Hit Parade (Ch4)

Question 1

a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife

Answer 1

wetland

Question 2

the gradual breakdown of rock into smaller and smaller particles, caused by natural chemical, physical, and biological factors

Answer 2

weathering

Question 3

the day-to-day variations in temperature, air pressure, wind, humidity, and precipitation mediated by the atmosphere in a given region

Answer 3

weather

Question 4

countries that have a renewable annual water supply of about 1,000 - 2,000 m^3 per person

Answer 4

water-stressed

Question 5

countries that have a renewable annual water supply of less than 1,000 m^3 per person

Answer 5

water-scarce

Question 6

the region draining into a river system or other body of water

Answer 6

watershed

Question 7

an opening in the earth’s crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are ejected

Answer 7

volcanoes

Question 8

a process in which cold, often nutrient-rich, waters form the ocean depths rise to the surface

Answer 8

upwelling

Question 9

a cyclonic storm having winds ranging from approximately 48 to 121 km (30 to 75 miles) per hour

Answer 9

tropical storm

Question 10

boundaries at which plates are moving past each other, sideways

Answer 10

transform boundary (aka transform faults)

Question 11

the more or less constant winds blowing in horizontal directions over the earth’s surface, as part of Hadley cells

Answer 11

trade winds

Question 12

the A horizon of soil is often referred to as this and is most important for plant growth

Answer 12

topsoil

Question 13

the outermost shell of the atmosphere, between the mesosphere and outer space, where temperatures increase steadily with altitude

Answer 13

thermosphere

Question 14

a layer in a large body of water, such as a lake, that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt

Answer 14

thermocline

Question 15

in tectonic plates, the site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate

Answer 15

subduction zone

Question 16

the atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the periodic warming of El Nino and cooling of La Nina

Answer 16

Southern Oscillation

Question 17

soil with particles .002-.05 mm in diameter

Answer 17

silt

Question 18

the coarsest soil, with particles .05-2.0mm in diameter

Answer 18

sand

Question 19

occurs when soil becomes waterlogged from excess irrigation and then dries out. As the water evaporates, the salt crystallizes and forms a layer on the soil surface. This excess of salt prevents the growth of plants

Answer 19

salinization

Question 20

the right, as to fishing or to the use of a riverbed, of one who owns riparian land (the land adjacent to a river or stream)

Answer 20

riparian right

Question 21

the bedrock, which lies below all of the other layers of soil

Answer 21

R horizon

Question 22

a bloom of dinoflagellates that causes reddish discoloration of coastal ocean waters. Certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gonyamlax produce toxins that kill fish and contaminate shellfish

Answer 22

red tide

Question 23

the low-rainfall region that exists on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountian range. This rain shadow effect is the result of the mountain range’s causing precipitation on the windward side

Answer 23

rain shadow effect

Question 24

when water rights are given to those who ave historically used the water in a certain area

Answer 24

prior appropriation

Question 25

the edges of tectonic plates

Answer 25

plate boundaries

Question 26

any process that breaks rock down into smaller pieces without changing the chemistry of the rock; typically wind and water

Answer 26

physical (mechanical) weathering

Question 27

the uppermost horizon of soil. It is primarily made up of organic material, including waste from organisms, the bodies of decomposing organisms, and live organisms

Answer 27

O horizon

Question 28

a wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally

Answer 28

monsoon

Question 29

the cultivation of a single crop on a farm or in a region or country; a single, homogeneous culture without diversity or dissension

Answer 29

monoculture

Question 30

the layer of the earth between the crust and the core

Answer 30

mantle

Question 31

soil composed of a mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter

Answer 31

loam

Question 32

the outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, approximately 100 km (62 miles) thick

Answer 32

lithosphere

Question 33

a cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns

Answer 33

La Nina

Question 34

deterioration of land quality (topsoil, organisms, vegetation, water quality), usually caused by its exploitation

Answer 34

land degradation

Question 35

a high-speed, meandering wind current, generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400 km (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 15 to 25 km (10 to 15 miles)

Answer 35

jet stream

Question 36

the delivery rate of solar radiation per unit of horizontal surface

Answer 36

insolation

Question 37

the molten core of the earth

Answer 37

inner core

Question 38

a severe tropical storm originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean, that travels north, northwest, or northeast, from its point of origin, and usually involves high speed winds and heavy rains

