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Environmental
1st Semester Midterm Study Guide
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Coriolis effect | The apparent deflection of objects or fluids moving over the Earth's surface due to the planet's rotation, resulting in a curved path rather than a straight one. |
| Dissipate | Break apart and reduce in strength. |
| Evacuate | To be forced to leave a home because of danger. |
| Hurricane | A giant wind and rain storm that forms over warm water with winds between 74 and 155 mph. |
| A ______ indicates that hurricane conditions are expected in the area in 24 hours or less. | Hurricane warning |
| A ______ indicates that hurricane conditions (sustained winds greater than 73 mph) are possible in the area within 36 hours. | Hurricane watch |
| Tornado | A spinning storm that is less than one mile wide, with swirling winds that can reach over 300 mph. |
| A tropical cyclone with wind speeds between 23 and 39 mph would be classified as a ________ | Tropical depression |
| Tropical disturbance | A tropical cyclone with wind speeds less than 23 mph. |
| A tropical cyclone with wind speeds between 40 and 73 mph would be classified as a ________ | Tropical storm |
| A ______ indicates that hurricane conditions (sustained winds greater than 73 mph) are possible in the area within 36 hours. | Tropical storm warning |
| A ______ indicates that tropical storm conditions with sustained winds from 39 to 73 mph are possible in the area within the next 36 hours. | Tropical storm watch |
| Eye wall | A ring of thunderstorms which swirl around the eye of the hurricane. It is the most violent part of the hurricane. |
| Thunderstorm | A storm that gets energy from heat and moist air and expands its energy in the forms of clouds, rain, lightning. |
| At what wind speed does a tropical depression become a tropical storm? | When wind speeds are between 38 and 74 mph. |
| Describe the conditions normally found in the eye of a hurricane. | Calm, very little winds |
| Explain how warm air and cold air move vertically. | Warm air rises because its molecules spread out which makes it less dense and cold air sinks because its molecules are more compact, which makes it denser. |
| Explain what hurricane hunters do and why. | Fly planes through hurricanes. To help meteorologist determine where it's headed. |
| How do hurricanes rotate in the northern hemisphere? | Counterclockwise |
| How do hurricanes rotate in the southern hemisphere? | Clockwise |
| How is rain produced? | Forms when air containing water vapor is forced to rise. Water vapor condenses to form clouds made of tiny water droplets. |
| How is wind formed? | By the Earth's unequal heating by the sun, which makes area of high low air pressure and this horizontal movement of air is wind. |
| List the wind levels for the five categories of hurricanes. | Categories: 1: 74-95 mph 2: 96-110 mph 3: 111-129 mph 4: 130 - 156 mph 5: 157 mph or higher |
| Warm air moves from and area of _______ pressure to _______ pressure. | High to low |
| What is the center of a hurricane called? | The eye of a hurricane |
| What is the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning? | In a watch sustained winds are possible in watch area within 36 hours & warning conditions are expected in area in 24 hours or less. |
| What is the function of a levee? | It's a wall that holds ocean water away from a city. |
| What is the most dangerous quadrant of a hurricane? | Top right |
| When does the hurricane season begin and end in the United States? | June 1st to November 30th |
| Where are the strongest winds of a hurricane found? | In the eye wall/northern hemisphere |
| Why does hurricanes lose strength when they move over land? | They no longer have warm air to get energy from. |
| Geosphere | Solid part of the earth that consists of all the rock, soil, and sediment that are part of the earth's surface. |
| Atmosphere | Layer of gases that surrounds the Earth's surface. |
| Troposphere | Lowest layer of the atmosphere, where life exists and weather occurs. |
| Stratosphere | Layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, altitude where jets fly, contains jet streams, and ozone layer. |
| Ozone layer | Layer of ozone in the Stratosphere, protects the Earth from the sun's most dangerous radiation. |
| Crust(Earth's crust) | Earth's thin outer layer. |
| Mantle | Layer of the earth found below the crust, makes up 64% of the mass of the earth. |
| Core(inner & outer) | Inner: Inner-sphere of solid iron & nickel located at the center of the earth. Outer: Outer shell of the earth's core made of molten iron & nickel. |
| Lithosphere | Cool, rigid outer layer of the earth, consists of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle. |
| Asthenosphere | Solid, plastic layer between the mesosphere and the lithosphere. |
| Mesosphere | Lower layer of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core. |
| Tectonic Plates | Separate pieces that make up the lithosphere. |
| Plate Tectonics | The theory that the Earth's crust is divided into pieces that move over the asthenosphere causing earthquakes and volcanoes. |
