Earth’s Life Sustainability - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Earth’s Life Sustainability notes.

Goldilocks factors

A set of Earth conditions that allow life to exist, including suitable distance from the Sun, a life-supporting atmosphere, stable temperature, the Moon’s influence, and biodiversity.

Distance from the Sun

Earth’s orbital distance (~151.2 million km or ~93 million miles) that provides enough heat and light for liquid water and life.

Earth’s atmosphere

The gaseous envelope surrounding Earth, about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, with trace gases; supports life and regulates climate.

Ozone layer

A layer of ozone in the upper atmosphere that protects life by absorbing harmful solar radiation and helping to regulate daytime and nighttime temperatures.

Atmospheric stability

The tendency of Earth’s atmosphere to produce calm weather with gradual changes rather than rapid, extreme shifts.

Consistent temperature

An average surface temperature around 15°C that allows liquid water and stable environments for life.

Earth’s Moon

The natural satellite whose gravity creates tides and helps stabilize Earth’s rotation; without it, the day length would be much shorter.

Intertidal zone

A unique marine ecosystem between high and low tide boundaries caused by the Moon’s tides.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability of life on Earth, which supports food webs, adaptation, and ecosystem resilience.

Sun’s radiation travel time

The time it takes for solar energy to reach Earth, roughly 500 seconds.

Atmosphere layers

The stacked layers of Earth's atmosphere: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, exosphere.

Troposphere

The lowest atmospheric layer where weather occurs and most atmospheric mass is found.

Stratosphere

The atmospheric layer above the troposphere containing the ozone layer and trapping heat.

Mesosphere

The middle atmospheric layer where temperatures drop with altitude.

Thermosphere

A high-altitude atmospheric layer with increasing temperatures and ionized particles.

Ionosphere

A region of the upper atmosphere rich in ions, important for radio communication and auroras.

Exosphere

The outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere where atmospheric particles escape into space.

Atmosphere’s life-support role

Regulates temperature, enables air circulation, shields radiation, and supports oxygen-based life.

Open system

A system in which energy and/or matter can cross its boundaries; Earth is nearly closed for matter, with occasional exchanges.

System

An organized group of related components that interact to form a whole.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

Energy

The capacity to do work or cause change; it can be transformed and transferred.

Earth’s subsystems

The major realms: Atmosphere, Geosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere, and Cryosphere.

Biosphere

All living organisms and their ecosystems; includes the Anthroposphere (humans) as a sub-sphere.

Geosphere

The solid Earth: core, mantle, and crust, including rocks and landforms.

Hydrosphere

All water on Earth (oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater, etc.).

Cryosphere

The frozen water components of Earth, including ice sheets, glaciers, and permafrost.

Biogeochemical cycles

Global cycles that move chemical elements (C, N, P, S, H2O) through living and nonliving Earth systems.

Carbon cycle (overview)

Movement of carbon among the atmosphere, organisms, oceans, and soils through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.

Carbon sources

CO2 in the atmosphere, organic matter in organisms, and fossil fuels that add carbon to the cycle.

Carbon sinks

Oceans, vegetation, and soils that store carbon and help regulate atmospheric CO2.

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants and algae convert CO2 and water into organic carbon (glucose) using light energy.

Nitrogen cycle (overview)

Movement of nitrogen through the atmosphere, soil, and organisms via fixation, nitrification, assimilation, and denitrification.

Nitrogen fixation

Conversion of N2 gas into ammonia (NH3) by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Nitrification

Oxidation of ammonia first to nitrite (NO2-) then to nitrate (NO3-).

Assimilation

Plants uptake of nitrate and ammonia to build proteins and nucleic acids.

Denitrification

Conversion of nitrate/nitrite back into N2 gas by bacteria, returning nitrogen to the atmosphere.

Nitrogen sinks

Soil organic matter, living organisms, and the atmosphere that store or cycle nitrogen.

Phosphorus cycle (overview)

Movement of phosphate through rocks, soil, organisms, and water, involving weathering, uptake, consumption, and deposition.

Weathering (P cycle)

Breaking down rocks to release phosphate into soils and waters.

Plant uptake (P cycle)

Plants absorb phosphate from soil for growth.

Decomposition (P cycle)

Decomposers release phosphate from dead material back into the cycle.

Phosphorus sinks

Sediments at ocean/lake bottoms and long-term geological storage.

Water cycle (overview)

Movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and transpiration.

Evaporation

Water from surfaces becoming water vapor, driven by heat from the Sun.

Condensation

Water vapor cooling and turning into liquid droplets forming clouds.

