Earth and Environmental Final

solar system

sun, planets, and all the other objects that revolve around the sun

galaxy

large group of stars, dust, and gas held together by gravity; can be elliptical, spiral, or irregular

universe

all matter and energy that exists in space

precession

a slow motion of Earth's axis that traces out a cone over a period of 26,000 years

nutation

wobbling of the Earth's axis that is superimposed on Earth's precession.

barycenter

the common center of mass around which two or more bodies revolve

rotation

spinning of Earth on its imaginary axis, which takes about 24 hours to complete and causes day and night to occur

revolution

Earth's yearlong elliptical orbit around the sun

fusion

a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

fission

a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

apogee

the point in its orbit when a planet or satellite is farthest away from the earth

perigee

the point in its orbit when a planet or satellite is nearest to the earth

season

short period of climate change in an area caused by the tilt of Earth's axis as Earth revolves around the sun

autumnal equinox

day of the year that marks the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere

summer solstice

day with the most hours of sunlight and the fewest hours of darkness

winter solstice

day with the fewest hours of sunlight and the most hours of darkness

vernal equinox

day of the year that marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere

electromagnetic waves

waves that transfer electric and magnetic energy through the vacuum of space.

photosynthesis

the process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy

radiation

the direct transfer of energy through space by electromagnetic waves

alternative energy

energy sources that do not come from fossil fuels; a renewable or inexhaustible resource.

biofuels

fuels derived from biological materials such as crops and animal wastes.

nuclear fusion

the process by which hydrogen atoms join together to form helium, releasing energy

fuel cells

mechanical devices that use hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuel, such as methane, to produce an electric current; clean, quiet, and highly efficient sources of electricity

geothermal

a resource uses the earth's thermal energy to heat water and uses the steam to turn a generator to produce electric energy.

aquaculture

farming aquatic species, commonly salmon, shrimp, tilapia, oysters.

traditional agriculture

farming methods in which each family in a community grows crops for themselves and rely on animal and human labor to plant and harvest crops.

sustainable agriculture

farming methods that preserve long-term productivity of land and minimize pollution, typically by rotating soil- restoring crops with cash crops and reducing in-puts of fertilizer and pesticides.

intercropping

the practice of growing two or more different crops at the same time on a plot. (ex/ a carbohydrate-rich grain that depletes soil nitrogen and a protein-rich legume that adds nitrogen to the soil)

crop rotation

the practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.

companion planting

the practice of planting specific plant together to help deter insects or to attract insects away from crops of interest

carrying capacity

number of organisms that a specific environment can support

limiting factor

any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms.

ecological footprint

a way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth; including the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to support a person or population

reduce, reuse, recycle

a part of integrated waste management and the desire to reduce the amount of waste put out by an area and to increase the rate at which the waste is used again

biotic

the living organisms in an ecosystem

abiotic

nonliving, physical features of the environment, including air, water, sunlight, soil, temperature, and climate

biodiversity

the number of different species in a given area

biome

a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

ecosystem

a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

Mountain Region

a region in western North Carolina defined by high elevations; cooler climate with the Appalachians that diverts cold, Canadian air masses from the rest of the state; and rich, rocky soil

Piedmont Region

a region in central North Carolina defined by hilly, rolling land; milder winters and hotter summers; and clay soil

Coastal Plain Region

a region in eastern North Carolina defined by low, flat land; mild winters and summers; and sandy, fertile soil that supports much of the agriculture in the state

population

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

niche

full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

loss of habitat

Cause: industrialization, farming, increasing human population; Effect: loss of biodiversity

invasive species

species that have migrated to areas where they did not originate; often displace native species by outcompeting them for resources

nonnative species

species that migrate into an ecosystem or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans.

native species

species that have naturally evolved in an area

overharvesting

catching or removing from a population more organisms than the population can replace

Koppen Climate Classification

a system for classifying climates that is based on mean monthly and annual values of temp and precipitation.

temperate climate

a mild climate between tropical and subarctic climates.

tropical climate

a type of climate found in the areas just north or south of the equator, where weather is usually hot.

