Environmental Systems

Question 1

geosphere

Answer 1

any of the almost spherical concentric regions of matter that make up the earth and its atmosphere, as the lithosphere and hydrosphere.

Question 2

hydrosphere

Answer 2

all the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds.

Question 3

crust

Answer 3

in Earth science or geoscience, the geosphere refers to the parts of our planet that are solid

Question 4

mantle

Answer 4

the layer beneath the crust, makes up 64 percent of the mass of the Earth

Question 5

core

Answer 5

Earth’s innermost layer composed of the densest elements.

Question 6

lithosphere

Answer 6

is the solid, outer part of the Earth.

Question 7

asthenosphere

Answer 7

he layer beneath the lithosphere - a plastic, solid layer of the mantle made of rock that flows very slowly and allows the tectonic plates to move on top of it

Question 8

chemical weathering

Answer 8

Chemical weathering is the process by which rocks are broken down by chemical reactions.

Question 9

erosion

Answer 9

is the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water

Question 10

atmosphere

Answer 10

can be described as a layer of gases surrounding the earth

Question 11

troposphere

Answer 11

is the lowermost portion of Earth’s atmosphere. It is the densest layer of the atmosphere and contains approximately 75 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all the water vapor and aerosol

Question 12

stratosphere

Answer 12

the layer of the earth’s atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth’s surface (the lower boundary of the mesosphere).

Question 13

ozone

Answer 13

a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O2) in having three atoms in its molecule

Question 14

radiation

Answer 14

the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause ionization.

Question 15

conduction

Answer 15

the process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the material.

Question 16

convection

Answer 16

the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

Question 17

greenhouse effect

Answer 17

the trapping of the sun’s warmth in a planet’s lower atmosphere, due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet’s surface.

Question 18

water cycle

Answer 18

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.

Question 19

evaporation

Answer 19

the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

Question 20

condensation

Answer 20

water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

Question 21

precipitation

Answer 21

the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution.

Question 22

salinity

Answer 22

the quality or degree of being saline.

Question 23

fresh water

Answer 23

of or found in fresh water; not of the sea.

Question 24

biosphere

Answer 24

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.