Ch. 3 Earth's Interdependent Systems

Front 1

abiotic

Back 1

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

Front 2

abyssal zone

Back 2

This is the depest region of the ocean. this zone is marked by extremely cold temperatures and very low levels of dissolved oxygen, but very high levels of nutrients because of the decaying plant and animal matter that falls from the zones above

Front 3

acid

Back 3

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

Front 4

active volcano

Back 4

a volcano that is currently erupting or has erupted within recorded history

Front 5

aggregate

Back 5

crowded or massed into a dense cluster

Front 6

air mass

Back 6

enormous bodies of air that move as a unit

Front 7

A layer

Back 7

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

Front 8

alkaline

Back 8

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

Front 9

aquifer

Back 9

an underground layer of porous rock, san, or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of nonporour rock or clay. Aquifers are fequently tapped for wells.

Front 10

arable

Back 10

land that's fit to be cultivated

Front 11

asthenosphere

Back 11

the part of the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere

Front 12

atmosphere

Back 12

the gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body, espceially the one surrounding the Earth, which is retained by the celestial body's gravitational field

Front 13

barrier island

Back 13

a long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland, built up by the action of wabes and curents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges

Front 14

bathyal zone

Back 14

the steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the abyssal zone

Front 15

benthic zone

Back 15

the deepest layer in a body of water; characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels

Front 16

biological weathering

Back 16

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

Front 17

biotic

Back 17

living or derived from living things

Front 18

B layer

Back 18

a soil horizon; B receivves the minerals and organic materials that are leached out of the A horizon

Front 19

chemical weathering

Back 19

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

Front 20

C layer

Back 20

a soil horizon, horizon C is made up of larger pieces of rock that have not undergone much weathering

Front 21

clay

Back 21

the finest soil, made up of particles that are less than 0.002 mm in diameter

Front 22

conduction

Back 22

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

Front 23

convection

Back 23

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

Front 24

convection currents

Back 24

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

Front 25

convergent boundary

Back 25

a plate boundary where two plates are moving toward each other

Front 26

coral reef

Back 26

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

Front 27

Coriolis effect

Back 27

the oserved effect of the Coriolis force, espcially the delction of an object moving aboce the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere, and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere

Front 28

crop rotation

Back 28

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

Front 29

delta

Back 29

a usually triangular aluvial deposit at the mout of a river

Front 30

divergent boundary

Back 30

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

Front 31

doldrums

Back 31

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

Front 32

dormant volanoes

Back 32

volcanoes that have not been known to erupt

Front 33

drip irrigation

Back 33

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

Front 34

earthquake

Back 34

the result of vibrations (often due to plate movements) deep in the Earth that release energy. They often occur as two plates slide past one another at a transform boundary.

Front 35

El Nino

Back 35

a climate variation that takes place in the tropical pacific about every three to seven years, for a duration of about one year

Front 36

epilimnion

Back 36

the uppermost, and thus the most oxygenated, layer in a fresh body of water

Front 37

erosion

Back 37

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

Front 38

estuary

Back 38

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

Front 39

euphotic zone

Back 39

in aquatic systems, the layer or depth of water through which an adequate amount of light penetrates to support photosynthesis

Front 40

fault

Back 40

the place where two plates abut each other

Front 41

front

Back 41

the boundary where different air masses meet

Front 42

Greenhouse effect

Back 42

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 surface

Front 43

Green Revolution

Back 43

the development and introduction of new varieties of (mainly) wheat and ice that has increased yileds per acre dramatically in countries since the 1960s

Front 44

Hadley cell

Back 44

a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns

Front 45

headwaters

Back 45

the water from which a river rises; a source

Front 46

horizon

Back 46

a layter of soil

Front 47

horizontal airflow

Back 47

when a warm air mass rises and cool air rushes in to take its place

Front 48

Horse latitudes

Back 48

either of two belts of latitudes located over the oceans at about 30 degrees to 35 degrees north and south, having high barometric pressure, calms, and light, changeable winds

Front 49

humus

Back 49

the dark, crubly, nutrient-rich material that results from the decompostition of organic material

Front 50

hurricane (typhoon, cyclone)

Back 50

a severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or easter regions of the Pacific Ocean, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involving heavy rains

Front 51

hypolimnion

Back 51

the layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that lies below the thermocline, is noncirculating, and remains perpetually cold

