2010 Biosphere or 'What's this got to do with the price of fish?'
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Transcript of 2010 Biosphere or 'What's this got to do with the price of fish?'
Higher Geography Pupil Conference
26 2010Dalke ith HS th March
BiosphereVal Vannet High School of Dundee
SOILS or SAND DUNES
The Biosphere question will be on either ……
Everything you need to know for the Biosphere question…….
www.macaulay.ac.uk
Four clicks away……..
1 2
3
4
Preparing for the Biosphere question……
Look at past paper questions……..
1 Sand dunes
2 Soils
3 Soils
4 Sand dunes
5 Soils
But don’t try to question spot!
Repeating themes for soils…… Profiles (3 out of 3)
Podsols (3 out of 3)
Brown earths (2 out of 3)
Gleys (1 out of 3)
Horizons, colour, texture, drainage
(3 out of 3)
Formation factors/processes (3 out of 3)
Leaf litter Leaf litter layerlayer
A Horizon
B Horizon
Red iron panRed iron pan
HumusHumus
Pale grey layerPale grey layer
Red/brown Red/brown subsoilsubsoil Gritty and Gritty and
free free drainingdraining
Hard and Hard and may impede may impede
drainagedrainage
SandySandy
What’s going on? What’s going on? i.e. i.e. processesprocesses
• humificationhumification
• leachingleaching
• eluviation and eluviation and illuvationilluvation
• podsolisationpodsolisation
Why’s it going on? Why’s it going on? i.e. i.e. factorsfactors
• reliefrelief
• climateclimate
• vegetationvegetation
• humushumus
• soil biotasoil biota
Repeating themes for sand dunes….
Definitions :
plant succession climax vegetation (2 out of 2)
Transect/cross section
(2 out of 2)
Named plants at locations on transect (2 out of 2)
Influencing factors : why are they there? (2 out of 2)
Plant succession Plant succession andand climax vegetationclimax vegetation
• plant communities at a site evolve over time from pioneer speciespioneer species to climax vegetationclimax vegetation
• At each stage of the succession the plant community alters the soil and microclimate allowing the establishment of another group of species
• One community of plants is therefore replaced by another as the succession develops
• Eventually a climax community is reached where the vegetation is in a state of equilibrium with the environment and there is no further influx of new species
What? Where? Why?
What plants? Where are they growing?
Why are they growing there?
Sea sandwortSea sandwort
Honkenya peploides!Honkenya peploides!
• salt tolerantsalt tolerant so survives on the foreshore
• low growinglow growing so avoids strong winds
• fleshy leavesfleshy leaves store water
• thick cuticlethick cuticle protects from ‘sandblasting’
• long tap rootslong tap roots access moisture in sand
But what’s this got to do with the price of fish?
This soil is 37 years old!
This plant is a pioneer!
Sea Lyme Grass being used to stabilise tephra on Eldfell
The lava flow almost blocked the harbour of Heimaey – Iceland’s main fishing port
Eldfell volcano
Eyjafjallajokull
Eyjafjallajokullthis week
A new volcano has appeared on the same fissure line
EYJAFJALLAJOKULL ERUPTION
ICELAND MARCH 2010
http://www.mila.is/um-milu/vefmyndavelar/eyjafjallajokull-fra-thorolfsfelli
This morning!
This evening!