E.E Science Exam

Earth moves through space in a complex combination of ways: rotation (spinning), revolution (orbiting the Sun), and precession (a slow wobble).

Earth is part of a solar system, which is part of a galaxy, which is part of the vast universe.

Planets orbit the Sun in elliptical paths, not perfect circles.

Earth's tilted axis causes the seasons. Different parts of Earth receive more direct sunlight at different times of the year.

Fusion is the process where lighter atomic nuclei combine to form heavier nuclei, releasing huge amounts of energy.

Fission is the process where heavier atomic nuclei split into lighter nuclei, releasing energy.

A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.

The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

The number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume.

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain over a long period.

A resource or condition that limits the growth of a population.

A factor that affects population growth based on the number of individuals present.

A factor that affects population growth regardless of the number of individuals present.

A graph that shows the age and sex structure of a population.

Japan's population is declining due to low birth rates and an aging population.

Solar panels offer clean energy but can affect ocean life and require space. They also face issues with weather dependence and cost.

Plastic pollution harms wildlife, contaminates our drinking water, and creates long-lasting environmental damage.

Making conscious choices to use fewer single-use plastics can significantly reduce your personal contribution to plastic pollution.

Participating in beach cleanups helps remove plastic waste from the environment and raises awareness about the issue.

A global initiative aimed at reducing plastic pollution faces challenges like lack of international cooperation and resistance from industries that profit from plastic.

Energy sources that are finite and cannot be replenished at a human timescale. Once used, they are gone.

Energy sources that can be replenished naturally within a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, or hydropower.

A technique used to extract natural gas or oil from shale and other tight rock formations by injecting pressurized fluids to create fractures in the rock.

Pros: Cheap, abundant, and widely used. Cons: Contributes to air pollution, health problems, and climate change.

Pros: Environmentally friendly, renewable, and abundant in certain locations. Cons: Can be visually intrusive, require significant initial investment.

North Carolina has a growing solar industry, with significant investment and potential for generating electricity.

Wind turbines located in the ocean, offering potential for large-scale renewable energy production.

Alternative energy sources like geothermal, hydrogen, and fusion research, offering potential for sustainable energy solutions.

Human activities like overfishing, pollution, and development along coastlines have damaged the health of salt marshes.

Excess nutrients from rivers flow into the ocean, creating conditions that favor harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can cause dead zones.

Young white shrimp, gag grouper, and red drum spend their early lives in estuaries, showcasing the vital role these areas play in the ecosystem.

North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia have the most extensive salt marshes along the eastern coast of North America.

The periwinkle snail grazes on marsh cordgrass, demonstrating a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

A semi-diurnal tide has two high tides and two low tides each day, creating a predictable rhythm.

Pluff mud is rich in organic matter, smells due to decaying material, and provides habitat for organisms that can tolerate oxygen-poor conditions.

A trophic pyramid shows the flow of energy between different levels of consumers. A food chain only shows who eats who.

An area that floods at high tide and exposes at low tide, characterized by a network of creeks affected by tidal movements.

Describes an organism that can tolerate a wide range of salinity levels, like a fish living in a salt marsh where the salinity fluctuates.

Organisms that create organic matter through photosynthesis, like plankton and marsh grasses, forming the base of the marsh food web.

An important marsh area in North Carolina, where a former inlet created sand accumulation and made the area a productive marsh.

A local legend who chose to live in solitude by the sea, surviving off the land and demonstrating the marsh's potential for sustaining life.

Different areas within a marsh with varying elevations, like mudflats, pioneer zone, lower marsh, and upper marsh, each with distinct plant and animal life.

A key plant species in salt marshes, highly adaptable to varying salinity and elevations, forming the base of the marsh food web.

A species that plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem, like oyster, which helps filter water and provide habitat.

The theory that Earth's outer layer is made of large, moving plates that interact with each other, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation.

The idea that the continents were once joined together as a supercontinent (Pangaea) and have drifted apart over millions of years.

Where two tectonic plates collide, causing mountains, volcanoes, or subduction zones.

Where two tectonic plates move apart, creating new ocean floor or rift valleys.

Where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, causing earthquakes.

A supercontinent that existed millions of years ago, where all of Earth's continents were joined together.

An extinct reptile found in both South America and Africa, providing evidence for continental drift.

Multiple lines of evidence support the theory, including matching fossils across continents, paleomagnetism, earthquake patterns, ocean drilling, and hotspots.

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by 1 degree Celsius.

Cohesion: Water molecules attracting each other. Adhesion: Water molecules attracting other substances.

Water's ability to dissolve many substances due to its polar molecules.

The force that holds water molecules together at the surface, creating a 'skin'.

Water is less dense as a solid (ice) than as a liquid, allowing ice to float.

A vegetated area along a water body that filters runoff and prevents erosion.

Rainwater that flows over surfaces, carrying pollutants into waterways.

Excessive amount of sediment entering a water body, often due to erosion.

The way water is spread across the Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, ice, and groundwater.

Excessive nutrient enrichment of water bodies, leading to excessive plant growth and oxygen depletion.

Areas in the ocean where oxygen levels are too low to support marine life, often caused by eutrophication.

