Tectonic Plates
How many major tectonic plates exist?
15
What is the process where liquid water becomes vapor?
What process converts CO₂ and water into glucose and oxygen?
Photosynthesis.
Give an example of a scientific "System" in environmental science
Water cycle, carbon cycle, food web
What type of boundary forms new crust? An example is the Mid Atlantic Ridge
Divergent
What is transpiration?
Plants releasing water vapor through leaves.
What process releases energy of sugars and sends carbon back into the atmosphere?
Cellular respiration.
What drives Earth's systems?
Feedback loops
What type of boundary causes earthquakes by plates sliding past one another? An example is the San Andreas Fault in CA.
Transform
What is the process by which water is purified as it runs off through the soil?
infiltration
What are carbon sinks?
Reservoirs that store more carbon than they release (e.g., forests, oceans).
a change in which the effect of the change makes the change reduce in size
Negative feedback loop
When One plate slides under another, forming volcanoes is called what?
subduction
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is the break down of rocks and soil; Erosion is the removal of soil by wind, rain, etc
How does the ocean store carbon? Name 2.
from Atmosphere, run off, undersea volcanos, remains of organisms.
a change in which the effect of the change makes the changeget even larger
Positive feedback loop
What was Earth’s last supercontinent called and how do we know the plates were together?
Pangaea. Shapes fit and edges have similar compositions.
What human activity increases acidity of precipitation?
Air pollution (emission of acid-forming gases).
Name one way humans disrupt the carbon cycle.
Burning fossil fuels or deforestation.
Give an example of a negative and a positive feedack loop.
Negative: body temp regulation
temp goes up --> get hot --> sweat --> cool off
Positive: ocean warming and CO2 absorbtion
ocean temp goes up --> can absorb less CO2 into water --> more CO2 in air --> makes ocean warm more