Abeka, Science 8: Earth and Space Test 12 - Final

subsoil

The layer of soil beneath the topsoil that contains mostly clay and other minerals.

strike-slip fault

a type of fault where rocks on either side move past each other sideways with little up or down motion

shield volcano

a type of volcano that pours out highly fluid lava during its mild eruptions to produce a broad, gently sloping cone.

sapphire

a precious gem deep blue in color

water

the main agent of chemical weathering

breccia

sedimentary rock that consists of rough, angular fragments embedded in hardened sand or clay?

drumlins

hills that form when advancing glaciers overrun old piles of till

Uniformitarianism

view that claims that understanding modern geological processes is the key to understanding the earth's geological history

natural selection

Darwin based his evolutionary ideas on?

continental shelf

sandy, gently sloping underwater plain that borders the coasts of continent

AUV

type of oceanographic vessel is lowered from a surface ship near the area to be studied and can operate without any outside guidance

ionosphere

Layer of the atmosphere that acts like a giant mirror, bouncing certain types of radio waves back down toward the ground.

angle of sun's rays

the sun outputs the same amount of energy in summer and winter, but summer is much warmer than winter. What factor of insolation has the most influence on this difference?

temperate cell

convention cell that exists between latitude 30 degrees and latitude 60 degrees.

dew point

what term refers to the temperature at which cooling air becomes saturated?

stratocumulus

type of cloud that forms a low, heavy layer of gray puffs and is the most frequent type observed

snowflakes

Ice crystals that grow as they absorb water vapor from a cloud and stick together.

occluded front

a combination of three air masses to forma Y-shaped front

levee

A natural ridge formed along the edge of a river's channel.

Soyuz

russian spacecraft which is the primary way astronauts to get to the ISS.

lunar month

the time for the moon to orbit the earth and go through all the phases

nova

A star that suddenly becomes brighter

interferometry

technique used to dramatically increase the resolution of radio telescope images by combining signals from multiple telescopes

constellations

astronomers divide the celestial sphere into 88 zones are called?

gyres

the oceans surface currents move in circular paths called?

cumulus stage

which stage of a thunderstorm ends with a huge cumulonimbus cloud that has no precipitation hitting the ground?

wall cloud

The first visible sign that a tornado may be forming from a mesocyclone is the formation of a ...

wind

the most destructive force of a hurricane

ceilometer

and instrument that measures the distance from the ground to the base of clouds

Galileo Galilei

Who proved the heliocentric view of the solar system through his telescopic observations?

Jupiter

planet with the fastest rotation?

meteorite

a meteor that lands on the earth's surface

circumpolar

term that describes a star that is always above the horizon at a given latitude?

Big Dipper

familiar asterism that is part of Ursa Major?

Lyra

constellation that contains the brightest summer star?

spicule

a flame-like column of gas that erupts from the chromosphere

binary star

a system in which two stars are bound together by gravity.

lenticular galaxy

type of galaxy that is flat with a bulging nucleus and a "solid" disk

blueshift

change in the light that is observed from a star moving toward Earth

nadir

the point on the celestial sphere that is directly below the observer

Julian

calendar that has leap years every four years with no exceptions

Skylab

The United States first launched space station?

Apollo

space program that first landed a man on the moon

scrubber

system that removes certain gases and particles from industrial exhaust

sedimentary cycles

group of biochemical cycles recycle nutrients found in soil and rock

petroleum

fossil fuel that is a dark, oily liquid consisting primarily of hydrocarbons

Clean Air Acts

U.S. laws, amendments, and extensions that control air pollution on a national level

nuclear reactor

a device that safely starts and controls a fission chain reaction

chlorofluorocarbons

group of long-living halogen compounds that are supposedly the primary cause of ozone depletion

preservationist

term that describes someone who believes humans are merely passing through the earth and have no claim to anything

a stopped rocket can be restarted

an advantage of liquid-fuel rockets over solid-fuel rockets.

sun-synchronous orbit

type of orbit that crosses the equator at the same local mean solar time on every orbit

communication satellite

type of satellite that can relay telephone conversations, transmit television broadcasts, and receive radio services

it is repurposed

usually happens to a landfill after it has been completely filled

ethanol

a biofuel derived from corn, grains, or agricultural waster

plants

a biotic factor

plastic pellets

which of these are NOT one of the basic types of water pollutants: macroscopic items, chemicals, pathogens, and plastic pellets

high acidity

property of lakes and rivers that agricultural lime can be used to correct

power is constantly available

an advantage of hydroelectric power

natural gas

a vapor consisting primarily of the hydrocarbon methane

Medieval Climate Optimum

time period that has an average global temperatures warmer than at present

nuclear fission

process in which the atom of an element with a large nucleus breaks into two atoms of elements with smaller nuclei

air pollution

the introduction of harmful chemicals or microscopic solids into the atmosphere

land pollution

type of pollution that does a waste-to-energy incinerator help reduce

sustainable development

a system that seeks to maintain our current lifestyle while preserving resources for further generations

halons

useful fire-fighting chemicals were restricted under Montreal Protocol

pollution

refers to any harmful substance that is released into the soil, air, or water

waxing gibbous

when the moon moves from first quarter to full it is described as?

biomass energy

oldest form of renewable energy and is obtained from plant and animal products

Point Source Water Pollution

pouring used automotive fluid into a lake would be a type of?

Hohmann transfer orbit

most fuel-efficient way for a spacecraft to move between circular orbits at different altitudes

temperature inversion

a situation in which warm air rests on top of a layer of cold air, trapping the cold air against Earth's surface

renewable energy

energy that is generated from resources like living things, sunlight, wind, and water

anemometer

instrument used to measure the speed of the wind

carbon dioxide

environmentalists usually climb that recent rises in global temperature are caused by human release of ?

convection, because warm air rises through cold air

when soaring birds want to rise higher in the atmosphere, they often will find a column of rising air, called a thermal, and circle around the rising air until they reach their desired altitude. What method of heat transfer causes the thermal?

The sun's gravitation pulls more strongly on closer planets.

A statement that best explains why planets closer to the sun and orbits the sun faster than those farther away

The stars do not seem to move as Earth orbits the sun

Throughout the year, the length of a sidereal day does not change. Why not?

wind power

A homeowner in the tropics wants to be able to power his home using renewable energy. His home is near the sea, leading to frequent sea and land breezes. For much of the year, it rains almost every day. Based on what you know, what type of power would be best to use?

conservationist

Sarah and Ella are disagreeing on the use of wood as a natural resource. Sarah says that humans should avoid using wood as a resource and should instead leave forests in their natural condition. Ella says that humans should harvest trees from some areas for use and plant new trees in those areas. Which of the following terms best describe Ella's view?