Polar Climate

a type of climate found in the areas around the north and south pole, where the weather is cold.

weather

the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.

climate

overall weather in an area over a long period of time.

El Nino

a warming of the ocean water along the western coast of South America.

La Nina

a cooling of the ocean water along the western coast of South America.

sun spots

dark spots on the sun caused by disturbances of the sun's magnetic field.

Greenhouse effect

warming of the Earth due to the insulating effect of gases in the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases

gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect.

carbon dioxide

an odorless, colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances.

methane

a colorless, odorless, flammable hydrocarbon gas present in natural gas and formed by the decomposition of organic matter.

Carbon Footprint

measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide

microclimate

climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area

heat island

An area in which the air temperature is generally higher than the temperature of surrounding rural areas.

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels

glaciation

the process of covering the earth with glaciers or masses of ice

ice age

period of time when much of the Earth was covered by glaciers

Doppler Effect

change in the wave frequency that occurs in energy when that energy moves toward or away from an observer

anemometer

weather instrument used to measure wind speed

hygrometer

weather instrument used to measure relative humidity

barometer

weather instrument used to measure air pressure

humidity

amount of water vapor in the air

relative humidity

ratio of water vapor contained in a specific volume of air compared with how much water vapor that amount of air actually can hold

dew point

temperature to which air is cooled at a constant pressure to reach saturation, at which point condensation can occur

heat index

a combination of temperature and humidity- tells you how hot you will feel as a result of humidity's effect on the sweating process- its hard for the body to regulate its internal temperature in high humidity

wind chill

phenomenon measured by an index which estimates the heat loss from human skin caused by a combination of wind and cold air

acid rain

precipitation with a pH of less than 5.0 that forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with moisture in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid and nitric acid

sulfur dioxide (SO2)

a colorless gas detected by its pungent odor; produced by the burning of fossil fuels, especially coal, that contain sulfur as an impurity; can react in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid, a component of acid deposition

nitrogen oxides (NOx)

a pollutant in the atmosphere; mostly created by burning fossil fuels, especially in car exhaust, can lead to acid deposition or photochemical smog as a secondary air pollutant

aerosols

tiny solid particles or liquid droplets that remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long time

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

a human-made chemical, primarily used in refrigerants, that is an important contributor to the destruction of the ozone layer.

scrubber

device that is used to remove some pollutants before they are relased by smokestacks

troposphere

Layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth's sruface, where most of the mass of the atmosphere is found and in which most weather takes place and air pollution collects.

stratosphere

Layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer; temperature increases as you go up

ozone

A gas, formed by the addition of a third oxygen atom to an oxygen molecule, that exists in a layer in the atmosphere and absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun; the major chemical in smog

heat

energy transfer that occurs because of a difference in temperature between substances and flows from an object of higher temperature to an object of lower temperature.

temperature

measurement of how quickly or how slowly molecules move around, which can be measured in F or C or Kelvin.

radiant energy

energy that travels as waves and can move through empty space in the form of electromagnetic radiation, includes visible light. Also referred to as light energy, solar energy

conduction

energy transfer that occurs when molecules collide; takes place only when substances are in contact with each other.

convection

transfer of energy by the flow of a heated substance

air mass

large body of air that takes on the characteristics of the area over which it forms; can be described by its stability, temperature, and humidity

isobar

A line drawn on a weather map that connects places that have the same air pressure

front

boundary between two air masses of differing densities; can be cold, warm stationary, or occluded (shut out) and can stretch over large areas of Earth's surface

jet stream

high-altitude, narrow, westerly wind band that occurs above large temperature contrasts and can flow as fast as 185 km/h

condensation nuclei

small particles in teh atmosphere aroudn which cloud droplets can form

tornado

violent, whirling column of air in contact with the ground that forms when wind direction and speed suddenly change with height, is often associated with a supercell, and can be extremely damaging

hurricane

A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h (74 mi/h) spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center

Saffir-Simpson Scale

classifies hurricanes according to air pressure in the center, wind speed, and property damage potential on a scale ranging from Category 1 to Category 5.