Earth's Place in the Universe
This is the name of the galaxy that contains our Solar System.
What is the Milky Way?
This is the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, making up about 78% of the air we breathe.
What is Nitrogen?
This is the rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
What is the Lithosphere?
These are natural resources, such as coal and oil, that cannot be replenished within a human timescale.
What are Non-renewable resources?
This is the process by which plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food (glucose).
What is Photosynthesis?
This phenomenon is caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis as it revolves around the Sun, resulting in varying sunlight throughout the year.
What are seasons?
In the water cycle, this is the process where liquid water turns into water vapor (gas).
What is evaporation?
This is the term for molten rock when it is found beneath the Earth's surface.
The burning of fossil fuels releases this greenhouse gas, which is the primary driver of modern climate change.
What is Carbon Dioxide?
This term describes a large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region (e.g., Tundra, Rainforest).
What is a Biome?
This is the approximate scientific age of the Earth.
What is 4.5 billion years old?
This is the lowest layer of the atmosphere, where almost all weather occurs.
What is the Troposphere?
This type of tectonic plate boundary occurs where two plates move away from each other (e.g., the Mid-Atlantic Ridge).
What is a Divergent Boundary?
This term refers to the measure of human demand on nature, comparing human consumption to Earth's ability to regenerate.
What is an Ecological Footprint?
These organisms (like bacteria and fungi) break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the soil.
What are Decomposers?
This theory explains the origin of the universe as an expansion from an extremely hot and dense point.
What is the Big Bang Theory?
While over 70% of Earth is covered in water, roughly this small percentage is fresh water available for use.
What is 3% (accept 2.5% to 3.5%)?
This mechanical or chemical process breaks down rocks into smaller pieces called sediment.
What is Weathering?
This occurs when a metropolitan area is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activity and concrete.
What is the Urban Heat Island effect?
This "sphere" includes all living organisms on Earth, as well as the organic matter they haven't yet decomposed.
What is the Biosphere?
According to Kepler's First Law, Earth orbits the sun in this specific shape, rather than a perfect circle.
What is an ellipse (or elliptical orbit)?
Deep ocean currents are driven by differences in water density, controlled by temperature and this factor (saltiness).
What is salinity?
The Earth's inner core is solid and composed primarily of these two metals.
What are Iron and Nickel?
This is the maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely, given the available resources.
What is Carrying Capacity?
Forests and oceans absorb more carbon than they release, making them known as these.
What are Carbon Sinks?