APES Unit 4

Core

Dense mass of solid nickel, iron, and radioactive elements that release a massive amount of heat.

Mantle

Liquid layer of magma surrounding the core, kept liquefied by intense heat from the core.

Asthenosphere

Solid, flexible outer layer of the mantle, beneath the lithosphere.

Lithosphere

Thin, brittle layer of rock floating on top of the mantle (broken up into tectonic plates).

Crust

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

Magma

Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface.

Plate Boundaries

Locations where tectonic plates interact.

Divergent Plate Boundary

Plates move away from each other, forming mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes, and rift valleys.

Convergent Plate Boundary

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

Transform Fault Plate Boundary

Plates slide past each other in opposite directions, causing earthquakes.

Soil

Mix of geologic and organic components including sand, silt, clay, humus, nutrients, water, air, and living organisms.

Weathering

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

Erosion

Transport of weathered rock fragments by wind and rain to new locations.

Soil Horizons

Layers of soil including O-horizon, A-horizon, B-horizon, and C-horizon, each with distinct characteristics.

Soil Degradation

The loss of the ability of soil to support plant growth due to factors like loss of topsoil, compaction, and nutrient depletion.

Soil Texture

The percentage of sand, silt, and clay in soil, influencing porosity, permeability, and water holding capacity.

Soil Fertility

The ability of soil to support plant growth, influenced by nutrients, water holding capacity, and factors affecting soil nutrients.

Porosity

is the amount of pore space a soil has

Soil Texture

is the % of sand silt and clay in soil

Permeability

how easily water drains through a soil

H2O Holding capacity

how well water is retained or held by soil

Loss of topsoil

tiling (turning soil for ag.) + loss of vegetation disturb soil and make it more easily eroded by wind and rain

• Loss of top soil dries out soil, removes nutrients + soil organisms that recycle nutrients

Compaction

compression of soil by machines (tractors, bulldozers, etc.), grazing livestock, and humans reduces ability to hold moisture

• Dry soil erodes more easily

• Dry soil supports less plant growth, less root structure, leading to more erosion

Nutrient Depletion

repeatedly growing crops on the same soil removes key nutrients (N, P, K, Na, Mg) over time

• Reduces ability to grow future cropsO

O-horizon

layer of organic matter (plant roots, dead leaves, animal waste, etc) on top of soil

• Provides nutrients and limits H₂O loss to evap.

A-Horizon

aka topsoil; layer of humus (decomposed organic matter) and minerals from parent material

• A-Horizon has most biological activity (earthworms, soil microbes) breaking down organic matter to release nutrients

B-Horizon

aka subsoil; lighter layer below topsoil, mostly made of minerals w/little to no org. matter

• Contains some nutrients

C-Horizon

least weathered soil that is closest to the parent material, sometimes called bedrock

Troposphere

The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. Most of the mass (about 75-80%) of the atmosphere is in the troposphere. Most types of clouds are found in the troposphere, and almost all weather occurs within this layer.

Stratosphere

lies above the earth's weather and mostly changes very little. It contains the ozone layer, which shields us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation except where it's been harmed by man made chemicals

Mesosphere

“Meso” means middle, and this is the highest layer of the atmosphere in which the gases are all mixed up rather than being layered by their mass.

Thermosphere

Northern Lights and Temp increase and very few gas particles (second-highest layer of the Earth's atmosphere, extending from the mesopause to the thermopause, characterized by high temperatures influenced by solar activity and molecular diffusion leading to gravitational separation of species.)

Exosphere

Absorbs cosmic and solar radiation

Coriolis Effect

Deflection of objects traveling through atm. due to spin of earth

June & December Solstices

•  N or S hemisphere is maximally tilted toward sun (summer/winter)

March & Sept Equinox

• N & S hemispheres equally facing sun

Albedo

• the proportion of light that is reflected by a surface

Urban Heat Island:

• urban areas are hotter than surrounding rural area due to low albedo of blacktop

Hadley Cells

tropical atmospheric circulation in which air rising near the equator flows toward the poles at 10–15 km above the surface. This circulation produces the trade winds, tropical rain belts, hurricanes, tropical cyclones, jet streams, and subtropical deserts.

Ferrel Cells

air converges at low altitudes to ascend along the boundaries between cool polar air and the warm subtropical air that generally occurs between 60 and 70 degrees north and south.

Westernlies

Wind patterns that come from the west

Eastern Winds

Winds that come from the east

Gyers

 large ocean circ. patterns due to global wind

Thermohaline Circulation

Connects all of the world’s oceans, mixing salt, nutrients, and temperature throughout

ESNO (El nino Southern Oscillation

pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure & ocean currents in the pacific ocean between South America and Australia/Southeast Asia

El nino

Suppressed upwelling & less productive fisheries in SA (Flips) No upwelling

La Nina

Stronger upwelling & better fisheries in SA than normal (Normal conditions on crack)