A chart showing how well different substances dissolve in water at different temperatures.

A measure of acidity or alkalinity in water. Pure rain is slightly acidic, freshwater is neutral, brackish water is slightly alkaline, and saltwater is alkaline.

Various factors can influence the pH of water, including algal blooms, bacteria, water turbulence, chemical pollutants, sewage overflow, and pollution.

Different organisms have varying tolerances to changes in water quality. For example, clams and snails are very sensitive, while frogs are less sensitive.

Nitrates are a form of nitrogen that plants need to grow. Animals get nitrates by eating plants. Excess nitrates can harm water quality.

Phosphates come from rocks and are absorbed by plants. Animals get phosphates by eating plants. Excess phosphates can harm water quality.

Low oxygen levels in water, often caused by excessive nutrients and algal blooms, harming aquatic life.

The Secchi disk measures water clarity, while turbidity refers to the cloudiness of water. High turbidity reduces light penetration, harming aquatic life.

The continuous process of rocks changing from one type to another through weathering, erosion, heat, pressure, and melting.

Rocks formed from the cooling and solidification of molten magma or lava.

Rocks formed from the accumulation, compaction, and cementation of sediments.

Rocks formed when existing rocks (igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks) are transformed by heat and pressure.

The zone where two tectonic plates meet and interact.

A region of volcanic activity caused by a plume of hot magma rising from deep within the Earth's mantle.

Magma is molten rock found beneath the Earth's surface, while lava is molten rock that has erupted onto the Earth's surface.

A fast-moving, destructive mudflow resulting from the mixture of volcanic debris, water, and ash.

Fragments of rock, ash, and gas ejected during volcanic eruptions.

An earthquake involves the release of energy along a fault, creating seismic waves that travel through the Earth.

The theory explaining how earthquakes occur due to the buildup and release of stress along a fault.

Weathering is the breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces. Erosion moves these pieces, contributing to soil formation.

The amount of moisture in the air compared to the maximum amount it can hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage.

A large body of air with relatively uniform temperature and humidity, originating from a specific region.

The four major cloud types are cirrus, cumulus, stratus, and cumulonimbus, each with different shapes, altitudes, and precipitation characteristics.

A boundary where colder, denser air pushes into warmer air, causing rapid changes in weather like thunderstorms and strong winds.

Low pressure areas are characterized by rising warm, moist air, converging winds, cloud formation, and often stormy weather.

High pressure areas are characterized by sinking, cool, dry air, diverging winds, clear skies, and stable weather.

A line on a map connecting points of equal temperature.

A line on a map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure.

Different pressure systems influence weather patterns. High pressure brings dry conditions, while low pressure often leads to wet and rainy conditions.

Wind shear, the change in wind speed or direction, affects hurricane development. Less wind shear leads to stronger hurricanes because the storm can organize better.

Albedo is how reflective a surface is. Ice has high albedo, reflecting sunlight. Melting ice reduces this reflection, leading to more heat absorption and possibly warming events.

Smog is a type of air pollution, and it's partly caused by ozone. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), harmful chemicals, deplete the ozone layer, contributing to smog formation.

Carbon sources release carbon into the atmosphere (like burning fossil fuels), while carbon sinks absorb carbon from the atmosphere (like trees).

Wind is caused by differences in air pressure. Areas of high pressure have more air molecules, pushing towards areas of lower pressure where there are fewer molecules.

Hurricanes require warm ocean water (at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit), low pressure, and converging winds that force air upwards. As the air rises, it cools, condenses, and releases heat, fueling the storm.

The Coriolis Effect is the tendency of moving objects on Earth to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere due to Earth's rotation.

Earth's tilted axis on its orbit around the Sun causes seasons. As Earth revolves, different parts of the planet receive more direct sunlight at different times of the year.

An equinox occurs when the Sun is directly over the Equator, resulting in equal day and night. A solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky, leading to the longest or shortest day of the year.

Both El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño brings warmer waters and wetter conditions to South America, while La Niña brings cooler waters and drier conditions.

Global wind belts are large-scale patterns of consistent winds that circle the Earth. Major wind belts include the trade winds, westerlies, and polar easterlies.

ENSO stands for El Niño-Southern Oscillation. It refers to the combined influence of El Niño and La Niña on global climate patterns.

What effect does the mold have on bacteria?

The mold produces a substance that kills bacteria.

Fleming grew the mold in a broth, removed it, then added the broth to a bacteria culture. He observed the results.

The bacteria in the broth that was exposed to the mold died.

Fleming's work led to the development of antibiotics.

A series of steps used to investigate a phenomenon, including observation, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, and conclusion.

The independent variable is the factor that is changed or manipulated in an experiment, while the dependent variable is the factor that is measured or observed in response to the independent variable.

What caused the beriberi disease in the Dutch East Indies?

The disease beriberi was caused by bacteria.

The manipulated variable was the type of rice (whole-grain vs. polished), and the responding variable was the health of the chickens.

Chickens fed polished rice developed beriberi, while those fed whole-grain rice remained healthy.

Mold called Penicillium prevented the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria in culture dishes.