Earth Science Chapter 1

Front 1

What is a system?

Back 1

A type of model. It can be defined as a part of the universe that can be studied separately.

Front 2

What is model?

Back 2

A representation of an object, a process, or a phenomenon. Examples include: a small cardboard version of a house, globes, and maps.

Front 3

What is a closed system?

Back 3

A system in which energy can enter or leave, but matter cannot.

Front 4

What is an open system?

Back 4

A system in which there is a free exchange of both energy and matter between the system and its surroundings.

Front 5

Is the Earth a closed system or an open system?

Back 5

"Scientists consider Earth to be an essentially closed system. Earth receives radiant energy from the sun and reflects much of it back into space (an exchange of energy). The system is not entirely closed, however. The atmosphere loses hydrogen atoms to space and meteorites enter the atmosphere from space. Overall, however, Earth's mass remains relatively onstant. One of the consequences of Earth's being an essentially closed system is that many of the planet's resources are finite"(6-7).

Front 6

Atmosphere

Back 6

The gaseous envelope surrounding earth. It is composed of a mixture of gases and the atmosphere provides living things with oxygen and carbon dioxide. Other gases in the atmosphere absorb and alter rays from the sun, blocking potentially harmful radiation. Changing amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere results in areas of high or low humidity and influence the formation of clouds.

Front 7

What are the Earth's four systems?

Back 7

Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Geosphere, Biosphere.

Front 8

Geosphere

Back 8

The earth itself- the rocks, the mountains, the beaches, and all the other physical features of the planet except water. Included in the geosphere are also ocean basins and rock layers that one cannot easily see.
Mineral resources, such as iron and copper, are mined from this sphere.

Front 9

Hydrosphere

Back 9

This sphere contains all the water in the Earth system, including the water in the oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Water locked up in ice and snow at the poles and in high mountains is also considered to be a part of this sphere.

Front 10

What is the makeup of the Earth's water source?

Back 10

3% of the Earth's water is fresh water.
70% of the water is frozen in the form of glacial ice.
Only 1/2% of the Earth's water is usuable fresh water.

Front 11

Biosphere

Back 11

This sphere includes all forms of life, from single-celled protozoa to jellyfish to redwood trees to people.

Front 12

What is the water cycle?

Back 12

The continuous circulation of H2O through the hydrosphere.

Front 13

What components make up the water cycle?

Back 13

*Condensation
*Deposition
*Evaporation
*Precipitation
*Runoff
*Transpiration

Front 14

Evapotranspiration

Back 14

The cycling of water vapor into the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.

Front 15

Where does most of the energy come from?

Back 15

*99.985% is solar energy, "Nuclear fusion reactions in the sun"
*0.013% is geothermal energy, "Decay of radioactive materials."
*0.002% is tidal energy, "Pull of the moon on Earth's oceans"(16).

Front 16

Albedo

Back 16

The percentage of energy that is reflected without being changed.
{examples: a forest has a low ___, reflecting 5-10% of the energy that reaches it. A field of freshly fallen snow has a low ___, reflecting 80-90% of the energy.}

Front 17

First Law of Thermodynamics

Back 17

Energy can never be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.

Front 18

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Back 18

When energy changes, it is converted from a more useful, more concentrated form to a less useful, less concentrated form.

Front 19

Carbon Cycle

Back 19

The biogeochemical circulation of carbon through the Earth system.

Front 20

Cycle

Back 20

The physical or chemical processing of Earth materails that repeats over time, for example, the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the rock cycle.

Front 21

Earth system science

Back 21

The study of Earth materials and processes subdivided into a group of four interconnected spheres of activity: atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Front 22

Energy cycle

Back 22

The movement of energy into and out of the Earth system.

Front 23

Geothermal Energy

Back 23

Heat energy that originates from within Earth and drives the movement of Earth's tectonic plates

Front 24

Solar Energy

Back 24

Energy emitted by the sun.

Front 25

Tidal Energy

Back 25

Energy created by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon on Earth's oceans.

Front 26

Cartographer

Back 26

One who makes maps.

Front 27

Contour Interval

Back 27

The difference in elevation between two consecutive contour lines.

Front 28

Contour Lines

Back 28

Lines on a topographic map showing elevation of land above or below sea level, all points connected by a line having the same elevation.

Front 29

Equator

Back 29

The imaginary line dividing Earth's surface into Northern and Southern Hemispheres; establishes 0o latitude.

Front 30

False-Color Image

Back 30

A computer image that assigns disticctive colors to different wavelengths of light reflected from a distant object, delineating surface features; used frequently in satellite images of Earth from space.

Front 31

Hemisphere

Back 31

An equal division of Earth's surface into northern and southern halves or eastern and western halves.

Front 32

Latitude

Back 32

East-west lines parallel to the equator used to measure distance in degrees north and south, from 0o to 90o north and south at the poles.

Front 33

Longitude

Back 33

North-south lines running between the poles, used to measure distance in degrees east and west of the prime meridian, from 0o at the prime meridian to 180o east and west.

Front 34

Magnetic Declination

Back 34

The angle by which the compass needle varies from true north; magnetic variation.

Front 35

Map

Back 35

A flat, two-dimensional representation of Earth's surface and features.

Front 36

Map Scale

Back 36

On a map,l the comparison of distant units used with actual distances on Earth's surface; may be expressed as a ratio, a fraction, or in a scale bar.

Front 37

Prime Meridian

Back 37

The imaginary line dividing Earth's surface into Eastern and Western Hemispheres, established as 0o at Greenwich, England; the starting point for standard time zones.

Front 38

Projection

Back 38

A representation of the spherical earth on the flat plane of a map.

Front 39

Radar

Back 39

A method of detecting distant objects and recording their features and properties by analysis of electromagnetic waves reflected from their surfaces.

Front 40

Slope

Back 40

The steepness of a landscape, calculated as the change in elevation divided by the distance covered.

Front 41

Topographic Map

Back 41

A map that uses contour lines and symbols to show the surface features of a particular area, including natural features like mountains, valleys, bodies of water, as well as human-made features like bridges, buildings, and roads.

Front 42

Topography

Back 42

All natural and human-made surface features of a particular area.