| Ring of Fire | Area around the Pacific plate that has an extraordinarily high number of earthquakes and volcanoes. |
| Pangea | An original supercontinent that broke into the continents we know today due to plate tectonics. |
| Richter scale | Scale that measures the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles F. Richter. |
| Pyroclastic flow | Dense cloud of superheated gases and debris that travels down the sides of an erupting volcano at great speeds. That can move down the side of a volcano from 300-500 mph. |
| Erosion | Wearing down of rock and the Earth's surface by physical or chemical means. |
| Chemical erosion | Wearing down rock by changing the chemical composition of the rock. |
| Liquefaction | Soil loses some of its strength due to water allowing it to sink structures. |
| Tectonic Plate Boundaries | Areas where tectonic plates meet and cause activity. |
| Seismic waves | Movement of the Earth's crust caused by Earthquakes. |
| Biosphere | Includes all parts of the earth that host life, with all its organisms and environments. |
| Hydrosphere | Composed of all of the water on or near the earth's surface. |
| Lava | Molten rock that has erupted to the Earth's surface. |
| Magma | Molten rock found beneath the surface of the Earth. Becomes lava after erupting from the volcanos. |
| Earthquake | Violent shaking of the Earth caused by the movement of tectonic plate, volcanic activity, or other movements of the Earth's crust. |
| Continental drift | Epicenter: Where the movement takes place. Damage can be based on depth of epicenter, distance from epicenter, and type of soil. |
| Convergent boundary & differentiate between mountain building: | Convergent boundary is a location on Earth's surface where two tectonic plates move toward each other, colliding and causing phenomena like mountain formation, deep-sea trenches, earthquakes, and volcanism. |
| Feedback loop: | Is a process where the output of a system influences its own output, creating a cyclical effect that can either amplify or dampen changes. |
| Layer of the Atmosphere: | Troposphere, Stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. |
| Layers of the Geosphere: | Inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. |
| Layers of the Hydrosphere: | Atmospheric water, surface water, and groundwater. |
| Positive feedback loop: | Drive the systems toward an extreme and destabilizes it. |
| Negative feedback loop: | Stabilizes the system and Doesn't drive it towards an extreme. |
| Adaptation: | A heritable trait that increases an individual's fitness. |
| Speciation: | Process by which new species are generated. The most important way is called allopatric speciation. |
| Symbiosis: | A relationship in which two species live & corporate closely. At least one species receives a benefit; neither is harmed. |
| Mutualism: | Relationship in which two or more species benefit. |
| Commensalism: | Relationship in which one species benefits while the other is unaffected. |
| Primary- | Only eat producers; animals called herbivores (plant eater) |
| Secondary- | Only eat primary consumers. Called carnivores. (meat eaters) |
| Apex predator: | Top predator that normally has no natural intervals. |
| Decomposers- | Organisms that feed on dead, decaying organic matter and detritus. (Any remains of consumers or producers they eat) |
| Food chain | A liner series of feeding relationships showing a simple path of energy flow through an ecosystem: |
| Food web | A complex, interconnected map of feeding relationships showing many paths by which energy flows through an ecosystem: |
| Parasitism | Symbolic relationship in which one organism lives on or in another organism and harms it But doesn't kill it immediately. |
| Ecology | The branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment. |
| Ecological Footprint | The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to support a person or population. |
| Natural Resource | Any material in nature that people use and value. |
| Pollution | Release of harmful materials into the environment. |
| Biodiversity | Variety of many different species in an area, the variety of species living within an ecosystem. |
| Agricultural Revolution | Time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering. Started 10,000 years ago. |
| Industrial Revolution | Change from an agricultural to an industrial society and from home manufacturing to factory production. |
| Sustainability | The ability to keep in existence or maintain. |
| Biodegradable | Able to be broken down naturally. |
| Biodiversity | Describes the variety of life across all levels of ecological organization. |
| Biodiversity hotspot | Focuses attention on areas where the greatest number of species can be protected with the least effort. |
| Captive breeding | Raising and breeding organisms in controlled conditions, such as zoos or aquariums. |
| Cloning | Inserting DNa from an endangered species into a cultured egg cell; process involves implanting eggs into mothers of closely related species. |
