Science Midterm Notes PDF

Hydrosphere-All the water on earth including that in the atmosphere and the lithosphere. Abyssal Plain-The wide open regions of the ocean floor between the continents and the mountain ranges at the center of the ocean. Continental shelf-The submerged part of the edge of the continents that slopes do...

Hydrosphere-All the water on earth including that in the atmosphere and the lithosphere. Abyssal Plain-The wide open regions of the ocean floor between the continents and the mountain ranges at the center of the ocean. Continental shelf-The submerged part of the edge of the continents that slopes down gradually away from land before dropping steeply downwards. Continental slope-The submerged area of the edge of the continents, beyond the continental shelf, that drops steeply down to the ocean basin. Current-The flow of water in a specific direction. Surface current-Caused by wind action, Earth's spin, shape of the continents and extend to an average depth of 200 meters. Deep current-Caused by temperature differences, salinity and occur deeper than 200 meters. Spring tide-The largest tidal movements that occur when the earth, sun and moon are in line. Neap tide-The smallest tidal movements that occur when the sun and the moon are right angles to each other. Coriolis effect-The change in the direction of the winds and currents caused by the rotation of the earth. El nino-A warming of the Pacific ocean that causes unusual weather like more rain and warmer temperatures. La nina- A cooling of the pacific ocean that causes cooler temperatures and more storms in some areas. Abiotic factors-Dissolved oxygen levels should be bigger than 5 mg/L, Phosphates levels should be less than 10g/L, PH level of acidity range should be 5-8.5. Aquaculture-The growing and harvesting of marine species in a contained area. Tsunami-Caused by an earthquake, volcanic eruption or a landslide on the ocean floor. Upwelling-Vertical movement of water from the ocean floor, often caused by wind blowing surface water away from shore. Density-The amount of mass in a certain volume, or how tightly packed together the material is in a substance. Buoyancy-The upward force on objects submerged in or floating on a fluid. Condensation-When a gas turns into a liquid, like when shower steam makes the mirrors watery. Deposition-When a gas changes to a solid without going through the liquid state, like frost. Sublimation-When a solid goes to a gas without going through the liquid state, like dry ice. Fluid-Anything that flows, a liquid or a gas. Pascal's principle-When pressure is applied to a fluid in a closed container, the pressure is pushed equally in all directions like when you squeeze toothpaste. Force-Anything that causes a change in the motion of an object like a push or pull on an object. Mass-The amount of matter an object has. Weight-The measure of the force of gravity acting on the mass of an object. Archimedes' principle-Explains why some objects float in water while others sink, states that the Buoyancy force acting on an object equals the weight of the fluid displaced by the object, if the force of gravity is greater than the buoyant force the object will sink (vice versa). Pressure-The force acting on a certain area of a surface. Atmospheric pressure-The weight of the air above you, it decreases as you go higher because there is less air pushing down. Boyle's law-When you increase pressure on a gas, its volume gets smaller. Compressibility-The ability for a substance to be squeezed into a smaller space or volume. Hydraulic system-A device that transmits applied force through a liquid to move something else. Viscosity-How thin or thick a fluid is or how easily a fluid flows, the slower the fluid flows the more viscous it is. Pneumatic system-Devices in which a gas is used to transmit force, something like a bike pump or a compressor.