earth and environmental science exam

Features of Indian Ocean

- 3rd Largest - Southern hemisphere

% Ocean % Freshwater

- 97% ocean - 3% freshwater

Depositional Features

- A spit is sand connected to land and extending into the water. A spit may hook to form a tombola. - A groin is a long, narrow pile of rocks built perpendicular to the shoreline to keep sand at that beach. - A breakwater is a structure built in the water parallel to the shore in order to protect the shore from strong incoming waves. - A seawall is also parallel to the shore, but it is built onshore. - A tombolo connects a barrier island to the mainland. - sandbar

Erosional features

- An arch is carved out of a cliff due to erosion. - a wave cut platform - sea stacks

Features of Pacific

- Largest - Contains half of all seawater

Features of Atlantic

- Second largest

How the oceans were formed

1. Comets in Solar System Collide with earth. These impacts water release. 2. During volcanic eruptions, gas is emitted into creating water vapor wich then condenses into oceans.

International Date Line

180 degrees meridian, serves as the transition line for calendar days; Traveling west, advance 1 day. East, move calendar back 1 day

Into how many times zones is Earth divided?

24

freshwater percentage

3

When it is 3 am in Portland, Orgeon, What time is it in Chicago, Illinois?

5am

How many times zones does the United State have?

6

2 gasses in earth

78% nitrogen 21% oxygen

When it is 10 pm in North Carolina, what time is it in Reno Nevada?

7pm

What is the latitude of the North Pole?

90 degrees North

salt water percentage

97

Abyssal Plains

: any of the great flat sediment-covered areas of ocean floor An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) and 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface.

Lightining/Thunder

A flash of light in the sky caused by an electrical discharge between clouds or between a cloud and the Earth's surface. The flash heats the air and usually causes thunder. Lightning may appear as a jagged streak, as a bright sheet, or in rare cases, as a glowing red ball. The sound thus created is called thunder.

tsunami

A huge waved due to an underwater earthquake

What is a graphic scale?

A line broken into sections that represent units with each section representing a distance on Earth's surface

fault

A line where the plate boundaries come together

Mercator Projection

A map that has parallel lines of latitude and longitude.

Seismic Gap

A seismic gap is a segment of an active fault known to produce significant earthquakes that has not slipped in an unusually long time

Tropical Cyclones

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. Rotates counter-clockwise in northern hemisphere.

Turbidity Current

A turbidity current is a rapid, downhill flow of water caused by increased density due to high amounts of sediment

Continental Drift

Alfred Wegener cam up with the theory of continental drift which states that the earth is divided into plates which move around the earth

Pyroclastic Flow

All of the ash off of an erupting volcano which rushes down the mountain

Station Model

An isopleth is a line on a map connecting points having equal incidence of a specified meteorological feature. Isobars represent pressure, isotherms represent temperature.

Heat islands

An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Arrangement of electromagnetic radiation according to wavelength

Challenger

British ship; first to use sophisticated measuring devices to study oceans.

Equator

Circles the Earth halfway between the north and south poles

Condensation Nuclei

Cloud condensation nuclei or CCNs (also known as cloud seeds) are small particles typically 0.2 µm, or 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet on which water vapor condenses. Water requires a non-gaseous surface to make the transition from a vapour to a liquid; this process is called condensation.

Barrier Island Formation

Coastal sand is organized into barrier islands when three conditions are met: There is a supply of sand sufficient to form islands; sea level is rising; and. there are winds and waves with sufficient energy to move the sand around.

What are the three types of volcanoes?

Composite are steep formed from ash Shield are huge and flat volcanoes Cinder Cone are small Volcaoes

Transform Boundary

Cont/Cont-slides-earthquake

Divergent Boundary

Continental Divergent- Cont/cont- Apart-rift valley Oceanic Divergent- Ocean/Ocean- Apart- Ridge

On a topographic map, the difference in elevation between two side-by-side contourlines is called the

Contour interval

Features of a volcano

Crater, Magma Chamber, Lava Flow, Vent

Topographic Maps

Detailed map showing hills and valley of an area

Estuary

Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.

Stress

Forced applied to the earth

How do trenches form?

Form by subducting plates

Glossopteris

Genus of oldest plates that are now extinct

Wind Systems

Global wind patterns: Winds are named by the direction from which they blow. The globe is encircled by six major wind belts, three in each hemisphere (trade winds, polar easterlies, prevailing westerlies). From pole to equator, they are the polar easterlies, the westerlies, and the trade winds.

Which of the following is used by navigators to plot great-circle routes?