| Ecosystem diversity | Variety of habitats, ecosystems, and communities. |
| Ecotourism | Environmentally responsible, tourism is a source of income for many nations. |
| Endangered species | One that is at serious risk of extinction. |
| Endangered Species Act | U.S. law that protects biodiversity, passed in 1973. |
| Extirpation | Disappearance of a particular population from a given area but not of the entire species globally. |
| Genetic diversity | Difference in DNA among individuals. |
| Habitat Fragmentation | Patches of suitable habitat surrounded by unsuitable habitat. |
| Poaching | Illegal capture or killing of an organization. |
| Species diversity | A variety of species in a given area. |
| Threatened species | Vulnerable species, one that is likely to become endangered soon throughout all or part of its range. |
| List and define 5 causes of biodiversity loss: | 1: Invasive species 2:Pollution 3:Habitat change 4:Overharvesting 5:Human activity |
| What is the difference between a resistant ecosystem and a resilient ecosystem? | Resistant- Change without losing function Resilient- Affected by change but bounce back & gain function |
| How can biodiversity benefit agriculture? | Wild strays can be cross bred to transfer beneficial traits. |
| How can biodiversity benefit medicine? | Organisms contain compounds that are useful for treating disease. |
| Why has ecotourism been suspended in the Galapagos Islands? | Due to humans damaging the ecosystem too much. |
| Extinctions that occur one at a time, at a "normal" rate are referred to as what? | Background extinction |
| When a large number of extinctions occur very quickly, the event is referred to as what? | Mass extinction |
| Explain what happens during cloning. How could this help endangered Species? | Nucleus from an egg cell is replaced with a somatic cell to produce a genetically identical copy of the parent. Can be used to produce multiple young's from an individual. |
| What is the greatest cause of biodiversity loss? | Human activity |
| What are the characteristics of a stable ecosystem? | 1: High level of biodiversity 2: Is resistant to environmental disturbances 3: Resilient & can recover quickly 4: Has a consistent energy flow 5: Has efficient nutrient cycling |
| Key-stone species: | A predator or prey but the loss of the species will totally change an ecosystem. |
| Geology | The study of the earth's crust layers, minerals, and soils |
| A lion is a: | Carnivore |
| A plant is a: | Producer |
| A(n)__________ (plant eater) consumer that eats producers is known as a ________. | Primary consumer |
| A(n)__________ (producer) organism that is able to make its own food is known as a ___________. | Autotroph |
| A simple diagram that shows energy flowing through an ecosystem from one organism to another organism is a _____________________. | Food chain |
| An organism that eats both plant material and meat: | Omnivore |
| An organism that lives and feeds on its prey without killing it is known as a: | Parasite |
| An organism that makes its own food using energy from the sun is known as a: | Photoautotroph |
| An organism that uses energy from chemical reactions to produce its own food is known as a: | Chemoautotroph |
| Based on methods of obtaining energy, a cow is a: | Herbiore |
| Based on methods of obtaining energy, a human is a: | Omnivore |
| Based on the flow of energy through an ecosystem, it can be said that the ultimate source of energy for almost all life on earth is _____________. | The sun |
| A Carnivore that eats dead organisms that it did not kill is known as a _________________. | Scavenger |
| A Carnivore that hunts and kills its prey is known as a ______________. | Predator |
| A diagram that shows the complicated relationships in which organisms eat and are eaten by other organisms is known as a ______________. | Food Web |
| The dead decaying remains of organic material are known as a __________. | Detritus |
| What is a keystone species? | A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. |
| What is an Apex predator? | A predator at the top of a food chain, with no natural predators of its own. |
| A(n) ___________ (autotroph) organism that uses sunlight or chemical energy to produce its own food is known as a ________________. | Producer |
| A(n) __________ (consumer) organism that cannot make its own food is known as a: | Heterotroph |
| A(n) ___________ (decomposer) organism that obtains energy by "digesting" detritus is known as a: | Detritivore |
| A(n) __________ (detritivore) organism that breaks down dead decaying organic material for food is known as a: | Decomposer |
| A(n) ________(heterotroph) organism that must obtain energy from other organisms is known as a: | Consumer |
| A(n) ____________(meat eater) consumer that eats other consumers is known as a ________________. | Carnivore |
| Predation | The predator hunts, kills, and eats another organism (prey) for food |
| Invasive species | A non- native in an ecosystem which causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm. |
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