Earth and Environmental Science: Introduction

Earth Science

the branch of science dealing with physical constitution of the earth and its atmosphere

Environmental Science

the branch of science concerned with the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the environment and their effect on organisms

Astronomy

the study of objects beyond Earth's atmosphere

Climatology

The study of the Earth's climate in order to understand and predict climactic change based on past and present variations and temperature precipitation, wind and other weather variables

Geology

The study of materials that make up earth in the processes that form and change these materials

Meteorology

The branch of of earth signs that studies the air that surrounds our planet; study of the atmosphere phenomenon like Precipitation, Cloud Formation, etc.

hydrosphere

All the water in Earth's oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, and glaciers plus all the water in the atmosphere

biosphere

All of Earth's organisms and the environments in which they live

atmosphere

The blanket of gases surrounding Earth that contains about 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% other gases such as Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and Water Vapor

geosphere / lithosphere

The Earth's rigid outer shell, including the crust and the solid, uppermost part of the mantle

Crust

The outermost layer of the lithosphere

Mantle

The mostly solid bulk of Earth's interior that lies between Earth's dense, superheated core and its thin outer layer, the crust; composed mainly of peridotite

Outer core

The outer, liquid part of the Earth's interior

inner core

The inner, solid part of the Earth's interior

Oceanic Crust

earths crust located under the ocean

Continental Crust

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Biotic Factor

the living components of an ecosystem (such as the humans, plants, decomposers, carnivores, parasites, etc)

Abiotic Factor

the nonliving components of an ecosystem (such as water, temperature, pH, humidity, etc)

Atom/Element, Compound/Molecule, Cell, Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere

List each of the following in order from smallest to largest: Ecosystem, Population, Atom/Element, Community, Compound/Molecule, Biosphere, Cell, Organism

Element

A natural or artificial substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substance by physical or chemical means (ex. Hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, iron, etc)

molecule

A combination of two or more atoms joined by covalent bonds

compound

A substance that is composed of two or more elements that are chemically combined (ex. water, Carbon dioxide, glucose, etc)

Cell

the basic unit of life

organism

a single living thing

population

All of the members of one species that live in a specific environment at a specific time

community

A collection of all different species that live in a specific environment at a specific time

ecosystem

A combination of all the biotic and abiotic factors of specific environment

observation

The process of gaining information through the five senses

hypothesis

a testable prediction

control group

group is standard of comparison in the experiment

Experimental Group

Group that is compared to the control group and uses the tested variable

Independent Variable

established and directly manipulated by the experimenter when someone sets up the experiment at the beginning

Dependent Variable

the result or outcome of the experiment

Constants

parts of the experiment that is the same from group to group

Quantitative Data

data expressed in numbers

Qualitative Data

Data that describes the qualities or characteristics of something

theory

A highly tested, generally accepted principle that explains a vast amount of data

Recycling

Convert waste into reusable material

Stewardship

actively participating in the practice of reusing materials by sorting and processing waste to minimize environmental impact

Conservation

Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment

Sustainability

The use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.