Regents Review ESS Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards for Regents Earth Science Systems covering Space Systems, Weather and Climate, and Earth's Systems.

Plasma

a fourth state of matter, a soup of charged particles

Star

massive, huge, ball of heated gas, "plasma", mostly hydrogen and helium held together by gravity, releases light and heat due to nuclear fusion

Hydrogen

most abundant element in the universe, makes up approximately $75\%$ of the matter in the universe as predicted by the Big Bang Theory

Helium

the second most abundant element in the universe, makes up approximately $25\%$ of the matter in the universe as predicted by the Big Bang Theory

Nuclear fusion

atoms combining, like two Hydrogen atoms combining to form Helium, this happens in the core of stars, releases lots of energy (light and heat)

Nucleosynthesis

process by which new atomic nuclei are created within stars, forming elements through nuclear fusion that vary depending on the mass and stage of the star

Deuterium

an isotope of Hydrogen, a result of Hydrogen fusion, "heavy hydrogen", D or $H^2$

Nebula

giant cloud of gas & dust, where starts form

Model

an illustration, a simplified explanation of a complex system

Elements

substances consisting of atoms with the same number of protons, are formed through nuclear processes in stars, from Hydrogen and Helium up to iron in most stars and heavier examples in supernovae

Stellar life span

how long a star lasts, the life time of a star from forming to dying

Life Cycle of Stars

series of stages a star goes through from formation to death, including nebula, protostar, main sequence, giant, dwarf, neutron star, supernova and black hole

Main Sequence

The longest stage in a star's life cycle, where it fuses hydrogen into helium in its core, producing energy and contributing to the formation of elements

Giant Star

follows main sequence in a star's life cycle, when the star expands and cools after running out of hydrogen in the core, it then fuses heavier elements like carbon and oxygen

Dwarf Star

the remains of the core of a low to medium mass star after that star has shed its outer layers, no longer undergoing fusion but still radiating residual heat

Dopler effect

Spread out lower pitch; close together higher pitch

Neutron Star

the dense remnant of a high mass star after a supernova, composed of neutrons, where some of the heaviest elements are formed

Supernova

an implosion when the core of a massive star collapses resulting in an "explosion" and the end of the life of that star

Black Hole

the end stage of the most massive stars, where the gravitational collapse is so intense that not even light can escape, this process contributes to the distribution of heavy elements in the universe

Radiation

energy released in waves, "electromagnetic waves", an example is visible light from the surface of the Sun traveling through space & providing energy for life on Earth

Mass

an amount of stuff or "matter", the amount of mass in a star is what determines the amount of energy, "light" a star releases as well as the life span of that star. More matter = more energy = hotter = shorter life.

Solar Flare

Sudden, intense burst of radiation from the Sun's surface, caused by magnetic activity, can affect space weather, weather and communications on Earth

Sunspots

relatively cooler regions on the surface of the Sun, appear as dark regions on the Sun's surface, caused by intense magnetic fields that block the flow of heat

Space Weather

environmental conditions in space influenced by the Sun's activity, including solar flares and radiation, which can affect satellites, power grids and astronaut safety

Sunspot Cycle

an approximately $11$ year cycle in which the number of sunspots on the Sun's surface increases and decreases, correlating with changes in solar radiation

Big Bang Theory

scientific explanation for the origin of the universe, the idea is that $13.8$ billion years ago, everything in the universe was concentrated in a very small spot, then exploded and is still expanding, "flying apart"

Galaxy

rotating disk of billions of stars attracted to each other by the force of gravity

Universe

all of space, time, matter and energy that exist, includes billions of galaxies, stars, planets

Celestial Object

a natural object in space including stars, moons, planets, comets, asteroids

Electromagnetic Radiation

Waves, energy, including visible light, radio waves and x rays, emitted by stars and other celestial objects, used to analyze their properties and support cosmological theories

