Earth Science Reveiw 24-25

A possible explanation or answer to a question is a?

hypothesis

A series of steps scientists follow to solve problems is called?

scientific method

communication the results of an investigation allows other scientists to do what

repeat/verify

what is key about variables in a controlled experiemnt

only one variable changes

why is it important to have hte internatinal system of units

standardization

what causes differences in air pressure around the earth

uneven heating

what is convection

heat transfer in fluids

wwin doccurs because of differences in what

air pressure

the protective ozone layer is found in what layer of the atmosphere

stratosphere

most of earths atmosphere is composed of what two elementsr

nitrogen and oxygen

what charateristics does the continential tropical air mass have

hot and dry

define a front

boundry between air masses

what is a stationary front

stalled front

what causes seasons to change

earths tilt

what is a microclimate? examples?

small, local climate: ex. city park

the temperature at which condensation begins is called what

dew point

what are the two most important factors determining the climate of an area

temperature and precipitation

which gas is most associated with global warming

carbon dioxide

what are some possilble ways that the earth might possibly ocol

volcanic eruptions, less solar activity

which area of earth receives almost vertical rays of the sun all through the year

equator

a city and a forest are located in the same region, on a hot summer day, which woul dhave cooler outdoor temps

forest

smog is primarily caued by what factors

emissions + sunlight

why is ozone in the stratosphere very important to living things

blocks UV rays

how would earths surface temperature be affected if there were no greenhouse effect

colder

how does the coriolis effect make ocean currents appear to move in the norther hemisphere

clockwise deflection

what are deep currents different from surface currents

deeper, colder, denser

what happens to the water that is left behind after evaporation

saltier

where would the temperature of the ocean probabli be lowest

poles

surface currents are caused by what

wind

the curved paths of global winds and surface currents are caused by what effect

coriolis effect

define a watershed

land draining into a body of water

how can animal wastes and fertilizers effect surface water quality

nutrient pollution

how is limiting the amount of development on flood plains benificial

less flooding/ pollution

define a drainage basin

area collecting participation

what are major sources that contribute excess sediments in waterways

soil erosion, deforesttaion,runoff

what is the difference between point sources of water pollution and non point water pollution? give examples of both

point sources comes from a single identifiable sources (factory pipe)
non point sources comes from diffuse sources (agriculture runoffs)

what is te major characteristic that is used to classify the three major groups of rocks

Igneous: Cooling magma
sedimentary: compressed sediments
metamorphic: heat and pressure altering existing rock

if granite undergoes high temperature and high. pressures at depth within earth, what type of rock will be formed? assume that granite does not melt

metamorphic rocks

where is the energy source found that drives the processes that form igneous and metamorphic rocks

heat

a rock that forms when magma hardens beneath earths surface is called an

intrusive igneous rock

fossils are only found in what type of rock

sedimentary

where or under what settings would a metamorphic rock most likely form

deep underground, with lots of pressure

what are the agents of metamorphism

heat, pressure, chemically active fluids

the order of the layers of the earth from the surface to the center is

crust, mantle, outer core, inner core

seafloor spreading occurs at which of the following plate boundaries

divergent plate boundries

a fault formed at the point where two plates slide past each other is called a

transform fault

the theory that earths crust and upper mantle are broken into sections that are constatnly moving is called

plate tectonics

what hypothesis states that continents were once joined to form a single super continent

pangea/ continential drift

the super continent in the continential drift hypothesis was called

pangea

what evidence supports wegeners hypothesis

matching coastlines, similar rock formation, cross continent fossil similarities

what was the main reason wegeners continential drift hypothessi was rejected

he couldnt explain how the continents moved

most earthquakes happen at the edges of

tectonic plates

a break in the earths crust along which blocks of crust slide relative to one another is a

fault

the strength of an earthquake is determined by the

amount of energy released at its focus

what is the degree to which people feel an earthquake and how much damage it causes called

intensity

what seismic waves that acuse particles of rock to move in a side to side direction (or up and down)

secondary waves (S- waves)

what seismic waves that cause particles of rock to move in a back and forth motion (squeeze and pull)

primary waves (p-waves)

what is the point along a fault at which the first motion of an earthquake occurs

the focus

wha tis the point on earths surface directly above an earthquakes starting point

the epicenter

are fosisl fuels renewable and can be replaced in a relatively short amount of time

no/false

examples of fossil fuels are

coal, oil, natural gas

does burning coal contribute to greenhouse gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide

yes/true

to produce energy, nuclear power plants use a process called what

nuclear fission

energy released by hear(?) within the earth is called

geothermal energy

Nuclear energy

energy released from the nucleus of an atom through fission/fusion

chemical energy

energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds

hydroelectric energy

energy generated by moving water

wind energy

energy generated by wind turning turbines

gasohol energy

combo of gasoline and ethanol to power vehicles

what are the possible consequneces of global warming

rising sea leevels, extreme weather, melting glaciers

what is radon

colorloess, odorless, radioactive gas (its deadly)

what causes acid precipitation

solar dioxide and nitrogen oxides

what is the main problem caused by the ozzone hole

increased UV radiation

what is a population

group of individuals of same species living in a specifc area

what are examples of biotic factors in an ecosystem

plants, animals, bacteria, fungi

what are 2 possible contributors to the increase of the worlds population in the last century

advances in medicine and improved agriculture

what is the worlds current population

8.1 billion

what direction does the earth rotate

west to east

the closer a planet is to the sun (speed around the sun)

the closer a planet is the the sun, the faster it rotates

what is the most widely accepted model of our solar system

heliocentric model

what is the term for the general processes by whicih rocks are broken down at the earths surface

weathering

Soil is composed of ____

minerals, organix matter, water, and air

swhat is the primary purpose of a windbreak in agriculture

reduce wind erosion

what is the right description for contour farming

plowing and planting across the slope of land

wha tis the main cause of deep ocean currents

difference in water density

ice, wind, water, gravity, plants and animals are all agents of ___ weathering

mechanical

soil

mixture of minerals

parent rock

original rock from which soil forms

bed rock

solid rock layer beneath soil

soil structure

the way soil particles are grouped together