Gnomonic projection

Convection currents

Hot magma rises in the mantle while cool magma sets, then gets hot again and rises while the other sets

Batholith

Igneous intrusion stretching deep into the earth

How are shorelines formed

In these areas the wave energy breaking against the cliffs is higher, and air and water are compressed into cracks in the rock, forcing the rock apart, breaking it down. Sediment deposited by waves comes from eroded cliff faces and is moved along the coastline by the waves. This forms an abrasion or cliffed coast.

Infrared Imagery

Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal imaging, and thermal video are examples of infrared imaging science. Thermographic cameras usually detect radiation in the long-infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 9,000-14,000 nanometers or 9-14 µm) and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms.

Convergent Boundary

Island Convergent- oceanic- towards-island arc Continental Convergent-Cont/Oceanic-Towards- Volcanoes and Trenches Mountain Convergent-Cont/cont-Towards-Mountains

Which of the following is used extensively for navigation by airplanes and ships?

Landsat satellites

Weather vs Climate

Latest three month average temperature and precipitation anomalies for the United States. The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time.

Climate Changes

Less of a tilt would result in less pronounced seasons (because the sun's energy would be distributed more constantly at each latitude) and therefore more favorable conditions for an ice age. More of a tilt would mean more pronounced seasons because the amount of energy reaching a certain latitude would depend more greatly on the time of year; we'd have colder winters, but hotter summers, which overall would tend to favor less overall ice (yes, we'd get more ice in the winter, but it would also be more likely to melt in the summer). This whole process talked about 41,000 years to complete.

Latitude

Lines running parallel to the equator; 90

High vs. Low Pressure Systems

Low-pressure systems are associated with clouds and precipitation that minimize temperature changes through the day, whereas high-pressure systems normally associated with dry weather and mostly clear skies with larger diurnal temperature changes due to greater radiation at night and greater sunshine during the day.

Gnomonic Projections

Made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a piece of paper that touches the globe at a single point

Source Regions

Maritime - Wet areas, Continental = Dry ||| Maritime brings humidity, Continental brings clear weather

Magnitude

Measuring the size of the earthquake based on the energy released

Wave refraction

Most waves do not strike the shore directly, but rather meet it at an angle. When a wave approaches the coast in this manner, one end of the wave encounters shallow water first and slows down, while the rest of the waves is still in deeper water. Thus the part of the wave close to the shore slows down while the remainder continues to advance at a con tact speed. As a result the wave close to the shore bend. This process is called REFRACTION.

Uplifted Mountains

Mountains formed by a plate collision

Fault Block Mountains

Mountains not along boundaries but form due to stress

Gases in the Atmosphere

Nitrogen - 78 percent. Oxygen - 21 percent. Argon - 0.93 percent. Carbon dioxide - 0.038 percent.

Continental Crust vs Oceanic Crust

Oceanic Crust is denser

Orographic Lifting

Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions, precipitation.

Difference between surface wave, S wave and P wave

P is primary and comes first S is secondary and goes through solids Surface waves only go on the surface

Pillow Basalts

Pillow Basalts form when lava erupts under water

Types of plutons

Plutons are a type of intrusive igneous rock such as granite

Longitude

Positions east and west directions on a map also referred to as meridian; Lines aren't parallel but semicircles that extend vertically from the poles

Conic Projections

Projecting points and lines from a globe onto a cone; touches at a particular latitude

Landsat Satellites

Receives reflected wavelengths of energy emitted by Earth's surface, includes wavelengths of visible light and infrared radiation

Prime Meridian

Represents 0 degrees longitude; 0 degrees to 180 Degrees

Mid atlantic ridge

Ridge in the atlantic ocean

What type of fault is San Andreas?

Strike Slip

Coriolis Effect

The Coriolis effect is most apparent in the path of an object moving longitudinally. On the Earth an object that moves along a north-south path, or longitudinal line, will undergo apparent deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Koppen Classification Systems

The Köppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used system for classifying the world's climates. Its categories are based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation. Types of climates are Humid subtropical climate (Cfa, Cwa) Mediterranean climate (Csa, Csb) Marine west coast climate (Cfb, Cfc) Humid continental climate (Dfa, Dfb, Dwa, Dwb) Continental subarctic climate (Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd)

Remote Sensing

The Process of collecting data about collecting data about Earth from far above Earth from far above Earth's surfaceEarth's surfac

Major criteria for classifying climate

The climate of an area is the synthesis of the environmental conditions (soils, vegetation, weather, etc.) that have prevailed there over a long period of time. This synthesis involves both averages of the climatic elements and measurements of variability (such as extreme values and probabilities). Climate is a complex, abstract concept involving data on all aspects of Earth's environment. As such, no two localities on Earth may be said to have exactly the same climate.

