Environmental Science Final Review

Front 1

The key to keeping soil in top quality and from eroding is to keep it covered with .....

Back 1

mulch or vegetation

Front 2

The biome with the poorest soil is the...

Back 2

tropical rainforest

Front 3

Good, rich topsoil is typically what color?

Back 3

black

Front 4

The top-most horizon consists of

Back 4

organic matter and detritus

Front 5

The label given to the top horizon is...

Back 5

O horizon

Front 6

Topsoil is found in the ___ horizon

Back 6

A

Front 7

Subsoil lacks....

Back 7

nutrients and organic matter

Front 8

Subsoil is found in the ____ horizon.

Back 8

B

Front 9

The ______ zone is found between the topsoil and the subsoil

Back 9

leachate

Front 10

Parent material can be found in the ____ horizon

Back 10

C

Front 11

Parent material consists of ....

Back 11

Rotting rocks

Front 12

The perfect blend of soil is called ....

Back 12

loam

Front 13

Loam consists of ___% clay, ___% sand, and ____% silt.

Back 13

20, 40, 40

Front 14

The smallest soil particle is ...

Back 14

Clay

Front 15

The largest soil particle is...

Back 15

sand

Front 16

Medium size soil particles are ....

Back 16

silt

Front 17

Clay is necessary in soil because of its ability to hold...

Back 17

water and nutrients

Front 18

Sand helps give ____ to soil

Back 18

porosity and drainage capabilty to soil.

Front 19

The total amount of air and water space in between grains of soil is...

Back 19

porosity

Front 20

Large particle soil has ____ porosity.

Back 20

large

Front 21

The smaller the soil particle size, the _____ the permeability

Back 21

lower

Front 22

The lower the permeability, the ____ the runoff.

Back 22

greater

Front 23

Soil that is compacted has ____ porosity and ____ permability

Back 23

less, less

Front 24

Soil that is already wet has ___ ability to absorb more water

Back 24

less

Front 25

A layer of soil is called a ...

Back 25

horizon

Front 26

An environmental catastrophe with U.S. soil in the 1930's caused by bad farming practices was called...

Back 26

the Dust Bowl

Front 27

When overwatered soil evaporates its water it can build up salts in a process called ....

Back 27

salinization

Front 28

The richest topsoil can be found in ....

Back 28

grasslands

Front 29

Why is tropical rainforest soil so bad?

Back 29

Nutrients are locked up in the canopy; Moist, warm climate speeds decomposition and nutrient uptake.

Front 30

What pH range should good topsoil be?

Back 30

slightly alkaline ( not acidic)

Front 31

Desert pavement is caused by...

Back 31

wind erosion

Front 32

The s_____ c_____ s_____ was started under FDR to help protect our soil from erosion

Back 32

soil conservation service

Front 33

The best kind of fertilizer for good topsoil is....

Back 33

organic fertilizer (manure, compost)

Front 34

Inorganic fertilizers require lots of _____ in order to manufacture them.

Back 34

energy (typically from fossil fuel)

Front 35

A program where we pay farmers to NOT grow crops so that land can recover is....

Back 35

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Front 36

To minimize erosion a farmer should use ___ - ______ farming in his fields.

Back 36

no till

Front 37

the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle

Back 37

Geosphere

Front 38

a huge slab of rock that moves very slowly over a softer layer beneath the surface of earths crust.

Back 38

Tectonic Plate

Front 39

condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind

Back 39

Erosion

Front 40

a mixture of gases that surrounds Earth

Back 40

Atmosphere

Front 41

The layer closest to Earth, where almost all weather occurs; the thinnest layer

Back 41

Troposphere

Front 42

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

Back 42

Biosphere

Front 43

the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer; temperature increases as you go up

Back 43

Stratosphere

Front 44

A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of two. protects us from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun

Back 44

Ozone

Front 45

process by which atmospheric gases trap heat close to Earth's surface and prevent it from escaping into space

Back 45

Greenhouse Effect

Front 46

the direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching

Back 46

Conduction

Front 47

the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas

Back 47

Convection

Front 48

The process of SUPPLYING WATER to areas of land to make them suitable for GROWING CROPS

Back 48

irrigation

Front 49

pathogen

Back 49

any disease-producing agent (especially a virus or bacterium or other microorganism)

Front 50

water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers

Back 50

groundwater

Front 51

watershed

Back 51

the area of land that is drained by a river system

Front 52

a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater

Back 52

aquifer

Front 53

ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it

Back 53

permeability

Front 54

Area of the Earth's surface where water percolates down into the aquifer

Back 54

recharge zone

Front 55

potable

Back 55

suitable for drinking

Front 56

several minerals that form long thin fibers that are valued for their strength and resistence to heat; primarily insulators and fire retardents

Back 56

asbestos

Front 57

buildings that have very poor air quality

Back 57

sick-building syndrome

Front 58

pollutant that is put directly into the air by human activity

Back 58

primary pollutant

Front 59

primary pollutant comes into contact with other primary pollutants or with naturally occuring substances and a chemical reaction takes place

Back 59

secondary pollutants

Front 60

when air pollution hangs over urban areas and reduces visibility

Back 60

smog

Front 61

air above is warmer than the air below

Back 61

temperature inversion