Biosphere
It's the process where plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into energy.
It's the process where water vapor rises from oceans and lakes into the air.
What is evaporation?
This process is when wind, water, or ice wears away rock and soil over time.
What is erosion?
They are the 2 most abundant gases in the atmosphere.
What are nitrogen and oxygen?
Deforestation removes trees, which reduces the absorption of carbon dioxide from the air. Which two spheres does this interaction primarily involve?
Biosphere + Atmosphere
It's the type of water found in rivers, lakes, and ponds.
What is freshwater?
~70% of all freshwater is stored in these.
What are glaciers?
These are the 3 most important nutrients in soil.
What are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus?
It's responsible for keeping out harmful UV radiation.
What is the ozone layer?
Photosynthesis, where plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, is a key process linking which two spheres?
Biosphere + Atmosphere
It's where bacteria and fungi break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil.
What is decomposition?
It's water that soaks into the ground and is stored underground.
What is ground water?
Movements of these create mountains and earthquakes
What are tectonic plates?
Although only a small percentage of the atmosphere, this gas is essential for photosynthesis.
What is CO2?
Oceans absorb and store the majority of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. What major sphere interaction does it show?
Hydrosphere + Atmosphere
It's the flow of energy through an ecosystem, showing who eats whom.
What is a food web/food chain?
It's the process called when water vapor turns back into liquid water droplets, forming clouds.
What is condensation?
This type of rock forms when sediment layers are compressed and cemented together over time.
What is sedimentary rock?
This gas, when it increases in the atmosphere, is most associated with human-caused climate change.
What is CO2?
Earthquakes can trigger tsunamis that devastate coastal ecosystems. Which three spheres are involved in this process?
Biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere
It's a species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem, such that its removal would cause major changes.
What is a keystone species?
It's an area of land where all water drains into a common river, lake, or ocean.
What is a watershed?
It's when one tectonic plate slides beneath a heavier plate, sinking below and recycling old crust.
What is subduction?
It's layer of the atmosphere is closest to Earth's surface and where most weather occurs.
What is the Troposphere?
Coral reefs building calcium carbonate structures that become part of the ocean floor over time show interaction between which spheres?
Biosphere and geosphere