AP Environmental Science
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| 992666694 | Requirements for life | source of energy, complex chemistry, liquid solvent, protection from UV light | 1 | |
| 992666695 | Properties of water | hydrogen bonds, heat capacity, universal solvent, cohesive and adhesive, low solid state density | 2 | |
| 992666696 | "Big six" macronutrients | carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur | 3 | |
| 992666697 | Macronutrients | elements required in large amounts by all forms of life | 4 | |
| 992666698 | Micronutrients | elements required in small amounts by all life or in moderate amounts by some forms of life but not others | 5 | |
| 992666700 | limiting factor | when there is not the right amount of the right element in the right concentration at the right time. Can prevent growth of an individual, population, or species. Can cause extinction. | 6 | |
| 992666701 | Macromolecules | large molecules constructed of smaller organic compounds | 7 | |
| 992666703 | Carbohydrates | macromolecule that stores energy, provides structural support, composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen in 1:2:1 ratio | 8 | |
| 992666706 | Lipids | macromolecule composed of carbon & hydrogen that provides barriers, stores energy, and is present in fats, oils, and waxes | 9 | |
| 992666708 | Proteins | macromolesule that transports substances, speeds up reactions, makes hormones, includes amino acids, and makes up 15% of body mass | 10 | |
| 992666709 | Nucleic acids | macromolecule that stores and transmits genetic information | 11 | |
| 995363450 | subduction | The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary | 12 | |
| 995363451 | convection | Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part of the mass will rise and the cooler portions will sink. | 13 | |
| 995363452 | mantle | 85% of Earth's volume; slowly flowing liquid (molten rock) that is composed of silicate rock rich in magnesium/iron. 1800 miles thick | 14 | |
| 995363453 | inner core | solid portion of Earth's core with a radius of ~760 miles. spins at different speed than other portion of core, creating the magnetic field around the Earth. | 15 | |
| 995363454 | outer core | liquid portion of Earth's core; composed of nickel-iron alloy; approx 1355 miles thick | 16 | |
| 995363455 | accretion | accumulation of matter; growth produced by adding from the outside. Process that produces heat inside the Earth. | 17 | |
| 995363456 | lithosphere | contains ocean basins and continents ranging from 3 to 46 miles deep (deepest parts beneath continents) | 18 | |
| 995363457 | lithosphere composition | 32% iron, 30% oxygen, 15% silicon, 14% magnesium, 3% sulfur, 2% nickel, <1% calcium, aluminium, other | 19 | |
| 995363458 | greenhouse effect | Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases | 20 | |
| 995363459 | Coriolis effect | An effect that causes the prevailing winds to blow diagonally rather than along strict north-south or east-west lines. | 21 | |
| 995363460 | easterlies | Global winds that flow from the east to the west. | 22 | |
| 995363461 | westerlies | Global winds that flow from the west to the east. | 23 | |
| 995363462 | weathering | gradual breakdown of rock | 24 | |
| 995363463 | weather | short-term changes in temperature, pressure, cloudiness, precipitation, winds | 25 | |
| 995363464 | climate | refers to average weather conditions over long periods of time (seasons, decades, etc) | 26 | |
| 995363465 | atmospheric convection cells | divisions by latitude determined by movement of winds (easterlies vs. westerlies) | 27 | |
| 995402465 | aeresols | droplets of liquid in the atmosphere | 28 | |
| 995402466 | atmospheric composition | 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, .9% argon, .03% carbon | 29 | |
| 995402467 | troposphere | A layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of Earth, extending up to approximately 16 km (10 miles) and containing most of the atmosphere's nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor | 30 | |
| 995402468 | tropopause | The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. | 31 | |
| 995402469 | stratosphere | 2nd layer of atmosphere; extends from 10 to 30 miles up; location of ozone layer; absorbs 95% of Ultraviolet radiation; temperature increases with altitude increase. | 32 | |
| 995402470 | stratopause | boundary between stratosphere and mesosphere | 33 | |
| 995402471 | mesosphere | 3rd layer of the atmosphere, 50 to 80 km, meteors burn up in this layer of the atmosphere, shooting stars, temperature decreases. | 34 | |
