geology

any low sandy island that is parallel to the mainland and protects it from storms (e.g. Cape Hatteras)

a measure of the quantity of harmful particles and chemicals in the air (higher, the smoggier and more polluted the air is)

an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure (if it falls (falling ___) then usually bad weather is approaching, if it rises (rising ___) then good weather will follow), usually measured in inches (inches of mercury), about 30.0” is normal

a hard, dense igneous rock that makes up much of the tectonic plates, the part of the Earth’s crust beneath the oceans consist mainly of ___ whereas continental crust consists mainly of less dense rocks, such as granite

lacy or wispy clouds that form at high altitudes

the region around a coastline where the ocean is no more than a few hundred feet deep (due to built up sediments from rivers)

ring shaped island that is nearly or entirely enclosed by a coral reef

central region of the Earth, made up of a solid (iron and nickel) inner part, and an outer liquid metal part

particles (mostly protons) produced by the sun and other stars that strike the upper atmosphere of the Earth, some are absorbed, some form the Van Allen belt, and some reach the Earth’s surface as radiation

large, white, puffy clouds that generally appear during fair weather, occur at lower altitudes, some carry rain

3 main eras in history of the earth

a warming of the surface water of the Pacific Ocean occuring every 4-12 yrs when cold water does not rise to the surface, causing unusual weather patterns

a wide body of water formed where a large river meets the sea, it contains both fresh and salt water

coal, petroleum, and natural gas; formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago, produces carbon dioxide when burned

energy obtained by tapping underground reservoirs of heat, usually near volcanoes (not commonly used)

a large mass of ice on land (such as a mountain valley) that does not melt during the summer that moves slowly over an area (when a piece breaks off and floats in the ocean it’s called an ___)

the heating of the atmosphere due to the presence of carbon dioxide and other gases, heat from the sun that would normally return to space is instead absorbed by these gases and warms the Earth

the percentage of water vapor actually present in the air

the absolute humidity divided by the highest possible absolute humidity that COULD be present in the air based on the current temp, indicates the degree of comfort because it shows the amount of sweat that can evaporate from the skin (about 45% is ideal)

rocks formed by the cooling and solidifying of molten materials, can form at the Earth’s surface (as lava) or below (e.g. granite, solid volcanic lava, and basalt)

3 MAIN regions of the atmosphere (there are others, but not as popular)

the rocky part of the earth (not the hydrosphere or atmosphere), outer layer of the Earth that comprises the crust and upper part of the mantle

the region of the interior of the Earth between the core and the crust, over 3/4 of the volume of the Earth

the deepest spot in the oceans, more than 36,000 feet deep, in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines and SW of Guam