Download Chapter 3 Word Study

Your Name ______________________________Period ______ Date __________
Environmental Science Word Study
Chapter 3 - The Dynamic Earth
Directions: Study the following words by reading and rereading them each evening so you will be
prepared for the word study test each week. You may use one index card to write as many words
and definitions on as possible to use for the test. The card must written in ink, be in your
handwriting, and have your first and last name, your class period, and the chapter recorded in
the top, right corner with no obvious erasures or mark outs. ALL WORDS MUST BE NUMBERED.
If all the criteria are met, you may use your index card during the test. It will then be stapled to
your test.
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4 major spheres of Earth - geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere
geosphere - the solid portion of the earth where life exists
crust - In geology, a crust is the outermost layer of a planet. The crust of the Earth is
composed of a great variety of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.
mantle - The region of the interior of the Earth between the core (on its inner surface) and
the crust (on its outer). Note: The mantle is more than two thousand miles thick and
accounts for more than three-quarters of the volume of the Earth.
core - The central or innermost portion of the Earth, lying below the mantle and probably
consisting of iron and nickel. It is divided into a liquid outer core, which begins at a depth of
2,898 km (1,800 mi), and a solid inner core, which begins at a depth of 4,983 km (3,090
mi).
lithosphere - includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitute the hard and
rigid outer layer of the Earth. The lithosphere is subdivided into tectonic plates.
asthenosphere - zone of Earth's mantle lying beneath the lithosphere and believed to be
much hotter and more fluid than the lithosphere. The asthenosphere extends from about
100 km (60 miles) to about 700 km (450 miles) below Earth's surface.
plate tectonics - a theory of global tectonics in which the lithosphere is divided into a
number of crustal plates, each of which moves on the plastic asthenosphere more or less
independently to collide with, slide under, or move past adjacent plates.
erosion - the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.
atmosphere - The blanket of gas on the surface of a planet or satellite. Note: The
atmosphere of the Earth is roughly eighty percent nitrogen and twenty percent oxygen,
with traces of other gases. (See ionosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere.)
ionosphere - A region of the earth's atmosphere where ionization caused by incoming solar
radiation affects the transmission of radio waves. It extends from a height of 70 kilometers
(43 miles) to 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the surface.
troposphere - the lowest layer of the atmosphere, 6 miles (10 km) high in some areas and
as much as 12 miles (20 km) high in others, within which there is a steady drop in
temperature with increasing altitude and within which nearly all cloud formations occur and
weather conditions manifest themselves.
stratosphere - the region of the upper atmosphere extending upward from the tropopause
to about 30 miles (50 km) above the earth, characterized by little vertical change in
temperature.
ozone - a gas that is a form of oxygen, O3, with a peculiar odor suggesting that of weak
chlorine, produced when an electric spark or ultraviolet light is passed through air or oxygen.
It is found in the atmosphere in minute quantities, especially after a thunderstorm, is a
powerful oxidizing agent, and is thus biologically corrosive. In the stratosphere, it absorbs
ultraviolet rays, thereby preventing them from reaching the surface of the earth.
radiation - Radiation is energy that comes from many sources and travels through both
space and other materials. All objects radiate energy and heat, even your own body.
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However, the radiation coming from hotter objects is more intense than that coming from
cooler objects. Radiation leaves an object in the form of waves. The hotter an object, the
shorter the wavelength of this radiation. There are actually two kinds of radiation, and one is
more energetic than the other. It has so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms, a
process known as ionization. This ionizing radiation can affect the atoms in living things, so it
poses a health risk by damaging tissue and DNA in genes. There are other, less energetic,
types of non-ionizing radiation which include radio waves, microwaves—and visible light.
conduction - 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.
convection - Heat transfer in a gas or liquid by the circulation of currents from one region
to another. Fluid motion caused by an external force such as gravity.
greenhouse effect - A phenomenon in which the atmosphere of a planet traps radiation
emitted by its sun, caused by gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that
allow incoming sunlight to pass through but retain heat radiated back from the planet's
surface.
water cycle (hydrology) - 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
evaporation - It is defined as the transfer of liquid water into vapor state to the
atmosphere. It involves the conversion of water from liquid to vapor state and then again
return to the atmosphere in the form of liquid or solid precipitation that reaches the earth
surface. The most important form of evaporation is probably that one which takes place from
sea, ocean or other water surfaces. Evaporation may also take place from bare soil surface
but in a very small amount of total quantity. Evaporation causes cooling. Precipitation
deposited on vegetation also evaporates reducing the quantity of water reaching the soil
surface. Other evaporation mechanism to be considered is transpiration by plants.
condensation - Condensation the process by which water vapor (gas) in the atmosphere
turns into water (liquid state). It is the opposite of evaporation. This stage is very important
because it is the cloud formation stage. Cool temperatures are essential for condensation to
happen, because as long as the temperature in the atmosphere is high, it can hold the water
vapor and delay condensation.
precipitation - It is defined as the fall of moisture from the atmosphere to the earth surface
in any physical form. Usually precipitation is in two forms: Liquid - rainfall and Solid
Precipitation which includes snow, hail, sleet, and freezing rain. It is major factor controlling
the hydrology of a region. It is major input of fresh water to the earth surface.
salinity - The term salinity refers to the amount of dissolved salts that are present in water.
Sodium and chloride are the predominant ions in seawater, and the concentrations of
magnesium, calcium, and sulfate ions are also substantial.
fresh water - Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets,
ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as
groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by
having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term fresh
water does not have the same meaning as potable water which is water that has been
sanitized. Much surface fresh water and some ground water are unsuitable for drinking
without some form of purification because of the presence of chemical or biological
contaminants. Less than three percent of Earth's water is fresh.
marine water - water that contains high salt content and makes up over 97% of Earth's
water resources
biosphere - the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied
by living organisms