Enviromental science Flashcards
What is the water cycle?
The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.
What is transpiration?
The process by which water is absorbed by plants and released as vapor.
What is condensation?
The process of water vapor cooling and changing into liquid water.
What is precipitation?
Any form of water that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface.
What is surface run off?
Water that flows over the ground surface to bodies of water.
What is infiltration?
The process by which water enters the soil from the surface.
What is ground water flow?
The movement of water through the soil and rock layers underground.
What is an aquifer?
A geological formation that can store and transmit groundwater.
What is evaporation?
The process of turning liquid water into vapor.
What is freezing?
The process of turning liquid water into ice.
What is melting?
The process of turning ice into liquid water.
What is sublimation?
The transition of water from solid (ice) directly to vapor.
What is deposition?
The process where water vapor changes directly into ice.
What is percolation?
The process of water filtering through soil and rock layers.
What is the carbon cycle?
The series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment.
What are volcanic eruptions?
Eruptions that release carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere.
What is photosynthesis?
The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.
What is carbon sequestration?
The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
What is cellular respiration?
The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, releasing carbon dioxide.
What is decomposition?
The breakdown of organic matter, releasing carbon back into the environment.
What is fossilisation and unavailable carbon?
The process where organic material is transformed into fossil fuels, making carbon unavailable for short-term cycles.
What is limestone weathering?
The process that releases carbon dioxide from limestone into the atmosphere.
What is combustion of fossil fuels?
The burning of fossil fuels that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
What are deforestation and fires?
Processes that release stored carbon in trees and vegetation into the atmosphere.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment.
What is atmospheric nitrogen fixation?
The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form by lightning or certain bacteria.
What is assimilation?
The process by which plants and animals incorporate nitrogen into their tissues.
What is consumption?
The process by which organisms obtain nitrogen by eating plants or other animals.
What is ammonification?
The conversion of organic nitrogen into ammonia by decomposers.
What are volcanic eruptions in the nitrogen cycle?
Eruptions that can release nitrogen compounds into the atmosphere.
What is denitrification?
The process by which bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas.
What is nitrogen fixation by bacteria?
The process where certain bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia.
What is nitrification?
The conversion of ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates by bacteria.
