Env Sci Exam 1

Environment

All the living and nonliving things around us

Environmental science

the scientific study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect our environment

Environmentalism

A social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world

Natural resources

the substances and energy sources from our environment that we rely on to survive

renewable resources

resources that are replenished over short periods

inexhaustable renewable resources

Perpetually renewed and will always be there. Examples include solar, wind, and wave energy 

exhaustable renwable resources

Resources that may be used at sustainable rates but can become depleted if consumed faster than they can replenish. Examples include fresh water, soil, and timber.

nonreneable resources

In finite supply and are formed far more slowly than we use them

Ecosystem services

the normal functioning of natural systems and are not meant for our benefit, yet we could not survive without them

purification; climate

An example of ecosystem serivce are air _________ and ________ control

Agricultural revolution

Phenomenon that triggered increase in global population: people began to grow crops, domesticate animals, and live sedentary lives on farms and in villages;

industrial revolution

Phenomenon that triggered increase in global population: A shift from rural life, animal-powered agriculture, and handcrafted goods toward an urban-centered society which brought dramatic advances in technology, sanitation, and medicine.

Ecological footprint

the cumulative area of biologically productive land and water required to provide the resources a person or population consumes and to dispose of or recycle the waste the person or population produces

overshoot

The practice of consuming more resources than are being replenished

Natural capital

Our planet’s vast store of resources and ecosystem services

Science

A systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it.

Descriptive science

Research in which scientists gather basic information about organisms, materials, systems, or processes that are not yet well known

Hypothesis driven science

research that proceeds in a more targeted and structured manner, using empirical observations or controlled experiments to test hypotheses

Scientific method

Technique for testing ideas with observations

Theory

A conceptual framework that explains a phenomenon and has undergone extensive and rigorous testing.

Paradigm

A dominant view

sustainability

A condition in which our actions do not cause lasting harm to the environment and are socially and economically beneficial as well so that people’s needs today are met without impairing future generations’ abilities to meet their own needs.

Matter

All material in the universe that has mass and occupies space

Law of conservation

Matter may be transformed from one type of substance into others, but it cannot be created or destroyed

Element

A fundamental type of matter, a chemical substance with a given set of properties that cannot be broken down into substances with other properties. Examples include carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

Nutrients

Elements that organisms need for survival

Atoms

The smallest unit that maintains the chemical properties of the element

Protons

Positively charged particles in the atom’s nucleus

Neutrons

Particles in the nucleus that lack an electrical charge

Electrons

Negatively charged particles that surround the nucleus 

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element with differing numbers of neutrons

Radioisotopes

Radioactive atoms that have chemical identity change as they shed subatomic particles and emit high-energy radiation

Half life

the amount of time it takes for one-half of a radioisotope atoms to decay 

ions

toms that gain or lose electrons

Molecules

Combination of two or more atoms

Compounds

Molecule composed of atoms of two or more elements

covalent

chemical bond: When electrons are shared between atoms

hydrogen

chemmical bond: A weakly attractive interaction between molecules due to the attraction of partial positive and partial negative charges. Allows water to dissolve other molecules 

ionic

chemical bond: electrons are transferred between atoms, creating oppositely charged ions that bond due to their differing electrical charges

organic compound

Consist of carbon atoms (and generally hydrogen atoms) joined by  covalent bonds

inorganic compound

Lack carbon bonds

hydrocarbons

Consist solely of bonded atoms of carbon and hydrogen

Macromolecule

large molecule

polymers

long chains of repeated moelcules in organic compounds

proteins

Long chains of organic molecules called amino acids.

nucleic acids

Direct the production of proteins. Includes DNA and RNA.

carbohydrates

Simple sugars that are three to seven carbon atoms long

Lipids

Include fats and oils (for energy storage), phospholipids (for cell membranes), waxes (for structure), and steroids (for hormone production)

Aciidc

Solutions in which the H⁺ concentration is greater than the OH⁻ concentration

basic

Solutions in which the OH⁻ concentration exceeds the H⁺ concentration 

PH scale

Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic, and those with a pH greater than 7 are basic

Energy

The capacity to change the position, physical composition, or temperature of matter

potential energy

Energy of position or composition

Kinetic energy

Energy of motion

work

When a force acts on an object, causing it to move

thermodynamics

The study of the relationships between different forms of energy

thermodynamic law 1

Energy can change from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed

thermodynamic law 2

The nature of energy will change from a more-ordered state to a less-ordered state as long as no force counteracts this tendency

Autotrpohs

use the sun’s radiation directly to produce their own food.

photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs produce their own food. Sunlight powers a series of chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar

chloroplasts

what cell organelles does photosyntehssi occur within?

heterotrophs

Organisms that gain their energy by feeding on other organisms

cellular respiration

The process by which a cell uses the chemical reactivity of oxygen to split glucose and thereby release chemical energy

chemosynthesis

The process by which bacteria in hydrothermal vents use the chemical energy of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to transform inorganic carbon into organic compounds

Geology

The study of Earth’s physical features, processes, and history

Core

Earth layers: Earth’s center consisting mostly of iron

mantle

Earth layers: Surrounding the core, this is a thick layer of less dense, elastic rock

Asthenosphere

Part of mantle: A portion of the upper mantle, contains especially soft rock, melted in some areas

lithosphere

Part of mantle: The harder rock above the asthenosphere, includes both the uppermost mantle and the entirety of Earth’s third major layer, the crust

crust

Earth layers: The thin, brittle, low-density layer of rock that covers Earth’s surface. 

PLate tectonics

As the mantle material moves, it drags large plates of lithosphere along its surface.

divergent

plate boundary: Tectonic plates push apart from one another as magma rises upward to the surface, creating new lithosphere as it cools. Example includes Mid Atlantic ridge

transform

plate boundary: Where two plates meet, they may slip and grind alongside one. Example includes the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, for example, slide past one another along California’s San Andreas Fault.

convergent

plate boundary: Where two plates come together, can give rise to different outcomes. 

subduction

The plate tectonic process by which denser crust slides beneath lighter crust at a convergent plate boundary.

continental collision

When two plates of continental lithosphere meet, creating mountains. 

rock cylce

Rocks and the minerals that make them up are heated, melted, cooled, broken down, and reassembled in a very slow process

rock

any solid aggregation of minerals

mineral

Any naturally occurring solid element or inorganic compound with a crystal structure

igneous rock

Rock that forms when magma or lava cools 

extrusive igneous

Quickly cooled molten rock

intrusive igneous

When magma cools slowly and solidifies while it is below Earth’s surface

sedimentary rock

Deep layers of sediment accumulate, causing the weight and pressure on the layers of sediment below them to increase

metamorhpic rock

When any type of rock is subjected to great heat or pressure, it may alter in form. Temperatures lower than the rock’s melting point, but high enough to change its appearance and physical properties.

tsunami

Powerful surge of seawater generated when an offshore earthquake displaces large volumes of rocks and sediment on the ocean bottom, suddenly pushing the overlying ocean water upward

earthquake

The earth may relieve built-up pressure in fits and starts

volcano

Where molten rock, hot gas, or ash erupts through Earth’s surface

land slide

Large amounts of rock or soil collapse and flow downhill

mass wasting

The downslope movement of soil and rock due to gravity