Sigmon- Earth & Enviromental Science Final Exam Review
Fusion
Creation of energy by joining the nuclei of two hydrogen atoms to form helium.- this process takes place on the sun
habitat destruction
Damage done to a habitat that results in the loss of resources that organisms need to survive, like food, water, and shelter
Summer Solstice
Day with the most hours of sunlight and the fewest hours of darkness, Longest day, June 21st
Barycenter
The center of mass of two or more bodies orbiting around each other
Evaporation
The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas
Condensation
The change of state from a gas to a liquid
weather
The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.
Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)
The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.
Conduction
The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching.
Coriolis effect
The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents.
wind
The horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure
frost wedging
The mechanical breakup of rock caused by the expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices
selective cutting
The method of harvesting trees that involves the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from among many in a forest.
Radiation
The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
Sustainability
The use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.
Types of climate classifications
Tropical, dry, temperate, cold, polar
Earth's Rotation
Turning of the earth on its axis resulting in night and day
Hierarchy of the Universe
Universe-Galaxy- Solar System- Planet
Contiental Tropical (cT)
Warm and dry air mass that forms over land
maritme tropical (mT)
Warm and wet air that forms of water
Levels of the biosphere (least to greatest)
atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere
hygrometer
measures humidity
food web
network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem
Perihelion
orbital point nearest the sun
Biosphere
part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere
invasive species
plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native
Aphelion
point in a planet's orbit that is farthest from the sun
point source pollution
pollution that enters a body of water from a specific source
biogeochemical cycle
process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
Mechanical weathering (physical weathering)
reduces solid rock to smaller fragments but does not alter the chemical composition of the rocks and minerals
soil composition
rock particles,minerals,decayed organic material,water and air
soil types
sand, silt, clay
surface waves
seismic waves that travel along the Earth's surface
deforestation
the action of clearing a wide area of trees.
Precipitation
the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
Earth's Revolution
the movement of Earth around the sun; takes 365 days
Earths titled axis
the reason the earth experiences Seasons
soil texture
the soil quality that is based on the proportions of soil particles
dew point
the temperature at which the water vapor in the air becomes saturated and condensation begins
Nutation
the wobbling, rocking and swaying of the earth on its axis. 1 wobble takes 18 years
Layers of the atmosphere
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
greenhouse effect
warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere
nonpoint source pollution
water pollution that does not have a specific point of origin
secondary waves
waves that travel outward from an earthquke's focus and move through Earth by causing particles in rocks to vibrate at right angles to the direction of the wave
Maritime Polar (mP)
wet and cold air mass that forms over water
stationary front
when a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet and no movement occurs
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Front
A boundary between two air masses
fault
A break in the earth's crust
Oxidation
A chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen, as when iron oxidizes, forming rust
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.
Carnivore
A consumer that eats only animals.
Herbivore
A consumer that eats only plants.
underdeveloped countries
A country that is less developed economically than most others, with little industry and little money spent on education, health care, etc.
Ozone
A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two.
cold front
A front where cold air moves in under a warm air mass.
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Organism
A living thing
divergent boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other.
transform boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions
convergent boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other.
Commensalism
A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
Parasitism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
Mutualism
A relationship between two species in which both species benefit
Geocentric Model
A representation of the universe in which starts and planets revolve around Earth.
food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Precession
A slow motion of Earth's axis that traces out a cone over a period of 26,000 years
wind vane
Instrument used to measure wind direction
tectonic plates
Sections of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents.
climate
The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
Weathering
The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.
Carbon Cycle Steps
- Plant leaves take carbon dioxide from the air - Plants store carbon in carbohydrates or starches - photosynthesis) - Plants & animals release carbon dioxide back into the air (cellular respiration) - Decomposers return carbon to the environment (decomposition)
Atmosphere composition
78% Nitrogen , 21% Oxygen, 1% Others
nitrogen cycle steps
1. Nitrogen fixation 2. Nitrification 3. Assimilation 4. Ammonification 5. Denitrification
Evidence of Continental Drift
1. Similar fossils found in rocks on different continents 2. Similar rock structures found on different continents 3. Continents fit together like puzzles
primary waves
1st wave, P, travels the fastest, back-and-forth waves, move through solids, liquids, and gases
metamorphic rock
A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.