| 995402472 | mesopause | the transition between the mesosphere and the thermosphere | 35 | |
| 995402473 | thermosphere | Fourth layer of the atmosphere, as altitude goes up, temperatures go up and can reach 1,700 degrees C | 36 | |
| 995402474 | pressure | Force per unit area. | 37 | |
| 995402475 | barometric pressure | The pressure (force per unit area) of the atmosphere against a surface. | 38 | |
| 995402476 | tectonic cycle | creation and destruction of the lithosphere | 39 | |
| 995402477 | divergent boundary | plates that are moving away from each other and making new crust | 40 | |
| 995402478 | convergent boundary | plates that are moving towards each other/colliding; involves subduction; can create coastal mountain ranges | 41 | |
| 995402479 | biogeochemical cycle | complete path a chemical takes through Earth's four major components: atmopshere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere essential process for long-term maintenance of Earth | 42 | |
| 995402480 | hydrosphere | All the water at and near the surface of the earth, 97% of which is in oceans | 43 | |
| 995402481 | biosphere | All the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of all Earth's ecosystems | 44 | |
| 995402482 | transform fault | plates sliding along/across each other. where earthquakes happen! | 45 | |
| 995402483 | rock cycle | Describes how one type of rock can change into another type. | 46 | |
| 995402484 | igneous rock | A type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface | 47 | |
| 995402485 | sedimentary rock | A type of rock that forms when particles of weathered rock or organic material are compacted and cemented together | 48 | |
| 995402486 | metamorphic rock | A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions. | 49 | |
| 996563171 | hydrogen bonds | Very weak bond created by the attraction of a slightly positive hydrogen atom to a slightly negative portion of another molecule | 50 | |
| 996563172 | hydraulic cycle | the continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the earth through the processes: evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff. | 51 | |
| 996563173 | plate tectonics | The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle. | 52 | |
| 996563174 | permeability | Ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it | 53 | |
| 996563175 | nutrients in soil | nitrogen (N) to make proteins, vitamins, DNA/RNA phosphorus (P) to make DNA/RNA, ATP potassium (K) involved in reactions such as photosynthesis, protein synthesis, etc) | 54 | |
| 996563176 | humus | organic, dark material remaining after decomposition of living organisms | 55 | |
| 996563177 | sand | A loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral 0.05 to 2.0 mm in diameter | 56 | |
| 996563178 | silt | A mixture of fertile soil and tiny rocks that can make land ideal for farming | 57 | |
| 996563179 | clay | Smallest soil particle, yellow or red type of soil that holds water well and contains nutrients. | 58 | |
| 996563180 | capillary action | A proccess powered by adhesion that causes water molecules to move upward through a narrow tube such as the stem of a plant. | 59 | |
| 996563181 | water holding capacity | How well soil can retain water (sand→low, clay→high) | 60 | |
| 996563182 | soil | A mixture of mineral particles and organic material that covers the land, and in which terrestrial plants grow. | 61 | |
| 996563183 | O horizon | a soil layer that consists primarily of organic matter, which serves as a precursor for soil formation | 62 | |
| 996563184 | A horizon | second layer of soil, also called topsoil. consists of humus and mineral materials that leach down to lower horizons. | 63 | |
| 996563185 | E horizon | a soil layer from which minerals are leached as water percolates through the soil in a process called eluviation | 64 | |
| 996563186 | B horizon | also known as subsoil; general zone of accumulation for leached material | 65 | |
| 996563187 | C horizon | Location of weathered bedrock or parent material; referred to as Regolith; Horizon not affected by biological activity and generally not affected by soil operations; absence of clays | 66 | |
| 996563188 | R horizon | The bottommost layer of soil in a typical soil profile, consisting of bedrock. | 67 | |
| 996563189 | pedalfer | soil of humid regions characterized by the accumulation of iron oxides and aluminum-rich clays in the B horizon | 68 | |
| 996563190 | pedocal | soil associated with drier regions and characterized by an accumulation of calcium carbonate in the upper horizons. typically composed of less clay and more sand. | 69 | |
