Environmental Cycles Flashcards
What is the water cycle?
The continuous process by which water moves through the environment.
Includes processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
What is transpiration?
The process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere.
What is condensation?
The process by which water vapor cools and changes into liquid water.
What is precipitation?
Any form of water that falls from clouds 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.
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 water.
What is evaporation?
The process by which water changes from liquid to vapor.
What is freezing?
The process of water turning into ice.
What is melting?
The process of ice turning back into liquid water.
What is sublimation?
The process by which ice changes directly into water vapor.
What is deposition?
The process by which 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?
The release of gas, ash, and molten rock from a volcano.
What is photosynthesis?
The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods with 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, carbon dioxide, and water.
What is decomposition?
The process by which organic substances are broken down into simpler organic matter.
What is fossilisation and unavailable carbon?
The process by which organic material is transformed into fossil fuels over millions of years.
What is limestone weathering?
The process by which limestone is broken down by natural forces.
What is combustion of fossil fuels?
The process of burning fossil fuels to release energy.
What is deforestation and fires?
The clearing of forests and the burning of vegetation, affecting carbon storage.
