Earth’s Four Spheres
This Earth system contains all of Earth’s water.
What is the hydrosphere?
About seven-tenths of Earth’s surface is covered by this substance.
What is water?
Earth’s uppermost rocky layer, the one we live on, is called this.
What is the crust?
Water that has already been used by people is called this.
What is wastewater?
Almost all of Earth’s weather occurs in this lowest layer of the atmosphere.
What is the troposphere?
This Earth system contains all of Earth’s rocky layers, rocks, and minerals.
What is the geosphere?
This is water stored in spaces between rocks and other materials beneath Earth’s surface.
What is groundwater?
The three major rock types are igneous, sedimentary, and this third type.
What is metamorphic rock?
Wastewater is cleaned at this type of facility before being released into the environment.
What is a water treatment plant?
This instrument measures air pressure.
What is a barometer?
This Earth system is made of the gases surrounding Earth.
What is the atmosphere?
A place where water collects is called this.
What is a reservoir?
Magma that reaches Earth’s surface is called this.
What is lava?
This process is the final major cleaning step in which chemicals kill bacteria and other germs.
What is disinfection?
As altitude increases, air pressure generally does this.
What is decrease?
This Earth system includes every living thing on Earth.
What is the biosphere?
Water with more salt than fresh water but less salt than ocean water is called this.
What is brackish water?
Rock changed by intense heat and pressure becomes this type of rock.
What is metamorphic rock?
Too much of this chemical from fertilizers and soaps can cause algae to grow out of control.
What is phosphate?
Warm air tends to rise while this type of air tends to sink.
What is cool air?
A rainstorm waters plants, erodes soil, and later evaporates into the air. Name the four Earth systems involved.
What are the hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere?
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, gravity, and water movement are all parts of this continuous process.
What is the water cycle?
This continuous process describes rock changing among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic forms.
What is the rock cycle?
Explain why an algal bloom can cause fish to die even though algae are living organisms in the food chain.
What is: dying algae lead to increased bacteria, which use up dissolved oxygen, leaving too little oxygen for fish?
Which weather conditions are generally associated with low pressure, and which are associated with high pressure?
What are clouds, wind, and precipitation for low pressure; clear skies and calm winds for high pressure?