Sophie Wilson Science vocab chapter 1 Earth science all the scinces that collectively seek to understand earths

hs and its neighbors in space Geology- study of earth Oceanology- study of the oceans and all there aspects and relationships Meteorology- study of atmosphere and the processes that produce weather and climate Astronomy- study of the universe Hypothesis- untested explanation Theory- a well tested and widely excepted view that the scientific community agrees id the best example Physical environment- traditionally divided into three major spheres Hydrosphere- a dynamic mass of water that is continually moving Atmosphere- living-gibing gaseous envelope surrounding earth Biosphere- includes all life on earth Geosphere- beneath the atmosphere and the ocean is the solid earth or geosphere, extends to the surface and middle of the earth Mantle- solid, rocky shell Crust- earths relatively thin, rocky outer skin Lithosphere- (sphere of rock) consists of entire crust and uppermost mantle and forms earths outer shell Asthenosphere- (weak sphere) beneath the lithosphere, soft Lower mantle- From a depth of 660 meters to the top of the core Core- center of the Earth Inner core- high temp, solid due to the immense pressure that exist in the center of the planet Outer core- liquid layer thick, its movement of metallic iron within the zone that generates earths metallic field Earth system science- study of earth as a system composed of numerous interacting parts System- can be a size group of interacting part that form a complex whole Closed system- no matter leaves or enters the system Open system- both energy and matter flow into and out of the system Neg. feedback mechanism- work to maintain the status quo Pos. feedback mechanism- mechanisms that enhance or drive change Interface- common boundary where different parts of a system come in contact with each other and interact

Chapter 2: matter and minerals Mineralogy- (mineral= mineral, ology= the study of) Mineral- any naturally occurring inorganic solid that possess an orderly crystalline structure and can be represented by a definite chemical compound Rock- any solid that consists of an aggregate of minerals, pieces of preexisting rocks, or a mass mineral Chemical bonds- transfer of sharing of electrons that allows each atom to attain a full valence shell of electron Ions- positively and negatively charged atoms Ionic bonds- attraction of oppositely charged atoms to another, producing and electrically neutral atom Covalent bonds- chemical bond formed by the sharing of a pair of electrons between atoms Metallic bonds- valence electrons are free to move from on atom to another so that all atoms share the available valence electrons Mass number- is simply the total number of its protons and neutrons in an atom Isotopes- atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons Radioactive decay- unstable isotopes radiate energy and emit particles Luster- the appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral Color-most conspicuous characteristic od a mineral Opaque- when no light is transmitted Translucent- when light but no image is transmitted through a mineral Transparent- when both light and an image are visible through the sample Streak- the color of a mineral in powdered form Crystal shape/ habit- referred to as the common or characteristic shape of a crystal or aggregate of crystals by scientist Tenacity- describes a minerals toughness Hardness- a measure of the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching Mohs scale- hardness of a mineral Cleavage- weak bonds that minerals tend to break when they are stressed Fracture- produce uneven surfaces and are described as exhibiting irregular fracture Density- mass per unit of volume often expressed in grams Specific gravity- describe the density of matter Nonrenewable- minerals that cannot be replaced Renewable- they can be replaced

Chapter 3 Rock cycle- allows us to see many of the interactions between many components and processes of the earth system Lithification- conversion into rock Lava- when magma reaches earths surface and erupts Igneous rock- molten rock that solidifies either beneath the surface or at the surface Crystallization or solidification- molten rock cools and solidifies Sedimentary rock- compacted by weight of overlying minerals Metamorphic rock- melts and creates magma, starting the rock cycle all over Magma- molten rock generated by partial melting of rocks in earths mantle and lower crust Plutonic/ intrusive- igneous rocks that form at depth Extrusive/ volcanic- igneous rocks that form when molten rock solidifies at the surface Texture- overall appearance of an igneous rock Fine-grained texture- igneous rocks that form rapidly at the surface with crystals to small to see with the unaided eye Vesicular texture- rocks with gas bubbles that formed as the lava solidified Coarse-grained texture- produced when lava cools slowly at depth, appearance of intergrown crystals Glassy texture- rapid cooling, unordered atoms are frozen into place before they are able to unite into a orderly crystalline structure Porphyritic texture- large crystals embedding in a matrix of smaller crystals, produces by slow then rapid cooling Felsic- derived from feldspar and silica, referred to by gradient rock Mafic- dark silicate minerals Sediment- can be lithified or turned into rock, commonly cementation transform this into sedimentary rock Chemical sedimentary rock- material produced largely by chemical weathering, when these dissolved substances are precipitated back as solids Fossils- traces or remains of prehistoric life Metamorphism- to change form

Chapter 16 Weather- constantly changing, state of atmosphere at any given place or time Climate- aggregation weather conditions Aerosols- tiny solid liquid particles from volcano eruptions Ozone- form of oxygen that combines three oxygen atoms into each molecule Troposphere- bottom layer in which we live, where temp decreases with an increase in altitude Environmental lapse rate- temp decrease in the troposphere Stratosphere- beyond the tropopause, temp remains constant Tropopause- the outer boundary of the troposphere Stratopause- nearly 50 kilometers above earths surface Mesopause- more than 80 kilometers above the surface Mesosphere- third layer, temps decrease with height until at the mesopause Thermosphere- layer that contains only a tiny fraction of the atmospheres mass Rotation- spinning of earths about its axis Circle of illumination- line separating the dark half of earth from the lighted half Revolution- movement of earths in its orbit around the sun Inclination of the axis- not perpendicular to the planes of its orbit around the sun, on a 23 and a half tilt Tropic of cancer- vertical rays of the sun strike 23 and a half degrees north lat, Summer solstice- June 21 or 22 in northern hemisphere Tropic of Capricorn- suns vertical rays striking 23 and a half degrees south lat, parallel Winter solstice- northern hemisphere, December 21 or 22 Autumnal equinox- northern hemisphere, September 22 or 23 Spring equinox- northern hemisphere, march 21 or 22 Equinox- occurs in the middle of a solstice Temperature- average kinetic energy of a materials atoms or molecules Heat- term commonly used synonymously with thermal energy Conduction- transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity Convection- a transfer of heat by mass movement or circulation Radiation/ electromagnetic radiation- total energy that radiates from the sun Visible light- portion of the spectrum we can see Infrared- we cannot see but we can detect as heat Ultraviolent-closest invisible rays to violent Reflection- light bounces back from an object at the same angle

Scattering- produces weaker rays that travel in different directions Albedo- total radiation that is reflected by a surface Diffused light- explains how light reaches into the area beneath a dark or shaded surface Green house effect- important phenomenon, not a suitable habitat for humans Isotherm- a line that connects points on a map that have the same temp Temp control- any factor that causes temperatures to vary from place to place

Chapter 17 Calorie- amount of heat required to raise the temp of 1 gram Evaporation- process of converting a liquid to a gas Latent heat- (latent= hidden) Condensation- when water vapor changes to the liquid state Sublimation- conversion of solid directly to a gas without passing through the liquid state Deposition- vapor directly to a solid Humidity- general term for amount of water vapor in the air Saturation- condition in the atmosphere corresponding to 100% relative humidity Vapor pressure- part of the total atmospheric pressure that can be attributed to the water vapor content Relative humidity- a ratio of the airs actual water vapor content compare with the amount of water vapor required for saturation at that temp Mixing ratio- mass of water vapor in a unit of air compared to the remaining mass of dry air Dew point- the temp of which a parcel of air would need to be cooled to reach saturation Hygrometer- measuring relative humidity Psychrometer- a type of hygrometer, consists of two identical thermometers mounted side by side Parcel- imaginary volume of air Dry adiabatic rate- descending air comes under increasingly higher pressures, compresses, and is heated, applies only to unsaturated air Adiabatic temp change- when air is compressed or allowed to expand Wet adiabatic rate- slower rate of cooling caused by addition of latent heat Orographic lifting- elevated terrains act as barriers to the flow of air Front- masses of warm and cold air collide Frontal wedging- cooler, denser air acts as a barrier over which the warm, less denser air rises Convergence- when airflows in from more then one direction

Localized convective lifting- produces rising thermals Stable air- resists vertical movement Unstable air- warmer and less dense then surrounding air Absolute stability- prevails when the environmental lapse rate is less then the wet adiabatic rate Absolute instability- when environmental lapse rate is greater then the dry adiabatic rate Conditional instability- occurs when moist air has an environmental lapse rate between the dry and wet adiabatic rates Clouds- form of condensation, visible droplets of water or tiny crystals of ice Cirrus- high, white and thin, appear as patches Cumulus- flat, appearance of rising dome towers Stratus- sheets or layers that cover most or all of the sky High clouds- have bases above 6,000 meters Low clouds- form below 2,000 meters Middle clouds- form from 2,000-6,000 meters Clouds of vertical development- clouds that dont fit into any of the three height categories Fog- cloud with a base at or very near to the ground Radiation fog- forms on cool, clear, calm night Advection fog- warm, moist air, blanket of fog Upslope fog- relative humidity air moves up a gradually sloping plain Steam fog- water has a steaming appearance Precipitation fog- forms near the dew point Rain- drops of water that fall from a cloud Snow- precipitation in the form of a ice crystal Sleet- fall of small particles of ice that are clear and translucent

Chapter 18 Air pressure- pressure exerted by the weight of air above Mercury barometer measuring pressure (bar=pressure, metron=measuring instrument) Aneroid barometer- (an=without, ner=fluid) instrument used for measuring air pressure Barograph- connected to a recording mechanism, proved continuous record of pressure changes Isobars- lines that connect places of equal air pressure Wind- air moving horizontally Pressure gradient- spacing of isobars indicates the amount of pressure change occurring over a given distance Corolis effect- result of earths rotation Jet streams- fast moving rivers of air Cyclones- centers of low pressure

Anticyclones- high pressure centers Barometric tendency- very useful aid in short range weather prediction Equatorial low- region marked by abundant precipitation Subtropical hgh- center of the zone of subsiding dry air Trade winds- air travels but Is deflected by the corolis effect Westerlies-wind travels poleward and is also deflected, generating prevailing the mid latitude Monsoons- seasonal change in wind direction Sea breeze- develops because cooler air over the water moves towards the warmer land Land breeze- develops land cools more rapidly then the sea Valley breeze- warmer air, less dense, glides up the along the slope Mountain breeze-cool air, dense, drains downslope into the valley Wind vane- instrument used to determine wind direction Prevailing winds- wind constantly blows more often from one direction than from any other Anemometer- measures wind speed El Nino- episodes of ocean warming that affect the eastern tropical pacific

Chapter 19 Air mass- immense body of air masses Air-mass weather- fairly constant weather Source region- area where air mass acquires its characteristic properties of temp and moisture Polar and Artic air mass- originate in high latitude toward the Earth poles Tropical air masses- form in low latitudes Continental air masses- form over land Maritime air masses- form over water Lake effect snows- localized storms often form when surface of weather map indicates no apparent cause for a snow storm Fronts- boundaries that separate air masses or different densities Overrunning- warm air gliding up along a cold air mass Warm front- warm air occupies territory formerly covered by cooler air Cold front- cold air advances into a region that was occupied by warmer air Stationary front- surface position of a front doesnt move Occluded front- active cold front takes over a warm front Occlusion- position of cold front advances faster than the warm front and begins to close (lift) the warm front Thunderstorm- storm that generates thunder and lightening Tornadoes- local storms of short duration, violent windstorms that take the form of a rotating column of air or vortex that extends downward form cloud Doppler radar- technology that allows tornado warning easier Tornado watches- alert the public of possible tornado

Tornado warning- issued by local officers when tornado has actually been spotted Hurricanes- greatest storms on earth, Typhoon- hurricanes in western pacific Cyclones- hurricanes in Arabian sea Eye wall- doughnut shaped wall surrounding the center of the storm Eye- center of the storm Tropical depression- when cyclones strongest winds dont exceed 61 kilometers Storm surge- dome of water wind that sweeps across the coast near the point when the eye makes landfall