Home > Flashcards > Environmental Studies > Env Sci Voc 3 Dew

Details Title: Env Sci Voc 3 Dew Description: environmental science voc Earth Total Flash Cards: 25 Created: 09/10/2006 14:53:07	To study from this set of flash cards, or to create your own your own study flash cards, register HERE. If you are already a registered user, CLICK HERE.
Cards Term core Definition Earth's innermost layer - comprised of dense elements - radius 3,400km Term crust Definition thin outer layer of Earth - less than 1% Earth's mass Term tectonic plates Definition glide across asthenosphere - continents located on them - site of most geologic activity Term atmosphere Definition surrounds the Earth - mixture of gases (nitrogen, O2, CO2, etc.) Term conduction Definition flow of heat from a warmer object to a colder one Term troposphere Definition atmospheric layer nearest Earth's surface- almost all weather occurs here Term greenhouse effect Definition process in which gases trap heat near Earth - without ths Earth would be too cold to live Term water cycle Definition continuous movement of water into the air, onto the land, and then back to water sources Term salinity Definition concentration of dissolved salts in ocean Term fresh water Definition 3% of Earth's water is this - most in form of glaciers and icecaps Term biosphere Definition narrow layer around Earth where life can exist Term open system Definition flow of energy in which BOTH matter and energy are EXCHANGED between a system and a surrounding environment Term closed system Definition energy (such as from sun) enters the environment but DOES NOT make it out Term geosphere Definition solid part of Earth's interior - all rock, soils, and sediment on Earth's surface Term asthenosphere Definition layer beneath lithosphere -a plastic, solid layer of the mantle - slow moving rock flows here Term stratosphere Definition layer above troposphere - ozone (O3) in this layer absorbs's sun's UV energy Term mantle Definition layer beneath the crust- 64% of Earth's mass Term precipitation Definition large water droplets that fall as rain, snow, sleet or hail Term condensation Definition water vapor that forms water froplets on dust particles that form clouds and fall as rain Term lithosphere Definition Earth's outer layer that includes the crust and uppermost part of the mantle - divided into tectonic plates Term erosion Definition removal or transport of surface material by water or wind Term ozone Definition molecule made up of 3 oxygen atomes - found in stratoshpere - absorbs UV radiation Term radiation Definition transfer of energy across space and in the atmosphere Term convection Definition transfer of heat by air currents Term evaporation Definition process by which liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises into the atmosphere as water vapor