Unit 1: Earth & Atmosphere
This type of plate boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other, often resulting in seafloor spreading.
What is a divergent boundary?
This process, performed by certain bacteria, converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants, playing a crucial role in the nitrogen cycle.
What is nitrogen fixation?
This can prevent a population from increasing.
What is climate, space, light, nutrients, predators, parasites, diseases, genetic changes?
This phenomenon is what happens as a result of the overexploitation of the fish in the open seas due to no regulations placed or enforced over the area.
What is "Tragedy of the Commons"?
Types of this fossil fuel include lignite, bituminous, and anthracite.
What is coal?
This is an indoor air pollutant that is found in cracks in the foundation of buildings and basements.
What is Radon?
This piece of legislation was used to reduce CFC production worldwide.
What is Montreal Protocol?
This soil layer, also known as the topsoil, is rich in organic material and is crucial for plant growth
What is A Horizon?
Unlike other biogeochemical cycles, the phosphorus cycle does not include this component, making it unique among the nutrient cycles.
What is an atmospheric phase?
This type of growth only occurs at ideal conditions and can not be sustained indefinitely.
What is a J-shaped curve or exponential growth?
This type of agricultural practice involves the plowing of surface soil, breaking it up, then smoothing it back out.
What is tilling?
This type of energy production is a method used to generate electricity and heat simultaneously at local facilities. The heat produced from electricity generation is used to heat the building.
What is cogeneration or combined heat power (CHP)?
This step of sewage treatment typically occurs in an aeration tank.
What is secondary treatment? Bacteria break down organic matter through biological treatment.
This type of greenhouse gas is released in the melting of permafrost, ice, and thawing tundra.
What is methane?
This effect causes the deflection of moving objects like wind and ocean currents due to Earth's rotation.
What is the Coriolis Effect?
This term refers to the maximum population size an environment can sustain indefinitely under specific environmental conditions, concerning resources available.
What is carrying capacity?
Species with this type of reproductive strategy have short gestation periods, reproduce quickly, and have high biotic potential.
What is an r-selected species?
This type of pest-control strategy uses a combination of biological, chemical, and physical methods either together or in succession and requires an understanding of the ecology and life cycle of pests.
What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
This method involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure into bedrock via a well to extract fuel.
What is fracking or hydrofracking or hydraulic fracturing?
Larger predators, as opposed to smaller organisms, are at risk of detrimental health effects due to exposure to DDT and PCBs because these substances are known as this.
What are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)?
Ocean acidification results in a decreased ability to form this compound in hard-shelled marine organisms.
What is calcium carbonate?
This type of mining involves stripping away the surface layers of soil and rock to expose minerals, often leading to extensive environmental degradation.
What is surface mining or strip mining?
This type of succession occurs in areas that never previously supported living things, such as on newly formed volcanic islands or exposed rock after a landslide.
What is primary succession?
The replacement level fertility (RLF) rate needed in order to maintain a relatively stable population.
What is 2.1?
This type of mining is analogous to the fishing practice of bottom trawling.
What is dredging or placer mining?
Examples of this type of energy include using double-paned windows, heat-reflecting coatings on windows, skylights, insulation in walls and attics, and deciduous trees to block sunlight.
What is passive solar heating design or passive solar design or passive solar?
A catalytic converter converts harmful pollutants such as ______, _______, and hydrocarbons into less harmful molecules.
What are carbon monoxide and NOx?
This term is used to describe large habitats broken into smaller, isolated areas.
What is habitat fragmentation?
This sustainable farming technique involves rotating different crops in the same area based on season to improve soil health and to reduce pests and weed pressure.
What is crop rotation?
Distinguished from its confined counterpart, this type of aquifer lies beneath a permeable layer of soil or sand allowing water to move in and out more freely.
What is an unconfined aquifer?
This stage of the DTM exhibits advancements in hygiene and medical care and high birth rates.
What is Stage 2 or the transitional stage?
This legislation prohibits the US Food and Drug Administration from approving any food additive found to cause cancer in animals or humans.
What is Delaney Clause of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or Delaney Clause?
This disaster is considered a catastrophic disaster that occurred in a graphite-moderated reactor which leaked iodine-131. Over 572 million people in 40 different countries received some type of exposure to this radiation. As a result, over 16,000 people developed thyroid cancers.
What is Chernobyl or Chernobyl disaster?
This piece of legislation was enacted to handle industrial hazardous contamination in sites where no direct individual or party could be held responsible for cleanup.
What is CERCLA, or Superfund Act?
Zebra mussel, cane toads, and asian carp are common examples of this.
What are invasive species?