Longshore Currents

The currents flow parallel to the shore and move large amounts of sediment.

Epicenter vs focus

The epicenter is the place on land while the focus is where the earthquake happened in the ground

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere. If a planet's atmosphere contains radiatively active gases (i.e., greenhouse gases) the atmosphere will radiate energy in all directions.

Salinity

The higher salinity a body has, the more dense it will be. The average percentage of salinity is 3.5%. bottom of ocean is denser because it is colder.

Where is the youngest part of the ocean?

The part nearest to ocean ridges

Cartography

The science of mapmaking; uses imaginary grids of parallel and vertical lines to locate points on the Earth

Depth of the Ocean

The shallower the ocean, the more light penetrates it. Ocean covers 71% of earth's surface.

Weather instruments - What do they measure

The variables measured with these types of instruments are wind speed and direction, pressure, humidity, temperature, and precipitation, including rain and snow. A thermometer is an instrument used to measure temperature.

Which statement about lines of longitude is true?

They are parallel

Modified Mercalli Scale

This scale determines the intensity of an earthquake

Layers of the Atmosphere

Troposhere - Where all weather occurs Troposphere - Contains ozone layer Mesosphere - Between stratosphere and thermospere, temp drops. Thermosphere - Temp rises Exosphere - Space

Topex/Poseidon

Variations in time indicate the presence of certain features on the ocean floor

Frontal Systems

Warm, Cold, Occluded, Stationary. Represented by Blue Triangle, Red Semi Circle, Purple Triangle and Circles Alternated, and Alternating Blue Triangles and Red Semi Circles on both sides of Line. Cold fronts bring thunderstorms, warm fronts bring clouds and rain.

Weather radar - What does it measure

Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.).

Isostatic Rebound

When a huge force is lifted up from the lithosphere to allow it to go up

Breakers

When a wave crest catches up to a slower wave crest (slowed down by friction of the shore) and collapses on it.

Wind - 2 factors that cause it

Wind is caused by air flowing from high pressure to low pressure. The Earth's rotation prevents that flow from being direct, but deflects it side to side(right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern), so wind flows around the high and low pressure areas.

Downdrafts

a downward current or draft of air, especially one down a chimney into a room.

Global Warming

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Orogeny

a process in which a section of the earth's crust is folded and deformed by lateral compression to form a mountain range.

Heat Wave

a prolonged period of abnormally hot weather.

Drought

a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this.

nonrenewable resources

a resource that is not replaced naturally, and has the capability of running out

renewable resources

a resource that is replaced naturally

Temperature Inversion

a reversal of the normal decrease of air temperature with altitude, or of water temperature with depth.

Cold Wave

a spell of cold weather over a wide area.

dams

a structure that blocks off a river and helps to provide hydroelectricity

Supercells

a system producing severe thunderstorms and featuring rotating winds sustained by a prolonged updraft that may result in hail or tornadoes.

Sill

a tabular sheet of igneous rock intruded between and parallel with the existing strata

hydrosphere

all the waters on the earth's surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth's surface, such as clouds.

Doppler Effect

an increase (or decrease) in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward (or away from) each other. The effect causes the sudden change in pitch noticeable in a passing siren, as well as the redshift seen by astronomers

Updrafts

an upward current or draft of air.

acid precipitation

any precipitation with a pH less than 5, forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with water in the atmosphere to reduce sulfuric acid and/ or nitric acid

Strain

bending of rocks due to stress

temperature

celsius, kelvin

Coalesce

come together and form one mass or whole.

Contour Lines

connects points of equal elevation

Graphic Scales

consists of a line that represents a certain distance, such as 5km or 5 miles

volume

cubic centimeter, cubic meter, liter, millimeter

Ocean Currents

density current- differences in the temperature and salinity of ocean. (moves slowly in deep)

safe drinking act

designed to ensure everyone in the US has safe drinking water

developments impact on land areas

development takes land away from ag use, puts pressure on farmland to increase production, flooding increases

Fractional scale

distance as a ratio, such as 1:63 500

geology

earth science concerned with the solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time.

