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Earth Science exam 1
what is the science that studies the whole planet as a system of innumerable interacting parts
and focuses on the changes within those parts
earth system science
what is the continuous or repetitive collection of information about a target-earth, in this
case- from a distance.
remote sensing
this is any portionof the universe that can be isolated from the rest of the universe for the
purpose of observing and measuring changes.
system
the amount of matter or energy that is transferred from one reservoir to another, and the rate
at which it is transfered,is called a
flux
the nearest thing to an isolated system in the real world is a_in which the boundary permits the
exchange of energy, but not matter.
closed system
what is a simple, convenient graphical representation of a system
a box model
When the flux of matter into a reservoir matches the flux out of that reservoir, we say thatthe
reservoir is at
steady state
If the flux of some substance into a reservoir is greater than the flux of that substance outof
it, then we refer to the resevoir as a
sink
The average length of time material spends in a reservoir is called
residence time
The place where Earth’s four reservoirs interact most intensively is called the _becauseit
is the best place to support life
the life zone
the solid Earth, composed principally of rock and regolith
geosphere
the totality of Earth’s water, including oceans, lakes, streams, underground water, and all
the snow and ice
hydrosphere
The perennially frozen parts of the hydrosphere are collectively referred to as the
cryosphere
the mixture of gases—predominantly nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and water
vapor—that surrounds Earth
atmosphere
this includes all of Earth’s organisms, as well as any organic matter not yet decomposed
biosphere
what occurs when the output of the system also serves as an input and leads to changes in the
state of the system
feed back
a system that is self-regulating is said to have the property of homeostasis, which implies a
state of
equilibrium
this cycle describes the movement of any chemical element or compound that cycles through the
biosphere helping with its its stability.
biogeochemical
capacity to do work, to move matter, to make things happen
energy
thermal energy is the vibrational movement of atoms and molecules it is also known as
heat
this is a measure of heat, the vibrational motion of particles
temperature
this is the process by which heat moves directly from one object to an adjacent object with
which it is in contact
conduction
a mechanism of heat transfer in which heat content is physically carried from one location to
another.
covection
the process in which energy in the electromagnetic spectrum is transferred from a radiating
or emitting body through gas, liquid, or vacuum
radiation
Whenever an electrically charged particle is accelerated, it radiates energy in the formof
electromagnetic radiation
A group of electromagnetic rays arranged in order of increasing or decreasing wavelength is
called a
spectrum
A perfect _ is one that absorbs all light that strikes it, and reflects none
blackbody
the mutual physical attraction between the masses of the Moon and Earth
gravity
31. The increase in temperature as you go deeper is called the
geothermal gradient
heat that is produced by the spontaneous breakdown, or decay, of radioactive elements such as
uranium and thorium that are natural in earth.
radiogenic
33. For any planetary body, the percentage of incoming radiation that is reflected unchanged
is called the
albedo
1. ________________ is the science that studies the whole planet as a system of innumerable
interacting parts and focuses on the changes wit
(Earth system science)