Unit 4 Earth Systems and Resources Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering plate tectonics, atmospheric layers, soil horizons and texture, Hadley cells, global ocean-atmosphere interactions (El Niño/La Niña), and environmental processes.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

A divergent plate boundary where magma is rising and creating new crust.

Troposphere

The densest layer of the atmosphere that contains all weather.

Stratosphere

The atmospheric layer where the majority of UV-B and UV-C radiation is absorbed due to the ozone layer.

Mesosphere

The atmospheric layer where meteors burn up.

Thermosphere

The hottest atmospheric layer that absorbs UV radiation and X-rays, and contains the Aurora Borealis.

Exosphere

The outermost layer of the atmosphere that contains satellites.

O horizon

The organic soil layer that provides nutrients and limits $H_2O$.

A horizon

The topsoil layer composed of minerals mixed with humus.

B horizon

The subsoil layer containing deposits of minerals and metal salts.

C horizon

The parent rock layer (bedrock) consisting of partly weathered rock.

Soil Particle Size Order

Sand, silt, clay…

Soil Porosity Order

clay, silt, sand.

Soil Permeability Order

Sand, silt, clay.

Hadley Cell

giant atmospheric convection loop near the equator that plays a primary role in redistributing solar heat around the globe.

Subduction

When two plates collide and one heavy plate slides beneath another into earth’s mantle.

Transform Boundary Earthquake Process

An event occurring when tectonic plates suddenly and rapidly slide past each other in opposite directions, releasing a large amount of pressure and energy.

El Niño

A Pacific Ocean climate pattern with higher than average ocean temperatures, leading to warm conditions, flooding, and heavy rains in South America; higher temperatures and severe bushfires in Australia; and a decrease in Atlantic hurricane activity.

La Niña

A Pacific Ocean climate pattern with lower than average ocean temperatures, leading to drier conditions in South America; rainfall, fuller rivers, and risk of flooding in Australia; and an increase in Atlantic hurricane activity.

Urban Heat Island Effect

A phenomenon where urbanized areas experience hotter than normal temperatures due to the surfaces of cities.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection or course modification of winds and ocean currents caused by the rotation of the Earth.

Rain Shadow Effect

A dry area on the sheltered side of a mountain where mountains block rain and create a stark difference in weather between two sides of the same ridge.

Primary Succession (on Volcanic Rock)

the step-by-step process where a brand-new, lifeless habitat with no soil—such as cooled lava or a retreating glacier—is colonized by living organisms from scratch

upwelling

process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface.

downwelling

surface water sinks into deeper ocean layers.

Why we have seasons?

Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis and its orbit around the sun, leading to varying angles of sunlight and varying day lengths throughout the year.

Impact of volcanic activities

volcanic eruptions deposit lava that cools into solid barrel rock.

Solar radiation distribution

Solar density is greatest at the equator (0° latitude) and decreases toward the poles due to the curvature of the Earth, leading to temperature variations.

Surface Albedo

The reflectivity of a surface of incoming solar radiation.

Albedo ranking (highest to lowest)

Ice/snow> concrete> grass> ocean

What is ENSO?

El nino southern oscilation, climate pattern involving changes in sea surface temperatures and air pressure in the Tropical Pacific Ocean.