unit 4

Question 1

Climate

Answer 1

the average course or condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation

Question 2

weather

Answer 2

the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc

Question 3

Troposphere

Answer 3

lowest layer of the Earths atmosphere, almost all weather occurs here, most mass of the atmosphere is here, density and temp decrease

Question 4

Stratosphere

Answer 4

2nd layer, temp increases with hight, ozone layer is here

Question 5

Mesosphere

Answer 5

3rd layer, thick gases, slow meteors, middle atmosphere, temp decreases up

Question 6

Thermosphere

Answer 6

4th layer thin gases, temp increases up, absorbs ultraviolet and x-ray radiation,

Question 7

exosphere

Answer 7

furthest out, atoms and molecules escape into space, satellites orbit the earth

Question 8

Albedo

Answer 8

the fraction of light that a surface reflects. If it is all reflected, the albedo is equal to 1. A global increase in albedo would reflect ore solar radiation back into space, potentially stabilizing or even cooling the Earth’s temperature.

Question 9

Atmospheric convection current

Answer 9

global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of Earth

Question 10

Insolation

Answer 10

The amount of incoming solar energy that makes contact with the surface of the Earth. Regions of the Earth near the Equator come into closer contact with the Sun, meaning they receive higher insolation than regions closer to the poles

Question 11

Convection cells

Answer 11

an zone where hot fluid rises while cold fluid sinks, resulting in a circulation of fluid. There are three main ones in each hemisphere rotating in opposite directions; Polar, Ferrell, Hadley.

Question 12

Coriolis effect

Answer 12

the apparent deflection of moving objects caused by the rotation of the Earth. It causes objects to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Question 13

Rain shadow

Answer 13

an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region on the side facing away from prevailing winds

Question 14

Gyre

Answer 14

Large circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns, gravity, temperatures, and forces created by Earths rotation, clockwise in Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in Southern Hemisphere

Question 15

Upwelling

Answer 15

A process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface bringing many nutrients to the top. Caused by wind blowing across the ocean surface to replace the water that was pushed away

Question 16

Thermohaline circulation

Answer 16

Deep ocean currents driven by differences in the water’s density. Large water conveyer belt that travels water all across the world.

Question 17

ENSO

Answer 17

El Niño and La Niña are the war and cool phases of a natural climate pattern across the tropical Pacific. The pattern shifts back and forth irregularly every two to seven years, bringing predictable changed in ocean temperature and disrupting the normal wind and rainfall patterns across the tropics.

Question 18

La Niña

Answer 18

Cooling of the ocean surface. The normal easterly winds along the equator become even stronger Causes drier-than-average winter in the southern part of the country.

Question 19

El Niño

Answer 19

Warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific ocean. The low level surface winds weaken or start blowing the opposite direction

Question 20

Layers of the Earth

Answer 20

Inner Core: solid metal ball, very dense, made of iron and nickel, intensely hot
Outer Core: also iron and nickel, liquid, generate earths magnetic field
Mantle: thickest layer, made of iron, magnesium, and silicon, it also circulates but slower
Crust: Extremely thin, cold, and brittle, made of relatively light elements, highly variable in its thickness, crust is broken into big pieces called tectonic plates

Question 21

Asthenosphere

Answer 21

Mechanically weak and ductile region of the upper mantle of Earth, plays a crucial role in plate tectonics, as its partially molten and ductile nature allows for the movement of tectonic plates above it

Question 22

Lithosphere

Answer 22

Solid outer part of Earth, including the brittle upper portion of the mantle and crust, coolest and most rigid part of Earth

Question 23

Magma

Answer 23

molten rock that is formed in very hot conditions inside the earth. Volcanos throw new showers of magma into the air

Question 24

Hot spot

Answer 24

Area on Earth over a mantle plume or area under the rocky outer layer of the Earth where magma is hotter than surrounding magma. It causes melting and thinning of the rocky crust and widespread volcanic activity.

Question 25

Plate tectonics

Answer 25

The theory that says the lithosphere is broken up into many plates that move relative to each other

Question 26

Subduction

Answer 26

Geological process where the edge of one crustal plate descends below the edge of another

Question 27

plate boundaries

Answer 27

Divergent: moving apart from each other, earthquakes are common and magma rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust
Convergent: two plates come together, can form mountain ranges or seafloor trench, powerful earthquakes occur here
Transform: two plates sliding past each other, earthquakes are common, crust is cracked and broken but not created or destroyed

Question 28

Seafloor spreading

Answer 28

at divergent boundaries plate spread apart and new magma is exposed and creates new crust

Question 29

Transform Fault

Answer 29

fault along a plate boundary where motion is predominantly horizontal

Question 30

Seismic activity

Answer 30

the occurrence of earthquakes

Question 31

earthquake

Answer 31

sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves through Earth’s rocks

Question 32

Epicenter

Answer 32

the part of the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake

Question 33

Rock cycle

Answer 33

the processes through which the three main rock types transform from one type into another

Question 34

Igneous rock

Answer 34

rocks formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava

Question 35

Sedimentary rocks

Answer 35

rocks formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms

Question 36

Metamorphic rocks

Answer 36

formed when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids, or a combination of these factors

Question 36

Physical/ chemical weathering

Answer 36

Physical weathering breaks down a rock into smaller pieces, chemical weathering changes the chemical makeup of a rock

Question 37

Acid precipitation

Answer 37

Precipitation having increased acidity caused by environmental factors, can cause chemical weathering

Question 38

Erosion

Answer 38

Type of physical change, the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from a location

Question 39

Parent Material

Answer 39

The underlying geological material in which soil horizons form

Question 40

Soil Degradation

Answer 40

the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management

Question 40

Soil Horizons

Answer 40

O: Organic layer, Humus
A: Topsoil, Minerals with Humus
E: Eluviation layer, leached minerals and organic matter
B: Subsoil, deposited minerals and metal salts
C: Parent Rock, partly weathered rock
R: Bedrock, unweathered parent rock

Question 41

Water holding capacity/ retention

Answer 41

the ability of a certain soil texture to physically hold water against the force of gravity, clay has the highest, then silt, then sand

Question 42

Porosity

Answer 42

the amount of empty spaces in soil, a fraction of the volume of empty space over total volume. clay has the highest, and then silt, then sand

Question 43

permeability

Answer 43

the capacity of the soil to allow water to pass through it, sand has highest, then silt, then clay.

Question 44

soil texture triangle

Answer 44

used to identify the type of soil based on the percentages of sand, clay, and silt

Question 45

saltwater intrusion

Answer 45

ecological problem produced by the infiltration of salt water into fresh surface water and groundwater. It can damage the potential to use the land for agriculture and can contaminate freshwater supplies

Question 46

floodplain

Answer 46

flat area of land next to a river or stream. They are beneficial for wildlife, protect water quality, and recharge groundwater