Sustainability Basics
Living in a way that allows humans to use resources without depriving future generations is known as what?
What is Sustainability?
The Earth’s thickest layer, made of hot rock and divided into the upper and lower sections, is called what?
What is the mantle?
Short-term atmospheric conditions are called _______, while long-term averages over 30+ years are called _______.
What are weather and climate?
Soil is formed through the __________ of bedrock.
What is the weathering?
Which of the following is an abiotic factor: plants, animals, sunlight, or bacteria?
What is sunlight?
The three types of rocks.
What are Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic?
Non-living factors such as temperature, water, sunlight, and minerals are called _______________
What are abiotic factors?
The inner core is __________ metal because of extreme temperature and _____________.
What is solid and pressure?
Which part of Earth receives the most direct sunlight per unit area?
What is the equator?
What is the source of weathered rock found in soil called?
What is parent material?
The definition of externality.
What is a cost or benefit passed on to people not involved in an activity?
The age of the Earth.
What is 4.6 billion years?
The five key environmental indicators include biodiversity, food production, global temperature/CO₂, human population, and _________________.
What is resource depletion?
Where do the two energy sources that power the rock cycle come from?
What are the sun and radioactive decay?
Warm air rises and cool air sinks — this is what type of heat transfer?
What is convection?
Soil horizon contains partly mineral materials with up to 30% humus
What is the "A" horizon?
The main function of biogeochemical cycles.
What is to recycle elements through biotic and abiotic components?
The Hawaiian Islands formed at a what?
What is a Hot Spot?
The term that refers to environmental degradation that occurs when individuals act in their own self-interest and overuse shared resources.
What is the Tragedy of the Commons?
In which layer do convection currents occur and drive plate tectonics?
What is the asthenosphere?
Insolation is defined as what?
What is the incoming solar radiation reaching Earth's surface per unit area?
The three main soil grain sizes.
What are sand, silt and clay?
Primary cause of eutrophication.
What is excess nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer runoff?
The crust that is more dense.
What is oceanic crust?
The three pillars of sustainability are _________________, ________________ and _____________.
What are environmental, economic and social?
At a convergent boundary where oceanic and continental crust meet, what happens?
What is the oceanic crust is subducted?
In which atmospheric layer is the good ozone layer found?
What is the stratosphere?
The nutrient cycle that never enters the atmosphere.
What is the phosphorus cycle?
A volcanic eruption releasing gases into the atmosphere and affecting climate and plant growth is an example of what in the Earth systems.
What is the interconnectedness?
What causes the internal heat of the Earth?
What is radio active decay?