Front 52

inner core

Back 52

the molten core of the Earth

Front 53

insolation

Back 53

the rate of delivery of solar radiation per unit of horizontal surface

Front 54

interbasin transfer

Back 54

a system by which water is transported very long distances from its source through aqueducts of pipelines

Front 55

ionosphere

Back 55

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 km (43 miles) to 400 km (250 miles) above the surface

Front 56

jet stream

Back 56

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)

Front 57

land degradation

Back 57

when soil becomes water-logged and then dries out, and salt forms a layer on its surface

Front 58

La Nina

Back 58

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

Front 59

limnetic zone

Back 59

the surface of open water; the region that extends to the depth that sunlight can penetrate. Organisms that are residents in this zone are short-lived and rely on sunlight to carry out photosynthesis

Front 60

littoral zone

Back 60

begins with the very shallow water at the shorline. Plants and animals that reside in the littoral zone receive abundant sunlight. The end of this zone is defined as the depth at which rooted plants stop growing.

Front 61

lithosphere

Back 61

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

Front 62

loamy

Back 62

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

Front 63

mantle

Back 63

the layer of the Earth between the crust and the core

Front 64

mesosphere

Back 64

the portion of the atmosphere from about 30 to 80 km (20 to 50 miles) above the Earth's surface, characterized by temperatures that decrease from 10 degrees C to -90 degrees C (50 degrees F to -130 degrees F)with increasing altitude

Front 65

meterorlogist

Back 65

scientist who reports and forcasts weather conditions

Front 66

monoculture

Back 66

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

Front 67

monsoon

Back 67

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

Front 68

O layer

Back 68

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

Front 69

Physical (mechanical) weathering

Back 69

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

Front 70

plate boundaries

Back 70

the edges of tectonic plates

Front 71

plow pan

Back 71

a pan created by plowing at the depth of tillage, largely the result of the common practice of dropping the tractor wheels of one side of the tractor into the dead furrow for steering while performing the plowing operation

Front 72

polar easterly

Back 72

when winds between latitudes 60 degrees and the North Pole below from the north and east, and winds between 60 degrees and the SOuth Pole blow from the south and east

Front 73

prior appropriation

Back 73

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

Front 74

profundal zone

Back 74

in freshwater, the layer of water that is too deep for sunlight to penetrate. The profundal zone is an aphotic zone, and thus photosynthesizing plants or animals cannot live in this region

Front 75

rain shadow

Back 75

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

Front 76

red tide

Back 76

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.

Front 77

R horizon

Back 77

The bedrock, which lies below all of the other layers of soil, is referred to as the R horizon

Front 78

riparian right

Back 78

the process in which soil becomes saltier and saltier until, finally, the salt prevents the growth of plants. Salinization is caused by irrigation because salts brought in with the water remain in the soil as water evapoates

Front 79

sand

Back 79

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

Front 80

silt

Back 80

soil with particles 0.002-0.05 mm in diameter

Front 81

Souther Oscillation

Back 81

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

Front 82

subduction zone

Back 82

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

Front 83

thermocline

Back 83

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

Front 84

thermosphere

Back 84

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

Front 85

topsoil

Back 85

the A layer of soil is often referred to as topsoil and is most important plant growth

Front 86

trade winds

Back 86

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

Front 87

transform boundary

Back 87

also known as transform faults, boundaries at which plates are moving past each other, sideways

Front 88

tropical storm

Back 88

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

Front 89

troposphere

Back 89

the lowest region of the atmosphere between the Earth's suface and the tropopause, characterized by decreasing temperature with increasing altitude

Front 90

tropopause

Back 90

the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere varying in altitude from approximately 8 km (5 miles) at the poles to approximately 18 km (11 miles) at the equator

Front 91

upwelling

Back 91

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

Front 92

volcanoes

Back 92

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

Front 93

watershed

Back 93

the region draining into river system or other body of water

Front 94

water-scarce

Back 94

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

Front 95

water stressed

Back 95

countires that have a renewable annual water supply of about 1,000 to 2,000 m cubed per person

Front 96

weather

Back 96

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

Front 97

weathering

Back 97

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

Front 98

westerly

Back 98

at type of moving air mass that results from air being deflected south and weat in the Northern Hemisphere and north and weat in the Southern Hemisphere near the equator (between 30 degrees and 60 degrees)

Front 99

wetlands

Back 99

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