Pearson EnvSci Ch 3: Earth Systems without 3.1

Feedback loop

a circular process that describes how an event is both a cause and an effect in the same system; can be positive or negative

Positive feedback loop

a feedback loop in which change in a system is amplified

Negative feedback loop

A feedback loop in which a system responds to a change by returning to its original state, or by decreasing the rate at which the change is occurring.

open system

a system in which exchanges of matter or energy occur across system boundaries

closed system

Matter and energy DO NOT cross system boundaries

dead zone

In a body of water, an area with extremely low oxygen concentration and very little life

cause of dead zones

fertilizer runoff leading to an algal bloom, then algal die off, decomposers breakdown dead stuff - use up all oxygen

Dead zone prevention

apply fertilizer in the dry season, crop rotation with legumes

Erosion

the removal of soil by water, wind, ice, or gravity

Geosphere

all of the rock at and below Earth's surface

Lithosphere

sphere of Earth made up of the hard rock on and just below Earth's surface; the outermost layer of both Earth and its geosphere

Biosphere

the Earth and all of its organisms and environments

Atmosphere

the thin layer of gases that surrounds Earth

Hydrosphere

all of the water—saltwater and fresh water, in the form of liquid, ice, or vapor—above and below Earth's surface and in the atmosphere

Crust

the thin layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface on land and in the ocean

Tectonic plate

one of the rigid layers of the lithosphere

Landform

a mountain, island, or continent formed by the collisions and separations of tectonic plates

Divergent boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other.

Result of Divergent Boundary

new seafloor

Convergent boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other.

Result of convergent boundary

mountains or subduction zone

Transform boundary

A plate boundary where two plates slide past each other in opposite directions

Result of a transform boundary

earthquakes

Evaporation

a change in state from a liquid to a gas

Transpiration

the release of water vapor by plants through their leaves

Precipitation

the return of water from the atmosphere to Earth's surface in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Condensation

a change in state from a vapor to a liquid

Aquifer

underground caverns and porous layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock through which groundwater flows

runoff

Water that does not sink into the ground or evaporate into the air runs off into bodies of water

infiltration

precipitation or water soaks into subsurface soils and moves into rocks through cracks or pore spaces

Groundwater

Precipitation infiltrates the ground and is stored in soil and rock

Law of conservation of matter

the principle that states that matter can change form but cannot be created or destroyed

Nutrient

matter that organisms need to carry out their life processes

Biogeochemical cycle

the circulation of nutrients through the atmosphere

Primary producer

an organism that can capture energy from the sun or from chemicals and store it; also called autotroph

Photosynthesis

the process by which primary producers use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars, releasing oxygen

Consumer

an organism that relies on other organisms for energy and nutrients; also called heterotroph

Decomposer

an organism (e.g., a fungus or bacterium) that breaks down nonliving matter into simple parts that can then be taken up and reused by primary producers

Cellular respiration

the process by which organisms use oxygen to release the chemical energy of sugars, producing carbon dioxide and water

carbon storage

Captures carbon dioxide and stores it instead of releasing out into the atmosphere

carbon cycle

the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back

combustion

the process of burning something

Eutrophication

the introduction of phosphorus into a body of water that leads to an overgrowth of algae and other producers

Nitrogen fixation

the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia

uptake

plants drawing water from the ground through roots

water table

the level below which the ground is saturated with water

open system

Matter and energy cross system boundaries

system

a set of components that function and interact in some regular way

Hydrogen bond

an oxygen atom of a water molecule is weakly attracted to one or two hydrogen atoms of another

Nitrification

bacteria converting ammonia to nitrate for plants to use

Assimilation

plants absorb nitrates from soil to make proteins or animals eat plants (or other animals) and obtain proteins

Ammonification

decomposers break down waste and dead organisms- nitrogen back to soil (bacteria can convert for plants to use)

Denitrification

Bacteria in the soil break down nitrates and return to nitrogen gas to the air

phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks. - Rocks are largest reservoir, no atmospheric phase - is a limiting nutrient and found in fertilizer

human impact on phosphorus cycle

fertilizer runoff, overharvesting of soil supplies, erosion

human impact on water cycle

deforestation (decreases everything, increases runoff), irrigation, fertilizers/pollutants, damming (increases evaporation), and overuse of water

human impact on carbon cycle

deforestation and burning fossil fuels

human impact on nitrogen cycle

1) burning fossil fuels releases nitrogen oxides at a low level in the atmosphere which then leads to poisonous ozone being created at a low level

2) Farmers use too much fertilizer, which results in the excess going to ponds and other bodies of water and forming algae