Studied by 22 people
troposphere
lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; weather occurs her
watershed
area where all water runoff drains into a single body of water
stratosphere
the atmospheric layer between the troposphere and the mesosphere; second lowest layer; ozone is here
At equator, what happens to air?
Warm, moist air rises and loses moisture as precipitation
volcano
vent or fissure in Earth's surface through which magma and gases are expelled
30 degrees latitude
Cold, dry air sinks
rain shadow
an area that has little precipitation because some barrier causes the winds to lose their moisture before reaching it
sea floor spreading
process that creates new seafloor as plates move away from each other at mid ocean ridges
coriolis effect
the effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents
gyre
circular motion of water in each major ocean basin
lithosphere
the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle
albedo
ability of a surface to reflect light
asthenosphere
soft portion of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats
el nino southern oscillation
periodic changes in winds and ocean currents, causing cooler, wetter conditions in SW US and unusually dry weather in SE Asia
hot spot
area where magma from deep in mantle melts through the crust above it
thermohaline circulation
oceanic circulation pattern that mixes surface and deep water throughout Earth's oceans
upwelling
movement of cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface
silt
middle-sized soil particles
subduction
process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep ocean trench and back into the mantle
convergent boundary
tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other
fault
break in the earth's crust
transform boundary
boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other
c horizon
least weathered soil horizon, similar to parent material
humus
material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter
b horizon
subsoil
a horizon
topsoil
divergent boundary
tectonic plate boundary where plates are moving away from each other. An example is the mid-ocean ridge
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
stratosphere
Where is the ozone layer found?
troposphere
Where does weather occur?
78%
nitrogen concentration in atmosphere
21%
oxygen concentration in atmosphere
0.93%
argon concentration in atmosphere
0-4%
water vapor concentration in atmosphere
Hadley cells
low-latitude overturning circulations where air rises at equator and sinks at 30 degrees
rainforests near equator, deserts near 30 degrees north and south
What kind of climates are found in Hadley Cells?
the tilt of the earth's axis
What causes Earth's seasons?
december solstice
Summer in S, Winter in N, S. hem. tilted max towards Sun
june solstice
Winter in S, Summer in N, N. hem tilted max towards Sun
march equinox
Fall in S, Spring in N, equator receives most direct insolation, both hem. get 12 hours of sunlight
september equinox
Spring in S, Fall in N, equator receives most direct insolation, both hem. get 12 hours of sunlight
convergent, divergent, transform
three types of plate boundaries
transform
What plate boundary causes earthquakes?
convergent
What plate boundary causes volcanoes, island arcs, and mountains?
divergent
What plate boundary causes rifts and possible volcanoes?
rain shadow effect
warm, moist air from ocean hits the "windward" wide of the mtn., rises, cools ---> lush, green vegetation dry air descends down "leeward" side of mtn.. raining as it sinks --> arid desert conditions
desert, because mountain ranges have blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather
What climate occurs from rain shadows?
sand, silt, clay
What are three particles present in soil, from largest to smallest?
sand
Which particle is largest and most permeable?
clay
Which particle is smallest, most porous, and more likely to become waterlogged?
watershed
all of the land that drains into a specific body of water
essential to developing and implementing water quality protection and restoration actions
Why do we study watersheds?
el nino
a warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time
la nina
periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific
Note 
Flashcard (21)