Answer 38

hurricane (typhoon, cyclone)

Question 39

the dark, crumbly, nutrient-rich material that results from the decomposition of organic material, which is also a product of composting organic waste

Answer 39

humus

Question 40

a layer of soil

Answer 40

horizon

Question 41

the water from which a river rises; a source

Answer 41

headwaters

Question 42

a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation that creates major weather patterns, predominately in tropical and subtropical regions

Answer 42

Hadley cell

Question 43

the phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through but absorb heat radiated back from the earth's surfave

Answer 43

greenhouse effect

Question 44

the time after the Industrial Revolution when farming became mecanized and crop yields in industrialized nations boomed as farmers began using large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Answer 44

Green Revolution

Question 45

the place where two tectonic plates abut each other

Answer 45

fault

Question 46

the part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides

Answer 46

estuary

Question 47

the process of soil particles being carried away by wind or water. It moves the smaller particles first and hence degrades the soil to a coarser, sandier, stonier texture

Answer 47

erosion

Question 48

a climate varation that takes place in the tropical pacific about every 3 to 7 years, for a duration of about one year

Answer 48

el nino

Question 49

the result of vibrations that release energy from within the earth. They often occur as two plates slide past one another at a transform boundary

Answer 49

earthquake

Question 50

the result of chemical interaction with the bedrock that is typical of the action of both water and atmospheric gases

Answer 50

chemical weathering

Question 51

a soil horizon; made up of larger pieces of rock that have not undergone much weathering

Answer 51

C horizon

Question 52

the finest soil, made up of particles that are less than .002 mm in diameter

Answer 52

clay

Question 53

weather conditions, especially temperature and precipitation, that remain constant over 30 years or more

Answer 53

climate

Question 54

the trasmission or conveying of something through a medium or passage, especiallly the transmission of electric charge or heat through a conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself

Answer 54

conduction

Question 55

the vertical movement of a mass of matter because of heating and cooling; this can happen in both the atmosphere and Earth's mantle

Answer 55

convection

Question 56

air currents caused by the vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling

Answer 56

convection currents

Question 57

a plate boundary where two plates are moving toward each other

Answer 57

convergent boundary

Question 58

an erosion-resistant marine ridge or mound consisting chiefly of compacted coral together with algal material and biochemically deposited magnesium and calcium carbonates

Answer 58

coral reef

Question 59

the observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of an object moving above the earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere, and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere, as away from the equator

Answer 59

Coriolis effect

Question 60

the practice of alternating the crops grown on a piece of land to replenish soil nutrients - for example, corn one year, legumes for two years, and then back to corn

Answer 60

crop rotation

Question 61

a usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river

Answer 61

delta

Question 62

a plate boundary at which plates are moving away from each other. This causes an upwelling of magma from the mantle to cool and form new crust

Answer 62

divergent boundary

Question 63

a region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls

Answer 63

doldrums

Question 64

a method of supplying irrigation water through tubes that literally drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant

Answer 64

drip irrigation

Question 65

related to factors or things that are separate and independent from living things; nonliving

Answer 65

abiotic

Question 66

any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Also, a water solution that contains a surplus of hydrogen ions

Answer 66

acid

Question 67

enourmous bodies of air that move as a unit

Answer 67

air mass

Question 68

a soil horizon; the layer below the O horizon. It is formed of weathered rock, with some organic material; often referred to as topsoil

Answer 68

A horizon

Question 69

a basic substance; chemically, a substance that absorbs hydrogen ions or releases hydroxide ions; in reference to natural water, a measure of the base content of the water

Answer 69

alkaline

Question 70

an underground layer of porous rock, sand, or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of nonporous rock or clay. They are frequently tapped for wells

Answer 70

aquifer

Question 71

land that's fit to be cultivated

Answer 71

arable

Question 72

the part of the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere

Answer 72

asthenosphere

Question 73

the gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body - especially the one surrounding the earth which is retained by the celestial body's gravitational field

Answer 73

atmosphere

Question 74

a long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland, built by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast form erosion by surf and tidal surges

Answer 74

barrier island

Question 75

any weathering that's caused by the activities of living organisms

Answer 75

biological weathering

Question 76

living or derived from living things

Answer 76

biotic

Question 77

a soil horizon; it recieves the minerals and organic materials that are leached out of the A horizon

Answer 77

B horizon