Light spectra

the range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation emitted by objects like stars, used to determine their composition, temperature and motion

Redshift or Doppler Shift

the phenomena where light from distant galaxies is shifted toward the red end of the spectrum, indicates that these galaxies are moving away from us, the redshift is supporting evidence for the big bang theory

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB)

The faint glow of radiation left over from the Big Bang, provides a snapshot of the early universe and is considered evidence for the Big Bang Theory

Remnant Radiation

The lingering radiation left over from the early universe, detected as cosmic microwave background radiation, is considered evidence for a hot dense beginning of the universe

Solar System

a collection of planets, moons, asteroids, comets and other objects orbiting around a star such as the Sun, bound together by gravity

Orbital Motion

The path that objects follow as they orbit around a central body such as planets around the Sun or satellites around the Earth, governed by gravity

Gravitational Attraction

The force of attraction between two masses, governs the motion of objects in space, such as the orbit of planets and satellites

Kepler's 1st Law

Planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus

Kepler's 2nd Law

an imaginary line drawn from the planet to the Sun will sweep an equal area in an equal time period, (the planet moves faster when closer to the Sun and slower when farther from the Sun)

Kepler's 3rd law

The orbital period is directly proportional to the distance from the Sun, (the period of orbit squared = the distance from the Sun cubed) *distance in astronomical units

Astronomical Unit (AU)

the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, about $93$ million mi

Phases of the Moon

different appearances of the earth's Moon as seen from earth caused by the changing relative positions of the Moon, Earth and Sun during the Moons orbit around Earth

Tides

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level on earth, caused by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and the Sun on the oceans

Seasons

The changes in weather patterns and daylight hours throughout the year, caused by the tilt of Earth's axis, parallelism and revolution

23.5 degrees

Earth is tilted $23.5$ degrees on its axis

Revolution

Traveling around the Sun, Earth orbits the Sun in approximately $365$ days

Parallelism

throughout Earth's orbit, Earth's axis continues to point at Polaris

Solar Eclipse

an event where the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking the Sun's light and casts a shadow on Earth

Lunar Eclipse

an event where the Earth passes directly between the Moon and the Sun, causes Earth's shadow to fall on the Moon temporarily darkening the full moon

Weather

conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, hot, cold, wet, windy

Climate

Conditions of the atmosphere over many years (as in $30$ years or more)

Climate Change

long-term changes in precipitation, temperature and other weather patterns that occur over several decades

Hydrosphere

the sphere of water on Earth, including liquid, solid and gaseous water on the surface, below and above the surface; i.e. rivers, groundwater, water vapor & glaciers

Geosphere

The solid sphere of rock, minerals and soil on Earth, from the surface of Earth to the center of Earth's core.

Biosphere

all the lifeforms on Earth and the places where they live

Cryosphere

the sphere of frozen water on Earth, includes ice and snow on land, in lakes, in rivers and oceans; glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost

Atmosphere

the sphere of gas that surrounds and protects life on Earth

Precipitation

water falling out of the sky (being removed from the atmosphere) examples include rain, snow, sleet, hail

Ocean Circulation (Ocean Currents)

large scale movement of ocean waters driven by wind, water density differences, and Earth's rotation, which distributes heat across the planet and influences climate over different timescales

Sea level

the average height of the ocean's surface, which can rise or fall due to factors such as melting ice and thermal expansion, affecting coastal areas and ecosystems

Glacial Ice Volumes

the total amount of ice stored in glaciers and ice sheets, which is sensitive to climate change and impacts sea levels and global climate patterns

Solar Output

the amount of energy released by the Sun, which can change over time and affect the amount of energy entering Earth's systems, influencing climate on timescales of decades to centuries

Earth's Orbit

the path that Earth takes around the Sun, which can change due to gravitational interactions with other celestial bodies, affecting the distribution of energy and climate over tens to hundreds of thousands of years

