Ecoscenarios Combined - FOSSweb

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Ecoscenario: Yellowstone National Park 4/16/03 3:25 PM In autumn, snowstorms become increasingly common. By early November, all but a few roads into the park are closed by snow. In the winter, average snowfall is near 380 centimeters (150 inches). Temperatures may drop lower than the –20°C (–4°F) average when cold Chinook winds blow from the north. A record low temperature of –54°C (– 66°F) was recorded at Madison in 1933. The only areas not covered by a thick blanket of snow are the thermal areas. Warm waters from hot springs flow into streams and rivers and keep the water flowing year-round. Even into the spring, 30 centimeters (12 inches) of snow can fall in 24 hours. The summer is rainy, with afternoon thunderstorms in July and August. Unexpected snows can fall at the upper elevations. file:///Ecoscenario/yellow/content.html Page 6 of 15
Ecoscenario: Yellowstone National Park 4/16/03 3:25 PM Courtesy of Teri Dannenberg Mudpots are geothermal pools that have become clogged with carbonate mud. Courtesy of Teri Dannenberg Fumaroles spew steam from small fissures in the ground. Yellowstone National Park is considered to be geothermally and seismically active. A magma body beneath Earth's surface heats the surrounding rocks. These hot rocks in turn heat groundwater to over 200°C (400°F). At this temperature, steam usually forms. But in underground chambers, pressure keeps the water in its liquid state. This super-heated water forms the hot springs, geysers, and other geothermal features of Yellowstone. If the super-heated water comes to the surface slowly and gradually loses its heat, a hot spring forms. If pressure builds up in an underground chamber, however, the water can be forced to the surface quickly through a small opening. A geyser results. During the eruption, the pressure is released and the geyser stops. After a time the pressure builds to produce another eruption. The time between eruptions is unpredictable for most geysers. Old Faithful geyser was named because of its short and predictable cycle. It erupts every 76 to 100 minutes. There are over 300 geysers and 10,000 thermal features in the park. Yellowstone has more geysers than anywhere else in the world. Over 75% of the geysers on Earth are here. Some are rare acid geysers. In addition to being very hot, these geysers, and their surrounding pools have a pH as low as 3.3 to 3.8. Compare this pH to that of fresh water (near 7) or vinegar (3). Art Explosion Tourists visiting a geothermal area can see hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, and mudpots. Art Explosion Steam from super-heated water rises from a hot-spring pond. Nearby trees cannot survive the very acidic water and steam. Because of the recent volcanic activity, the entire greater Yellowstone ecosystem is subject to earthquakes. Most are minor, and only a few can be felt. The earthquakes cause the water that flows to hot springs and geysers to file:///Ecoscenario/yellow/content.html Page 7 of 15
Page 1 and 2:
Ecoscenario: Arctic National Wildli
Page 3 and 4:
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
Ecoscenario: Cimarron National Gras
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Ecoscenario: Delaware Water Gap Nat
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Ecoscenario: El Yunque Caribbean Na
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Ecoscenario: Everglades National Pa
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Ecoscenario: Florida Keys National
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Ecoscenario: Mono Lake 4/16/03 3:18
Page 93 and 94: Ecoscenario: Mono Lake 4/16/03 3:18
Page 103 and 104: Ecoscenario: Monongahela National F
Page 113 and 114: Ecoscenario: Monterey Bay National
Page 127 and 128: Ecoscenario: Saguaro National Park
Page 139 and 140: Ecoscenario: Yellowstone National P
Page 143: Ecoscenario: Yellowstone National P
Page 153: Ecoscenario: Yellowstone National P
show all

Ecoscenarios Combined - FOSSweb

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?