2010 Biosphere or 'What's this got to do with the price of fish?'

Higher Geography Pupil Conference Dalkeith HS 26th March 2010 Biosphere Val 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……..
Sand dunes
Soils
Soils
Sand dunes
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 layer A Horizon B Horizon Red iron pan Humus Pale grey layer Red/brown subsoil Gritty and free draining Hard and may impede drainage Sandy

What’s going on? i.e. processes
humification
leaching
eluviation and illuvation
podsolisation
Why’s it going on? i.e. factors
relief
climate
vegetation
humus
soil 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 communities at a site evolve over time from pioneer species to climax 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
Plant succession and climax vegetation

What? Where? Why? What plants? Where are they growing? Why are they growing there?

Sea sandwort Honkenya peploides!

salt tolerant so survives on the foreshore
low growing so avoids strong winds
fleshy leaves store water
thick cuticle protects from ‘sandblasting’
long 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

Eyjafjallajokull this 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!

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2010 Biosphere or 'What's this got to do with the price of fish?'

by ValVannet on Mar 26, 2010

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2010 Biosphere or ’What’s this got to do with the price of fish?’ — Presentation Transcript