Community
All the different populations that live together in an area
soil profile
All the vertical layers or horizons that make up a soil in a particular place
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and animals
teritary consumer
An animal that feeds on secondary consumers in a food chain.
Urbanization
An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.
Barometer
An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
rain gauge
An instrument used to measure precipitation.
thermometer
An instrument used to measure temperature
anemometer
An instrument used to measure wind speed
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
secondary consumer
An organism that eats primary consumers
Hetertroph
An organism that gets its food from other living organisms.
Consumers
An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.
limiting factor
Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms.
Winter Solstice
December 22, when the sun is at its southernmost point
Biotic
Describes living factors in the environment.
Overgrazing
Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover
Equinox
Each of the two times of the year when days and nights are of equal length
Heliocentric Model
Earth and all the planets orbit around the sun
Solstice
Either of the two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator
Transpiration
Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant
greenhouse gases
Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat near the surface. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere are involved in the greenhouse effect.
Wells
Holes dug or drilled deep into the ground to reach a reservoir of groundwater
urban heat island
In large cities, expanses of paved surfaces, particularly asphalt, absorbs heat during day and radiates heat at night. Sparse vegetatation and paved surfaces increase rain runoff, furthering reducing cooling effects. Temperatures in the cities are usually 3-5 degrees hotter than surrounding country side.
carrying capacity
Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support
saltwater intrusion
Movement of salt water into freshwater aquifers in coastal and inland areas as groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged by precipitation.
Abiotic
Non-living things
Autotrophic
Organisms that make their own food
Producers
Organisms that make their own food
Epicenter
Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus
continental crust
Portion of the earth's crust covered with land
trade winds
Prevailing winds that blow northeast from 30 degrees north latitude to the equator and that blow southeast from 30 degrees south latitude to the equator
Convection
Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part of the mass will rise and the cooler portions will sink.
Erosion
Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away (i.e. weathering, glaciation)
conservation
Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment
acid rain
Rain containing acids that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions (especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) combine with water.
humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air
Biodiversity
The number of different species in an area
relative humidity
The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain at a particular temperature
focus
The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake
crop rotation
The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.
chemical weathering
The process in which rock is broken down by changes in its chemical makeup
clear-cutting
The process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once
Fission
The splitting of an atomic nucleus to release energy. This process is used to produce Nuclear Power
Biomes
a broad, regional type of ecosystem characterized by distinctive climate and soil conditions and a distinctive kind of biological community adapted to those conditions.
occluded front
a front where a warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses and brings cool temperatures and large amounts of rain and snow
warm front
a front where warm air moves over cold air and brings drizzly rain and then are followed by warm and clear weather
sedimentary rock
a rock that forms from compressed or cemented layers of sediment
Doppler radar
a specialized type of radar that can detect precipitation as well as the movement of small particles, which can be used to approximate wind speed
Spring Tides
a tide just after a new or full moon, when there is the greatest difference between high and low water.
Neap Tides
a tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is the least difference between high and low water.
igneous rock
a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface
smog
air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
Overharvesting
catching or removing from a population more organisms than the population can replace
water contamination
caused by polluted runoff, rainwater or snowmelt that runs over the land and through the ground as it picks up contaminants
Continental Polar (cP)
cold, dry stable air mass that forms over land
developed countries
countries with relatively high levels of industrialization and income
Koppen climate classification system
developed by Wladimir Koppen, a system for classifying the world's climates on the basis of temperature and precipitation
oceanic crust
earths crust located under the ocean
primary consumers (herbivores)
heterotrophs that consume producers
Air Masses
large bodies of air that have uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure
Agents of Erosion
wind, water, ice, gravity
global winds
winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances
