Environmental Science Overview

What is the sum of all biotic and abiotic factors that affect an organism or ecological system?

What is the interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment?

Which of these worldviews values all living organisms and considers their well-being?

Which of these worldviews emphasizes practical and economic benefits of resources?

What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?

What is the shift from nomadic lifestyles to settled farming called?

What is the variable that is manipulated in an experiment?

What is the difference between correlation and causation?

A blind experiment involves both the researcher and the participants being unaware of the group assignments.

Which factors include trees, deer, and fungi, while abiotic factors include sunlight, soil, and water?

Which of the following advocates for protecting nature based on ethical and moral grounds?

The interdisciplinary nature of environmental science means that it draws only on biological principles to address environmental issues.

What are the basic needs for life?

What is the name of the oil spill that occurred in Alaska in 1989?

What are the steps involved in the scientific method?

A controlled experiment involves a control group, but not an experimental group.

Which of these is an example of an anthropocentric worldview?

Which type of worldview emphasizes the value of entire ecosystems, including both living and non-living components?

What is the difference between preservation and conservation?

The Tragedy of the Commons illustrates how overgrazing on shared pasture can lead to resource depletion.

What is the study of matter, its properties, and how it interacts with energy and other matter?

The Law of Conservation of Matter states that matter can be created but not destroyed.

Which of these is NOT a type of organic compound?

What is the process that changes substances into new substances with different properties?

Which of these is a process where organisms break down glucose to release stored energy?

What is the use of organisms, such as bacteria, to clean up pollutants in the environment?

Which of these is a community of organisms interacting with their abiotic environment?

Energy can be created or destroyed, but not transformed.

Which of these is NOT a type of energy?

Which of these is the process where producers convert sunlight into chemical energy?

What is the difference between hydrothermal vent producers and other producers?

Which of these is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a defined structure and composition?

The rock cycle is a continuous process of formation, breakdown, and reformation of rocks.

Intrusive igneous rocks form when magma cools slowly inside the Earth.

Which of these is the process of breaking down rocks by physical or chemical processes?

Which of these is the layer of gases surrounding Earth?

Which of these is the solid parts of Earth, including rocks, soil, and landforms?

Plate tectonics is driven by convection currents in the mantle.

Which of these is NOT a type of plate boundary?

Which of these is a deep depression in the ocean floor at convergent boundaries?

Magma is molten rock beneath the Earth's surface, while lava is molten rock that reaches the Earth's surface.

Which of these is a plume of magma creating volcanic islands away from plate boundaries?

Pangaea was a supercontinent that existed millions of years ago.

Tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

Which of these is the downhill movement of soil and rock due to gravity?

What is the difference between a mineral and a rock?

Which of these is a rock formed from cooling magma or lava?

Which of these is the process of breaking down rocks by physical or chemical means?

The layer of gases surrounding Earth is called the hydrosphere.

The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper mantle.

Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates along faults.

Which of these is a large ocean wave caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions?

Mass wasting is the downhill movement of soil and rock caused by gravity, often triggered by factors like rainfall or slope instability.

The study of relationships between organisms and their environment is called biology.

The Richter scale measures the intensity of an earthquake.

Volcanic eruptions release only lava, not ash or gases.

Human activities like deforestation and construction can increase the risk of mass wasting.

Weather refers to long-term atmospheric conditions, while climate refers to short-term conditions.

Which of these is the lowest atmospheric layer, extending up to about 10 km, where weather occurs?

Which of these is a low-pressure zone near the equator with minimal wind?

Which of these is responsible for the trade winds and tropical rainforests?

Air pressure decreases as altitude increases due to fewer air molecules higher up.

The Coriolis Effect is caused by Earth's rotation, influencing wind patterns and ocean currents.

A rain shadow is a dry area on the windward side of a mountain, caused by moist air rising and losing moisture on the leeward side.

The Earth's atmosphere has always had the same composition as it does today.

The stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

The mesosphere is the coldest layer of the atmosphere, where meteors burn up.

The thermosphere is the warmest layer of the atmosphere, where the aurora borealis occurs.

The tropopause is the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere.

The stratopause is the boundary between the mesosphere and the thermosphere.

The mesopause is the boundary between the thermosphere and the exosphere.

Weather refers to the short-term atmospheric conditions in a specific area, while climate refers to the long-term weather patterns over a long period in a specific area.

Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air relative to the maximum amount it can hold at a given temperature.

Convection cells are large-scale patterns of air movement caused by differential heating, with warm air rising and cool air sinking.

The Hadley Cell is a tropical convection cell between 0° and 30° latitude, responsible for the trade winds and tropical rainforests.

The Ferrel Cell is the convection cell between 30° and 60° latitude, linked to the westerlies and temperate climates.

The Polar Cell is the convection cell between 60° latitude and the poles, driving cold, dry polar climates.

The Doldrums are low-pressure zones near the equator with minimal wind.

Trade winds blow from east to west between the equator and 30° latitude.

Westerlies blow from west to east between 30° and 60° latitude.

A jet stream is a fast-flowing, high-altitude air current that influences weather.

Which of these is NOT a layer of the atmosphere?

The Earth's atmosphere is made up primarily of nitrogen and oxygen.

The ozone layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, protecting life on Earth.

Weather is the short-term atmospheric conditions in a specific area, while climate is the long-term weather patterns in a specific area.

Air pressure increases as altitude increases due to more air molecules present.

Temperature variations around the globe are primarily due to the tilt of the Earth's axis and the distribution of solar energy.

Trade winds, westerlies, and doldrums are all types of wind patterns caused by differential heating and Earth's rotation.

Which of these is NOT a type of ocean current?

Surface currents are driven by wind patterns and Earth's rotation.

Which of these is a large-scale circular ocean current that forms in major ocean basins?

Upwelling occurs when deep, cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface, typically near coastlines.

A red tide is a harmful algal bloom that can discolor the water and produce toxins harmful to marine life and humans.

The global ocean circulation system driven by differences in water temperature and salinity is called:

El Niño is a periodic climate phenomenon involving the warming of surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which can disrupt weather patterns globally.

La Niña is the opposite of El Niño, involving cooler than normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which also affects global weather patterns.

ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) refers to the combined phenomenon of El Niño and La Niña, which can have significant impacts on global weather patterns.

Surface currents are driven by wind patterns and Earth's rotation, moving in large circular patterns known as gyres.