Sigmon- Earth & Enviromental Science Final Exam Review

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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


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