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Lithosphere

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the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle

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Peat

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a soft, brown material made up of partly decayed plants; first stage of coal formation

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Coal

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a solid, hard black substance that burns and gives off heat. Coal is composed mostly of carbon. It is formed from partly decayed vegetable matter under great pressure and heat in the earth.

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Fault

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(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

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Erosion

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the process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another

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Ocean trench

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deep valley in the ocean floor that forms along a subduction zone

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Convergent boundary

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A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other.

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Divergent boundary

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the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other

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Transform boundary

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a boundary in which two plates slide past each other without creating or destroying lithosphere

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Epicenter

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the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake

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Focus

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The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake

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P Waves

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push/pull waves; 1st, fastest, & go through solids & liquids

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S Waves

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side-to-side waves; 2nd, slower, & go though solids;

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silt

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Small particles of rich soil

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CORIOLIS EFFECT

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The way Earth's rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left.

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MESOSPHERE

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the layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude increases

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occluded front

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a front where a warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses and brings cool temperatures and large amounts of rain and snow

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warm front

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a front where warm air moves over cold air and brings drizzly rain and then are followed by warm and clear weather

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cold front

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forms when cold air moves under warm air which is less dense and pushes air up (produces thunderstorms heavy rain or snow

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Air pollution (causes)

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Natural causes - forest fires, dust storms, volcanoes Human causes - farming, construction, burning fuels such as coal, oil, gasoline, diesel. Most comes from cars and other vehicles.

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ecology

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the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment

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environmental benefits of ecosystems

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-purification of air & water -recycling & movement of nutrients -mitigation of droughts & floods -formation & preservation of soils -waste removal and detox of crops & natural vegetation -seed dispersal -natural pest control

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Clean Air Act

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1970- law that established national standards for states, strict auto emissions guidelines, and regulations, which set air pollution standards for private industry

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food chain

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pathway of food transfer from one trophic level to another

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carrying capacity

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largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

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biomagnification

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Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals (for example, heavy metals or fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web

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impacts of urbanization on ecosystems

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-ecological function and biodiversity decreases -surface temps increase -Hydrology (runoff quantity increases due to impervious surfaces) -Nutrient loading increases, peaks, and then decreases toward the urban core

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why biodiversity is important

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Biodiversity is important because it provides us with Natural Resources (Food, Water, Wood, etc.) Natural Services (Pest Control, Air and Water Purification, etc.) and of course, Aesthetic Pleasure.

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ecological succession

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(ecology) the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established

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climax community

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a stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time

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effects of urban development on ecosystems

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pollution, introduction of non-native species, overharvesting of fisheries, destruction of wetlands, erosion of soil, deforestation, urban sprawl, more generalist species

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what do forests do?

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-Moderate temperature, maintain humidity levels through evapotranspiration, regulate stream flows

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how does vegetation help with urban environmental problems?

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provide erosion control, runoff control, slope and dune stabilization, atmospheric purification, cover for wildlife, reduce non point source pollution

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benefits of wetlands

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provide food and protective habitats for many aquatic animals, protect coastlines from erosion, and reduce damage from hurricanes

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estuary

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wetlands formed where rivers meet the ocean

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What was the dust bowl and what was its effect?

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severe dust storms in 1930's that caused major damage. Millions of acres of farmland were damaged and thousands were forced to leave their homes.

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What is a point source pollution and an example?

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identifiable point of pollution. Sewage discharge pipe.

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What is nonpoint source pollution and an example?

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-Land use practices generating pollution carried by storm water into surface water or ground water -60 to 70% (40%) of the nation's waters are not meeting water quality due to NPS pollution.

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Suggest three reasons why people may be against a dam.

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Loss of home, loss of wildlife habitat, expense, environmental damage, disturbance during construction.

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Explain what renewable resource means.

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Replaced quickly by natural processes - able to be used again and again without running out.

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Describe 2 problems caused by the Green Revolution.

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Pesticides kill animals (bioamplification), herbicides also kill animals, fertilisers cause eutrophication.

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biosphere

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the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist

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niche

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(ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species)

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decomposers

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organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment

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terracing

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shaping the land to create level shelves of earth to hold water and soil; requires extensive hand labor or expensive machinery, but it enables farmers to farm very steep hillsides

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contour planting

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plowing and planting crops in rows across the slope of the land, opposite to the direction of water flow, to reduce soil erosion and water runoff

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Primary Producers

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An autotroph, usually a photosynthetic organism. Collectively, autotrophs make up the trophic level of an ecosystem that ultimately supports all other levels.

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Consumers

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an organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.

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Trophic Level

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The position of an organism in relation to the flow of energy and inorganic nutrients through an ecosystem (e.g., producer, consumer, and decomposer).

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Food Web

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network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

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Respiration

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Plants and animals obtained energy by oxidizing carbohydrates in their cells to carbon dioxide and water, which are excreted

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4 factors to determine global air circulation patterns

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unequal heating seasonal changes rotation of the earth properties of earth, air, and water

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What does Deforestation do?

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Changes landscapes and ecosystems Reduces biodiversity Worsens climate change Disrupts ecosystem services

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autrotrophs

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organisms that make their own food

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heterotrophs

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Organisms that cannot make their own food

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detrivores

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Consumers that feed at every trophic level, obtaining their energy and nutrients by eating dead organic matter.

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commensalism

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symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed

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predator

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any animal that lives by preying on other animals

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keystone species

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a species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

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BOD

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biological oxygen demand, amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic materials

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Alternative Energy

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energy, as solar, wind, or nuclear energy, that can replace or supplement traditional fossil-fuel sources, as coal, oil, and natural gas.

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pioneer community

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First integrated set of plants, animals, and decomposers found in an area undergoing primary ecological succession.

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herbivore

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plant-eating animal

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biomass

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the total mass of living matter in a given unit area

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abiotic factors

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nonliving parts of an ecosystem

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Limiting Factors

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Conditions in the environment that put limits on where an organism can live

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Gross Primary Productivity

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the rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture energy

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Nitrification

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the oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants)

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Nitrogen Fixers

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symbiotic bacteria (Rhizobium) found in soil and on the root systems of legumes that converts Nitrogen gas into usable forms

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aquifer

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underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etc

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dam

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a bank or wall built across a stream to hold back water

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desalination

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the removal of salt (especially from sea water)

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scrubber

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device that is used to remove some pollutants before they are relased by smokestacks

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soil profile

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vertical sequence of soil layers, containing horizon A (topsoil), horizon B (subsoil), and horizon C (weathered parent material)

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soil horizon

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The layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it.

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rock cycle

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sequence of events in which rocks are formed, destroyed, altered, and reformed by geological processes

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mineral

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solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition

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green revolution

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the introduction of pesticides and high-yield grains and better management during the 1960s and 1970s which greatly increased agricultural productivity

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overgrazing

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Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

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crop rotation

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The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.

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