Unit 1 - Earth Systems and Resources

Convergent Boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other.

Divergent Boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other.

Transform Boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions

Subduction Zone

The site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate.

Earthquake

Massive amount of stored energy, held in place by friction, is released in a very short period of time

Hotspot

A weak spot in the middle of a tectonic plate where magma surfaces; forms a volcano (ex: Hawaii & Yellowstone)

Tsunami

A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor. Energy released by the movement of the Earth is transferred to the water.

Ecosystem services of soil

Medium for plant growth. Primary filter of water from atmosphere into rivers. Provides habitat for many organisms

Erosion

the transport of fragments of rock by water, wind, ice, or gravity.

humus

material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter

Soil degradation

The loss of some or all of a soil's ability to support plant growth

Tilling

The turning-over of soil before planting.

Compaction

the process that presses sediments together

Particle sizes

sand (largest), silt, clay (smallest)

Soil nutrient

N, P, K+, Mg2+, Ca+, Na+

Pore space

the space between soil particles

Permeability

Ability of soil to allow water to flow through it

Layer of atmosphere where weather occurs, closed to earth

troposphere

Makes up 78% of the atmosphere

Nitrogen (N2)

Makes up 21 % of the atmosphere

Oxygen (O2)

Layer of atmosphere that contains the ozone layer

stratosphere

Ozone layer function

protects the earth from harmful exposure to too many UV rays

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of objects, winds, and currents on the surface of the Earth due to the planet's rotation

Hadley Cell

a large-scale atmospheric convection cell in which air rises at the equator and sinks at medium latitudes, typically about 30° north or south.

Latitudes that receive the most direct sunlight

near the equator

Watershed

Area of land that drains to the same body of water

Cause of the season

Tilt of the earth

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

white surface (snow) = high

dark surface (water) = low

Rain shadow effect

Precipitation falls on the windward side of a mountain range, resulting in lush vegetation & a warm, moist climate on one side, but a desert area on the leeward side.

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

Pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure and ocean currents and the Pacific ocean between South America and Australia / Southeast Asia

Upwelling

The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface