphill. This causes moisture to condense and fall as snow. The causes of summerkill is when algae becomes overabundant and becomes ripe during Summer, which will decrease oxygen levels.
Wetlands
9: What are the types of freshwater wetlands- name and define them. Explain why wetlands are so important. What is happening to our wetlands? The types of wetlands are swamps which are moving streams, bogs which are a peat accumulating wetland , prairie potholes which are shallow or bowl-like depressions and have various wetness, marsh which is an island that contains many different vegetation rather than trees, and riparian marsh, which occur along the river. Wetlands are important because prevent flooding, release vegetation, and purifies water. As of now wetlands are being destroyed from development.
Shorelines
10: What kind of lifeforms will you find in the intertidal zone? What is a barrier island? What is an estuary? What is life like in an estuary? What is a salt marsh? What is the Mangrove Forest? How are the trees specially adapted to living in that environment? Why are they important?
Lifeforms in the intertidal zones are sea stars, seashells and sea clams. Barrier Islands are islands separated by main bodies of water that vary in size. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where seawater is mixed with fresh water. life forms can include a diverse mix of sea and land creatures. A salt marsh is a marsh located where the land meets the sea. A mangrove forest are near the mouths of large rivers where there is lots of sediments. Trees are adapted to living in this environment because they have special roots to maintain themselves a and they don't change very much, and there important because they protect the coastline and prevent erosion.
Temperate Ocean Zones
11: Name and describe the different zones of the ocean and how they are divided. Describe the different photic zones of the ocean. What are kelp forests? Where are they found?
The Benthic zone is the bottom of the ocean, Pelagic zone is the water, the Sunlit zone is top layer of the ocean, the Twilight zone are small amounts of light, and the midnight zone has no light 90% of time. Kelp forests are large areas underwater that can grow kelp up to 125 feet., and are found at Coastal Waters.
Tropical Ocean Zones
12: What is coral made of? Explain. Where are most coral reefs located? Where is the largest coral reef?
Coral is made of calcium carbonate and they are located in tropical oceans near the equator. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef.
1: What are the two types of rainforests? In the United States, where are our rainforests located? (Be specific). What percentage of our original rainforests does this represent?
The two types of rainforests are temperate and tropical. The U.S, has our rainforests located in the Pacific Northwest. The percentage of original rainforests is 25%.
Tundra
2: Where is the Tundra Biome located? What is permafrost? What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by Tundra?
The tundra biome is located in the North Pole. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of ground. 20% of the Earth's surface is Tundra.
Taiga
3: Where is the Taiga Biome located? What is the soil like in the Taiga- why?
The Taiga is the largest biome it's location is between 50 degrees latitude North and the Arctic Circle. The soil in Taiga biomes are thin and lacking nutrients, because of slow decomposition.
Desert
4: How much rainfall is characteristic of deserts? Explain where most deserts are located and the RAINSHADOW Effect.There is less than 10 inches of rain per year. Most deserts are found between 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south. The rainshadow effect is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area, that blocks direct contact from water or wind, and is underneath a shadow of dryness.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
5: What is special about this biome? Deciduous trees have special leaves that are adapted to the biome- explain.
This biome is special because it has adapted to all 4 seasons and their temperatures
Grasslands
6: Grasslands are found on every continent except for one- which? How much rainfall do grasslands get- why is this important? What are the 3 types of grasslands that are found in North America? What are grasslands called in other places in the world?
Grasslands are found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. The grasslands receive between 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. Too much rain will cause it to become a forest and too little will cause it to become a desert. The three grasslands in North America are Short Grass Prairie, tall Grass Prairie, and Mixed Grass Prairie. In South America they are "pampas," in Europe, they are "steppes," in Africa, they are "Savannas."
Rivers & Stream
7: How much water on Earth does running water represent? What is a watershed? What are the two main processes that happen to surface water? What is the longest river in the world? What is the longest river in the United States? What is a hydroelectric dam?
Running water represents about 3%. A watershed is a set of streams and rivers that all lead to a single larger body of water such as another river, a lake or an ocean. The two main process that happens to surface water are surface runoff and infiltration. The longest river in the world is the Nile river. The longest river in the United States is the Mississippi river. A hydroelectric dam is a man-made dam used to create electricity from running water.
Ponds & Lakes
8: What is the difference between a pond and lake? Name the four stages of succession of a pond. Explain how an Oxbow Lake is formed. What is the largest lake in the world? What is the largest lake in the United States? What is the deepest lake in the world? What is Lake Effect Snow? Explain. What is the cause of summerkill in some lakes?
A pond is shallow and supports rooted plants. A lake is deeper and big enough for waves to be produced. The four stages of succession of a pond is 1) seeds inhabit the the ponds. 2) Debris increases and vegetation appears. 3) Emergents appear. 4) When pond floors are close enough to the bottom, emergents can grow across the floor and the ponds become a marsh. An oxbow lake is formed when the oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. The largest lake in the world is Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the U.S. is Lake Superior, and the deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal. Lake Effect Snow is when cold winds blow and picks up moisture from warm lakes and cools down when it goes uphill. This causes moisture to condense and fall as snow. The causes of summerkill is when algae becomes overabundant and becomes ripe during Summer, which will decrease oxygen levels.
Wetlands
9: What are the types of freshwater wetlands- name and define them. Explain why wetlands are so important. What is happening to our wetlands? The types of wetlands are swamps which are moving streams, bogs which are a peat accumulating wetland , prairie potholes which are shallow or bowl-like depressions and have various wetness, marsh which is an island that contains many different vegetation rather than trees, and riparian marsh, which occur along the river. Wetlands are important because prevent flooding, release vegetation, and purifies water. As of now wetlands are being destroyed from development.
Shorelines
10: What kind of lifeforms will you find in the intertidal zone? What is a barrier island? What is an estuary? What is life like in an estuary? What is a salt marsh? What is the Mangrove Forest? How are the trees specially adapted to living in that environment? Why are they important?
Lifeforms in the intertidal zones are sea stars, seashells and sea clams. Barrier Islands are islands separated by main bodies of water that vary in size. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where seawater is mixed with fresh water. life forms can include a diverse mix of sea and land creatures. A salt marsh is a marsh located where the land meets the sea. A mangrove forest are near the mouths of large rivers where there is lots of sediments. Trees are adapted to living in this environment because they have special roots to maintain themselves a and they don't change very much, and there important because they protect the coastline and prevent erosion.
Temperate Ocean Zones
11: Name and describe the different zones of the ocean and how they are divided. Describe the different photic zones of the ocean. What are kelp forests? Where are they found?
The Benthic zone is the bottom of the ocean, Pelagic zone is the water, the Sunlit zone is top layer of the ocean, the Twilight zone are small amounts of light, and the midnight zone has no light 90% of time. Kelp forests are large areas underwater that can grow kelp up to 125 feet., and are found at Coastal Waters.
Tropical Ocean Zones
12: What is coral made of? Explain. Where are most coral reefs located? Where is the largest coral reef?
Coral is made of calcium carbonate and they are located in tropical oceans near the equator. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef.