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Earth Science Final
earth science study guide
90
Science
7th Grade
05/16/2010

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Term
heterosphere
Definition
the upper level of the atmosphere
Term
aeolian plankton
Definition
small organisms that float in the atmosphere
Term
magnetosphere
Definition
the area around earth that is affected by the earth's magnetic field
Term
evaporation
Definition
the changing of a substance from a liquid to a gas
Term
atmosphere
Definition
a mixture of gases that surrounds the earth
Term
UV radiation
Definition
high frequency radiation from the sun
Term
condensation
Definition
the changing of a substance from a gas to a liquid
Term
homosphere
Definition
the lower part of the atmosphere
Term
solar wind
Definition
the continuous flow of plasma from the sun
Term
ozone
Definition
the layer of gas around the earth that protects all life from UV radiation
Term
Van Allen radiation belt
Definition
band of high-energy radiation in the magnetosphere
Term
atmospheric dust
Definition
solid particles in the atmosphere
Term
anemometer
Definition
an instrument used to measure wind speed
Term
front
Definition
the boundary between air masses
Term
hurricane
Definition
a large, rotating tropical storm system with speeds of at least 74 MPH
Term
barometer
Definition
an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure
Term
relative humidity
Definition
the amount of water vapor in the air compared with the amount that the air can hold at a particular temprature
Term
tornado
Definition
a small rotating funnel of air that has high wind speeds and low central air pressure
Term
stratus
Definition
clouds stretched out in layers across the sky
Term
cumulus
Definition
puffy white low-level clouds
Term
isobars
Definition
lines that connect points of equal atmospheric pressure
Term
atmospheric pressure
Definition
the pressure exerted by the Earth's atmosphere at any given point
Term
trade winds
Definition
the winds that blow from 30 degrees latitude to the equator
Term
jet streams
Definition
narrow bands of high-speed winds over both hemispheres
Term
cirrus
Definition
thin feathery high-level clouds
Term
air mass
Definition
a large body of air with a constant temperature and humidity level
Term
renewable resources
Definition
resources that are constantly available or that can be replaced within a relatively short amount of time through natural processes
Term
gully
Definition
a narrow ditch cut in the earth by runoff
Term
oil
Definition
a liquid fossil fuel beneath the ground
Term
furrows
Definition
plowed ditches in farmland
Term
terrace farming
Definition
the construction of steplike ridges that follow the slope of the land
Term
strip farming
Definition
the planting of alternating bands of crops and cover vegetation
Term
quarries
Definition
places where rocks are removed from the ground
Term
contour plowing
Definition
the plowing of furrows around a hill perpendicular to its slope to reduce erosion
Term
biomass
Definition
organic matter such as crops or waste products that contains stored energy and is used to produce fuel
Term
geothermal energy
Definition
energy collected from the trapped heat in the earth's crust
Term
nonrenewable resources
Definition
resources that can't be replaced once they are used or can be replaced only over long periods of time
Term
solar energy
Definition
energy from the sun
Term
hydroelectric power
Definition
electricity produced from the power of moving water
Term
peat
Definition
a substance made from decayed plant fibers
Term
fossil fuels
Definition
fuels formed over millions of years from the buried remains of dead plants and animals
Term
sludge
Definition
a solution formed when pollutants from waste in sanitary landfills seep into the ground water
Term
smog
Definition
a dense brownish formed when hydrocarbons together with nitrogen oxides react in the presence of sunlight
Term
solid wastes
Definition
discarded useless materials
Term
air pollution
Definition
the contamination of the air by harmful gases and tiny solid and liquid particles
Term
pollution
Definition
a substance or condition of the air by harmful gases and tiny solid and liquid particles
Term
incineration
Definition
the burning of waste materials
Term
radioactive wastes
Definition
materials produced by the generation of energy in nuclear power plants
Term
sanitary landfills
Definition
holes in the ground in which wastes are compacted and covered with soil
Term
hazardous wastes
Definition
toxic waste products that can cause serious health problems or even death
Term
white dwarf
Definition
a small hot faint star and the end of its life
Term
neutron star
Definition
an extremely small dense star whose particles have become neutrons
Term
apparent magnitude
Definition
how bright a light appears to an observer
Term
pulsar
Definition
a spinning neutron star the gives off pulses of radiation at regular intervals
Term
doppler effect
Definition
the apparent shift that [insert rest of definition here]
Term
red giant
Definition
a star at the end of its life cycle that expands and cools as it runs out of hydrogen
Term
parallax
Definition
the apparent shift in frequency of waves emitted by a moving source
Term
supernova
Definition
the death of a large star by explosion
Term
absolute magnitude
Definition
the actual brightness of a star - how bright it would appear if all stars were the same distance away
Term
black hole
Definition
a massive object with gravity so strong that not even light can escape it
Term
galaxy
Definition
a large system of stars held together by gravity
Term
constellation
Definition
a section of the sky the contains a recognizable star pattern
Term
main sequence
Definition
the diagonal patter of stars on the H-R diagram from top left to bottom right
Term
impact theory
Definition
the theory that the mon was created from materials ejected when a large object struck earth
Term
perigee
Definition
the point in the moon's orbit in which it is closest to the earth
Term
rilles
Definition
deep channels that run through the moon's maria
Term
eclipse
Definition
the casting of a shadow of one celestial body on the surface of another
Term
phases
Definition
the different shapes of the moon made visible by reflected sunlight
Term
lunar regolith
Definition
a loose layer of rock and dust on the surface of the moon
Term
satellite
Definition
a natural or artificial body that orbits a planet
Term
apogee
Definition
the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is farthest from the earth
Term
mare
Definition
a lowland plain of hardened lava on the moon
Term
waxing moon
Definition
growing appearance of the moon
Term
solstice
Definition
the point in earth's orbit in which the sun is farthest north or south, causing the day with the most or least daylight hours
Term
equinox
Definition
the point in earth's orbit at which the sun crosses the plane of earth's equator, causing the hours of day and night to be the same all around the world
Term
waning moon
Definition
the shrinking appearance of the moon
Term
solar flares
Definition
storms on the sun's surface that send out tremendous bursts of radiation and particles
Term
auroras
Definition
bands of colored or white light in the atmosphere caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with earth's upper atmosphere
Term
meteor
Definition
the bright streak of light caused by a meteoroid burning up in the earth's atmosphere
Term
comet
Definition
a small body of loosely packed ice rock gas and cosmic dust that gives off a tail of gas and dust as it passes near the sun
Term
meteoroid
Definition
a small rocky body that orbits the sun
Term
solar wind
Definition
a flow of charged particles from the sun's corona
Term
coma
Definition
the halo of dust and gas around a comet as it approaches the sun
Term
asteroids
Definition
minor planets - rocky bodies that orbit the sun
Term
meteorite
Definition
a meteoroid that strikes the earth
Term
prominences
Definition
fiery bursts of gas shooting hundreds of thousands of kilometers into space and looping back to the sun's surface
Term
oort cloud
Definition
the spherical region that surrounds the solar system
Term
planet
Definition
an object that orbits a star and shines by reflected light
Term
gas giants
Definition
the large gaseous outer planets of the outer solar system
Term
terrestrial planets
Definition
the small dense rocky planets of the inner solar system
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