Environmental Science

Study!

Biotic factor

Living organisms in the environment 

Abiotic factor

Non-living factors in the environment

Earth is a ______ system

Closed

What is a closed system 

A closed system is when matter can’t get in or out

What is a geosphere?

A geosphere is the solid, continental surface part of the Earth

What is a hydrosphere? 

Contains all the water on Earth

What is an atmosphere?

Contains all the air/gases on Earth

What is a biosphere?

Can be found anywhere; where all living organisms are found

Prefix for geo?

Earth or land

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection are all part of the?

Water cycle 

What is tragedy of the commons?

When resources are used more than they can be regenerated (fish)

What is the law of conservation?

Energy can be transferred but cannot be created or destroyed 

What are nutrients?

They are matter that organisms require for their life processes (to survive)

Macronutrients are required in _____ amounts

Large

Micronutrients are required in ____ amounts

Small

Nutrients cycle through the environment in cycles called ______ cycles

Biogeochemical

What is the carbon cycle?

Routes that carbon atoms take through the environment

Are organisms primary producers?

Yes

Plants and algae produce their own food through ______

Photosynthesis

How do animals obtain their nutrients?

By eating other organisms 

What is cellular respiration?

When organisms use oxygen to release the chemical energy of sugars and release CO2 & H2O

What happens when organisms die in water?

They settle in sediments

Soft tissues can be transformed into?

Fossil fuels

Shells and skeletons can be transformed into?

Sedimentary rock

How does sedimentary rock release some of its carbon?

Through erosion and volcanic eruptions 

Fossil fuels release carbon when we _____ fossil fuels

Extract

Phosphorus is a key component in molecules such as?

DNA & RNA

Most phosphorus is bound up where?

In rock

When is phosphorus released?

When rocks are warn down by water or wind 

Humans mine phosphorus to use as?

Fertilizer

Release phosphorus-rich?

Waste water from homes & businesses (detergents use phosphorus)

The use of too much phosphorus in water can lead to?

Overgrowth of algae (algae blooms)

Overgrowth of producers (usually algae) is called?

Eutrophication

What is hypoxia?

Extreme cases of eutrophication where the oxygen levels are low causing dead zones 

Has dead zones ever occurred?

Yes in 1998 in the Gulf of Mexico