Depression Contour Lines

elevation that is lower then the surrounding landscape

wind farms advantages and disadvantages

expensive, ugly, noisy, renewable

Verbal Scale

expresses distance as a statement

density dependent

factors that depend on the population density of a region

density independent

factors that do not depend on the population density of a region

A contour line on a world map connects points of equal elevation

false

Satellites in the Global Positioning System help users determine their exact weight.

false

The International Date Line is another name for the equator.

false

the Topex/Poseidon satellite allows its users to determine their exact location

false

The wavelength of an electromagnectic wave is the number of waves that pass a particular point each second

false?

fossil fuels

fossils that are burned to provide energy

greenhouse gases

gases that are trapped in the atmosphere

Sea Level

global warming is causing the sea level to rise. 11 alarming facts about sea-level rise. The ocean is coming for us. Global sea levels are now rising by 3.4 millimeters per year, up from an average rate of 1.4 mm per year last century. In just 80 years, the ocean could be a full 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) taller than it is today.

density

gram per cubic centimeter, gram per millimeter

Tides

high- highest level to which water rises low - lowest level spring- large tidal ranges; full moon or new moon neap - small tidal ranges; first quarter and third quarter.

global warming

increase in earths average global temps, caused by human activities

mass

kilogram

tectonics

large-scale processes affecting the structure of the earth's crust.

length

meter, kilometer, millimeter, centimeter

surface mining

mineral and ore deposits found just beneath Earths surface

aggregate

mixture of gravel, sand, and crushed stone that naturally accumulates close to earths surface, used to build highways

weight

newton

largest component of air

nitrogen

hydroelectric power advantages and disadvantages

non polluting, can cause environmental changes, renewable

carrying capacity

number of organisms that an environment can support, if a pop size exceeds the carrying capacity, the number of deaths will increase or the births will increase

Index contours

numbers representing the elevation of contour lines

Pacific ocean

ocean in the west

biomass

organic matter that can be burned to provide energy and fuel

point source

pollution from one origin

nonpoint source

pollution from widely spread areas

GPS satellites can relay information about all the following except

position

clean water act

protects nations water, eliminates the discharge of pollutants in water, restores water quality to levels that allow recreational use

Removal of Salts/Salts added to the Water

removal: evaporation, picked up by wind, marine organisms remove ions to build shells, bone and teeth addition: precipitation, water vapor, volcanic gasses dissolve water and form chlorine and sulfate weathering and erosion of crystal rocks

reclamation act

requires mining companies to restore the land to its original contours and to replant vegetation

time

second

Side-scan Sonar

sound navigation; maps sea floor and features using echolocation.

area

square meter, square centimeter

pollutant

substance that has an adverse effect to the health or survival of an organism

Dew Point

the atmospheric temperature (varying according to pressure and humidity) below which water droplets begin to condense and dew can form.

ecology

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

palentology

the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants.

meterorology

the branch of science concerned with the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather.

hydrology

the branch of science concerned with the properties of the earth's water, especially its movement in relation to land.

astronomy

the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole.

oceanography

the branch of science that deals with the physical and biological properties and phenomena of the sea.

atmosphere

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Isostasy

the equilibrium that exists between parts of the earth's crust, which behaves as if it consists of blocks floating on the underlying mantle, rising if material (such as an ice cap) is removed and sinking if material is deposited.

ozone

the layer of ozone in the stratosphere that protects humans from UV radiation, CFCs destroy ozone

What is the subduction zone?

the part where one plate goes under the other

desertification

the production of land becomes desert, problematic in cattle producing area

biosphere

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

lithosphere

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

climatology

the scientific study of climate.

Stability

the state of being not likely to give way or overturn; firmly fixed.

geochemistry

the study of the chemical composition of the earth and its rocks and minerals.

biodiversity

the variation of species that there is in a specific environment or habitat

aqueducts

things that carry water from one place to another, not really used anymore

A Mercator Projection distorts areas near the poles

true

A map legend explains what the symbols on a map represent

true

Lines of latitude are parallel.

true

The prime meridian represents 0 degrees longitude

true

The science of mapmaking is called cartography.

true

Upwelling

upward motion of ocean water originates from bottom of the ocean supports abundant marine life, nutrient rich.

conservation of energy

using renewable energy sources

Dissolved Nutrients/Dissolved Gasses

volcanic gasses dissolve in water. dissolved gasses: oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide dissolved nutrients: nitrates, phosphates, silicates.

universal solvent

water

Wave characteristics

wave- a rhythmic movement that carries matter. crest- the highest point trough- the lowest point Wave height- vertical distance wavelength- horizontal distance

expansion of solid water

when ice freezes, it expands

sick building

when twenty percent of occupants complain of headaches, nausea, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, burning eyes