| 996563191 | laterite | a hard red soil that results from intense chemical weathering of the surface in tropical regions | 70 | |
| 996750835 | terracing | Carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides to use for farming | 71 | |
| 996750852 | contour farming | Plowing and planting across the changing slope of land, rather than in straight lines, to help retain water and reduce soil erosion. | 72 | |
| 996750853 | soil erosion | movement of soil components from one place to another caused by wind and/or water, typically leads to loss of fertility/nutrients and water pollution | 73 | |
| 996750855 | harmful runoff | when eroded soil carries harmful chemicals, or fertilizers that add nitrate to soil, into natural bodies of water | 74 | |
| 996750856 | dead zones | areas in bodies of water that are completely devoid of oxygen; caused by agricultural runoff | 75 | |
| 996750857 | salinization | process where topsoil because too salty due to irrigation and erosion; because water is a solvent, it carries dissolved substances, such as salt, across land | 76 | |
| 996750858 | earthquake | energy released by portions of the crust breaking as tectonic plates move or shift. occur most frequently near transform faults | 77 | |
| 996750859 | seismic waves | vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake | 78 | |
| 996750860 | P waves | First wave to arrive at the seismograph station. Compress and expand like an accordion | 79 | |
| 996750861 | S waves | Secondary seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side. Travel in transverse waves, only through solid material. | 80 | |
| 996750862 | body waves | seismic waves that travel through the Earth's interior | 81 | |
| 996750863 | surface waves | A type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach the Earth's surface | 82 | |
| 996750864 | volcano | opening in the crust that connects to the mantle and releases molten rock/lava. formed by friction between plates that forces up rifts of magma. | 83 | |
| 996750865 | viscosity | A measure of a fluid's thickness or resistance to flow. | 84 | |
| 996750866 | shield volcano | A low, flat, gently sloping volcano built from many flows of fluid, low-viscosity lava | 85 | |
| 996750867 | cinder cone volcano | A steep, cone-shaped hill or small mountain made of volcanic ash, cinders, and bombs piled up around a volcano's opening | 86 | |
| 996750868 | composite volcano | A tall, explosive, cone-shaped volcano formed by layers of silica-rich lava and ash. | 87 | |
| 996750869 | cambrian explosion | A burst of evolutionary origins when most of the major body plans of animals appeared in a relatively brief time in geologic history; recorded in the fossil record about 545 to 525 million years ago. | 88 | |
| 996750870 | eon | the longest division of geological time | 89 | |
| 996750871 | era | second longest division of geological time | 90 | |
| 996750877 | period | sections of geologic time that compose eras | 91 | |
| 996750891 | epoch | smallest unit of geological time | 92 | |
| 996750894 | Holocene Epoch | The present epoch of geologic time, approx the last 10,000 years. | 93 | |
| 996750895 | paleozoic era | the part of geologic time 570-245 million years ago ; invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, ferns, and cone-bearing trees were dominant | 94 | |
| 996750896 | mesozoic era | the part of geologic time roughly 245-65 million years ago; dinosaurs rose to prominence and became extinct | 95 | |
| 996750897 | cenozoic era | the latest of the four eras into which geologic time is subdivided; 65 million years ago to the present | 96 | |
| 996750898 | precambrian era | 90% of Earth's history, life appears and exists only in the sea, most life was unicellular and hardly any oxygen was present | 97 | |
| 996750899 | ordovician extinction | The first great mass extinction event when according to the fossil record, 60% of both terrestrial and marine life worldwide were exterminated. | 98 | |
| 996750900 | devonian extinction | 2nd mass extinction event. 3/4 of all species died out | 99 | |
| 996750901 | permian extinction | a mass extinction that claimed 96% of marine species, 70% of land species, likely caused by rapid climate change | 100 | |
| 996750904 | triassic extinction | 2-3 phases of extinction combining to cause mass extinction; caused by climate change, basalt explosion, asteroid impact | 101 | |
| 996750905 | KT extinction | 65 million years ago; dinosaurs and other animals of the time went extinct | 102 |
