AP Environmental Science Unit 4 - Earth Systems

AP Environmental Science Unit 4 - Earth Systems

Core

Core

A dense mass of solid nickel, iron, and radioactive elements that release massive amounts of heat.

Mantle

A liquid layer of magma surrounding the core, kept liquified by intense heat from the core.

Asthenosphere

A solid, flexible outer layer of the mantle, beneath the lithosphere.

Lithosphere

A thin, brittle layer of rock floating on top of the mantle, broken up into tectonic plates.

Crust

The very outer layer of the lithosphere, the Earth's surface.

Divergent Plate Boundary

Plates move away from each other, often forming mid-oceanic ridges, volcanoes, seafloor spreading, and rift valleys.

Convergent Plate Boundary

Plates move towards each other, leading to subduction, mountain formation, island arcs, earthquakes, and volcanoes.

Transform Fault Plate Boundary

Plates slide past each other in opposite directions, often resulting in earthquakes.

Magma

Heated by the Earth's core, it rises towards the lithosphere, creating mid-oceanic ridges, volcanoes, and spreading zones.

Subduction Zone

Occurs when oceanic plates are forced underneath continental plates, leading to the formation of coastal mountains, volcanoes, and trenches.

Oceanic-Oceanic Convergent Boundary

One oceanic plate subducts underneath another, resulting in the formation of mid-ocean volcanoes and island arcs.

Oceanic-Continental Convergent Boundary

A dense oceanic plate subducts beneath a continental plate, leading to the formation of coastal mountains, volcanoes on land, trenches, and tsunamis.

Continental-Continental Convergent Boundary

One continental plate subducts underneath the other, forcing the surface crust upward and forming mountains.

Transform Fault Boundary

Plates sliding past each other in opposite directions create a fault, often resulting in earthquakes.

Ring of Fire

A pattern of volcanoes all around the Pacific plate.

Transform Faults

Likely locations of earthquakes.

Hotspots

Areas of especially hot magma rising up to the lithosphere, often resulting in the formation of mid-ocean islands.

Soil

A mix of geologic (rock) and organic (living) components, including sand, silt, clay, and humus.

Humus

The main organic part of soil, formed from broken down biomass like leaves, dead animals, and waste.

Nutrients

Ammonium, phosphates, and nitrates that are essential for plant growth and found in soil.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces through physical, biological, and chemical processes.

Erosion

The transport of weathered rock fragments by wind and rain, carrying them to new locations and depositing them.

Parent Material

The weathering of rocks that produces smaller fragments and makes up the geological/inorganic part of soil.

Soil Horizons

O-horizon (layer of organic matter), A-horizon (topsoil), B-horizon (subsoil), and C-horizon (least weathered soil).

Soil Degradation

The loss of the ability of soil to support plant growth, often caused by topsoil loss, compaction, and nutrient depletion.

Soil Particle Size

Refers to the size of sand, silt, and clay particles in soil, which determine soil texture.

Soil Texture

The percentage of sand, silt, and clay in a soil, which affects its porosity, permeability, and water holding capacity.

Porosity

The amount of pore space a soil has, which is influenced by the percentage of sand, silt, and clay.

Permeability

How easily water drains through a soil, which is influenced by its porosity.

H2O Holding Capacity

How well water is retained or held by a soil, which is influenced by its porosity and permeability.

Soil Fertility

The ability of soil to support plant growth, which is influenced by nutrient content, pH, and water holding capacity.

Characteristics and Tests of Soil Quality

Includes texture, permeability, pH, color, and nutrient level, which can be tested to assess soil quality.

Troposphere

The layer of the Earth's atmosphere closest to the surface where weather occurs and most of the atmosphere's gas molecules are found.

Ozone

A form of oxygen (O3) found in the troposphere that is harmful to humans and damages plant stomata, and contributes to the formation of smog.

Temperature Gradient

The change in temperature with distance from the Earth's surface, which determines the layers of the Earth's atmosphere.

Thermosphere

The layer of the Earth's atmosphere where temperature increases due to the absorption of highly energetic solar radiation, making it the hottest place on Earth.

Mesosphere

The layer of the Earth's atmosphere where temperature decreases because density decreases, making it the coldest place on Earth.

Stratosphere

The layer of the Earth's atmosphere where temperature increases because the top layer is warmed by UV rays, similar to the surface of a pool.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of objects traveling through the atmosphere due to the Earth's rotation, which causes winds to move in curved paths.

Global Wind Patterns

The prevailing wind patterns on Earth, including the trade winds between 0-30 degrees (blowing from east to west), and the westerlies between 30-60 degrees (blowing from west to east).

Insolation

The amount of solar radiation (energy from the sun's rays) reaching an area, which depends on the angle of the sun's rays and the amount of atmosphere the rays pass through.

Albedo

The proportion of light that is reflected by a surface, with surfaces having higher albedo reflecting more light and absorbing less heat.

Climate

The long-term average weather conditions in a particular area, which is largely determined by insolation and geography.

Rain Shadows

The phenomenon where warm, moist air from the ocean rises and cools as it hits the windward side of a mountain, causing rain, while dry air descends on the leeward side, creating arid desert conditions.

El Nino

A pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean that leads to warmer and rainier conditions along the coast of South America.

La Nina

A pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean that leads to cooler and drier conditions along the coast of South America.

Gyres

Large ocean circulation patterns caused by global winds, with clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere.

Upwelling Zones

Areas of the ocean where winds blow warm surface water away from a land mass, drawing up colder, deeper water that is rich in oxygen and nutrients.

Thermohaline Circulation

The global circulation of the world's oceans, which mixes salt, nutrients, and temperature throughout, and plays a role in redistributing heat around the Earth.

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

The pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean between South America and Australia/Southeast Asia, which oscillates between El Nino and La Nina conditions.