Precession (Wobble)

the wobble of Earth's rotational axis, which changes over long periods and influences the distribution of sunlight, contributing to changes in climate

Tectonic Plate Movement

the shifting of Earth's lithospheric plates, which can alter the position of continents and oceans, affecting ocean circulation, atmospheric patterns and climate over millions of years

Albedo

reflectivity

Geoscience Data

information gathered from observations and measurements of Earth's systems, including climate, weather patterns and environmental conditions, used to analyze and understand climate change

Quantitative Model

a mathematical representation used to describe and predict the behavior of a system such as cycling of carbon or future weather forecasts

Global Climate Models (GCMs)

a type of computer simulation used to simulate Earth's climate system and to make predictions about future climate change

Mitigate

to reduce or lessen

Air Masses

very large regions of air with similar moisture and temperature characteristics which move across regions and influence local weather conditions

Wind

horizontal movement of air caused by the uneven heating of Earth's surface

Planetary Winds

major wind patterns caused by the rotation of the Earth and the uneven heating of the Earth's surface, these winds influence the direction of ocean currents as well as the direction of air masses

Convection Cells

circulation patterns in liquids and gases resulting from differences in density, for example warm, less dense air rising and cooler, more dense air sinking

Front

the boundary where air masses meet, (the leading edge of an air mass), fronts are associated with a change in temperature and pressure, causing cloud formation and precipitation

High Pressure System

a weather system with heavy, cool, dry, dense, sinking air usually associated with clear, calm weather

Low Pressure System

a weather system with light, warm, moist rising air usually associated with cloudy, stormy weather with precipitation

Greenhouse Gasses

gasses including methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor that absorb, "trap" infrared radiation, "heat"

Greenhouse Effect

gasses including methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor in Earth's atmosphere act as windows of a greenhouse by allowing visible light "sunlight" to pass through and then trap infrared radiation "heat" released from Earth.

Fossil Fuels

fuels including coal, peat, crude oil and natural gas that used to be living organisms.

Emissions

the release of substances, energy, gas, heat, or light into the environment from a source, examples include smoke from a fire, exhaust from a car or radio waves from a transmitter

Feedback Mechanism

a process where the output of a system loops back to influence its input, sometimes helping the system control, adjust, or regulate itself, sometimes not

Positive feedback Loop

an increase in one factor causes and increase in an effect

Negative feedback Loop

an increase in one factor causes a decrease in an effect

Carbon Cycle

the exchange/recycling of carbon between the atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere and the hydrosphere.

Carbon Dioxide

$CO_2$ is a gas compound, (carbon and oxygen) released during cellular respiration and during combustion (burning), carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas

Combustion

burning

Photosynthesis

Plants, algae and some bacteria make their own food from carbon dioxide, sunlight and water releasing oxygen as a byproduct

Ocean acidification

the process by which oceans become more acidic due to increased absorption of carbon dioxide, affecting marine life and ecosystems

Urbanization

cities growing larger by converting land from farms or forests to cities/towns

Soil Erosion

removal of valuable topsoil

Groundwater

water underground, between particles of soil or rock, supplies wells & springs

Aquifer

A large underground reservoir capable of holding groundwater, made of sand, gravel or permeable bedrock

Rate of Permeability

how fast water can flow through a material (gallons per minute)

Porosity

the amount of empty space in a material (pore space capable of holding water)

Infiltration

filtering in, soaking in, (i.e. rainwater soaking into the soil)

Runoff

water flowing along the surface, (the opposite of infiltration) (i.e. rainwater flowing over a parking lot not soaking in during heavy rain)

Dynamic Equilibrium

within a system there are things moving and changing, yet overall that system remains in balance

Carbon Reservoirs

places where Carbon is stored including oceans, the atmosphere, rocks, fossil fuels and living organisms

Carbon Fluxes

the way that carbon can be transferred from one reservoir to another including photosynthesis, cellular respiration or combustion