Precipitation

Water returns to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Runoff

Water flow on the surface toward rivers, lakes, or oceans; also infiltration into soil.

Transpiration

Water loss from plant leaves as water vapor.

Water cycle starting point

Solar radiation initiates evaporation and drives the cycle.

Sulfur cycle (overview)

Movement of sulfur through the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

Sulfur sources

Volcanic activity, fossil fuel combustion, and weathering of rocks that release sulfur compounds.

SO2 emissions

Sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere from volcanic and human activities.

Sulfur oxidation

SO2 transformed into sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in atmospheric reactions.

Sulfate deposition

Sulfates deposited back to Earth via precipitation and fallout.

Sulfur reduction

Bacteria convert sulfate to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in anaerobic conditions.

Sulfur sinks

Soil, rocks, and ocean sediments where sulfur compounds accumulate.

Rocks

Naturally occurring solid mixtures of minerals; rocks are classified by origin, composition, and texture.

Bowen’s Reaction Series

A model showing the crystallization temperatures of minerals from cooling magma, influencing rock composition.

Igneous rocks

Rocks formed by cooling and solidification of molten magma; high silica content common.

Intrusive igneous rocks

Coarse-grained rocks formed when magma cools slowly below the surface (e.g., granite, diorite, granodiorite).

Extrusive igneous rocks

Fine-grained rocks formed when magma erupts onto the surface as lava (e.g., basalt, andesite, rhyolite).

Silicate minerals

Minerals that contain silicon and oxygen; make up about 50% of the crust (e.g., quartz, feldspar).

Non-silicate minerals

Minerals that lack silicon-oxygen frameworks; include carbonates, halides, oxides, sulfates, sulfides, and native elements.

Native elements

Metallic elements found in pure form in nature (e.g., silver, copper).

Mineral properties – color

Color alone is not reliable for identification; can vary due to impurities.

Mineral properties – luster

How a mineral reflects light; can be metallic or non-metallic (glassy, waxy, pearly, etc.).

Streak

Color of a mineral’s powder, tested by rubbing on unglazed ceramic; often diagnostic.

Hardness (Mohs scale)

Hardness scale from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond) indicating scratch resistance.

Cleavage

Tendency of a mineral to split along flat, parallel surfaces due to weak bonds.

Fracture

How a mineral breaks when cleavage is not present—irregular or conchoidal breaks.

Crystal shape

External shape of a mineral’s crystals, revealing its internal atomic arrangement.

Specific gravity

Ratio of a mineral’s density to that of water (density comparison).

Tenacity

A mineral’s resistance to breaking, bending, or deforming.

Diaphaneity

A mineral’s transparency to light (transparent, translucent, or opaque).

Other mineral properties

Taste (halite), odor, double refraction, fluorescence, magnetism, and radioactivity.

Ore

A natural rock or deposit that contains valuable minerals (e.g., metals) in economically recoverable concentrations.

Mining

The process of extracting valuable minerals from the Earth’s surface or underground.

Surface mining

Mining near the surface; includes open pit, strip, and dredging methods.

Open pit mining

A large surface excavation used to access near-surface ore.

Strip mining

Removing a thin overburden layer to access coal or other resources.

Dredging

Mining done underwater or in shallow water to extract seabed deposits.

Underground mining

Mining below the surface using tunnels and shafts.

Mineral processing

Series of steps to extract valuable minerals from ore: sampling, analysis, comminution, concentration, and dewatering.

Sampling

Removing a representative portion of ore for analysis.

Analysis

Assessing ore composition and quality (chemical, mineral, particle size).

Comminution

Crushing/grinding to liberate valuable minerals from ore.

Concentration

Separating valuable minerals from the gangue material.

Dewatering

Removing water from processed ore to produce a usable mineral product.

Fossil fuels

Hydrocarbon energy sources formed from ancient plants and animals; include coal, oil, and natural gas.

Coal

A carbon-rich sedimentary rock formed from plant material in ancient swamps.

Coalification

Process of transforming plant material into coal through burial, compression, and heat.

Peat

Partially decayed plant material; early stage in coal formation.

Lignite

Brown coal; immature coal with lower carbon content.

Bituminous coal

A dense, high-carbon coal; most abundant type of coal.

Anthracite

High-grade coal with the highest carbon content and fewest impurities.

Natural gas and oil formation

Oil (petroleum) and natural gas form from ancient marine organisms buried in sediment.

Diagenesis

Physical, chemical, and biological changes that alter organic matter into hydrocarbons.

Kerogen

Waxy precursor to oil and gas formed during diagenesis.

Catagenesis

Transformation of kerogen into liquid hydrocarbons (oil) with deeper burial and heat.