Plate Tectonics and Earth Structure
The rigid outer layer of Earth, divided into plates
Lithosphere
The layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
Stratosphere
The continuous movement of water between land, ocean, and atmosphere
Hydrologic cycle
The percentage of sand, silt, and clay in a soil
Texture
The ocean where El Niño originates
Pacific
The process that forms new oceanic crust at divergent boundaries
Seafloor spreading
The temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation begins
Dew point
The area of land that drains into a particular river system
Watershed
The horizon containing the most organic matter and biological activity
A-horizon
The weakened trade winds during El Niño cause this oceanic process to decrease off South America
Upwelling
The boundary where two plates collide
Convergent
The effect that causes winds to curve due to Earth’s rotation
Coriolis
The process by which water moves through soil and porous rock
Percolation
The process by which water carries dissolved minerals downward through soil layers
Leaching
The trade winds normally push warm water in this direction across the Pacific
West
The zone where an oceanic plate slides beneath a continental plate
Subduction
The region where weather occurs due to rising and sinking air masses
Troposphere
The process responsible for the sinking of dense, salty water in polar regions
Downwelling
The process by which rocks are broken down by wind, water, or ice
Weathering
El Niño often causes this weather pattern in the southern United States during winter
Rainfall
The driving force behind plate movement, caused by heat transfer within the mantle
Convection
The phenomenon where air rises over a mountain, cools, and loses moisture
Rain shadow
The global system of deep ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity
Thermohaline
The dark organic material in soil from decomposed organisms
Humus
El Niño events often suppress hurricane formation in this ocean basin due to increased vertical wind shear.
Atlantic