A z project complete

A-Z Project

By Caine W., who was taught by Ms. Britt When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. ~ John Muir Photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Marble

A

stronomy

is the science that studies our universe. There have been many views in this field, such as geocentric, portraying the earth as the center of the universe while the sun and moon orbit it, and our current view, heliocentric, which portrays the sun as the center and the earth orbits it.

Scientists such as Galileo Galilei contributed to Astronomy by making discoveries like the moon's rough surface, Jupiter's moons, and the behavior of moving objects.

Source: Class Notes Photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy#/media/File:LH_95.jpg

B

Horizon

is known as the accumulation zone due to leached chemicals from the other soil horizons in a process called illuviation. It also contains subsoil, which is the material found under topsoil.

Sources: Class Notes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_horizon

Photo from http://www.domaine-mordoree.com/fe/e/lirac_terroir_domaine.htm

C

haparral

is a mountainous, rocky biome found in coastal areas around the world. It experiences mild winters and hot summers that frequently result in droughts. Fortunately, the biotic factors of this biome are similar to those of a desert and they've adapted. Due to some of the animals being nocturnal, coupled with the cool nights, this isn't much of a problem for them.

Sources: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral.htm and http://www.bioexpedition.com/chaparral-biome/

Photo from http://www.californiachaparral.com/chaparralfacts/dchaparralgeology.html

D

iurnal Tide

are single high and low tides each day.

These are related to the diurnal cycles, which are patterns that are the result from full rotations of Earth.

Sources: Class Notes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diurnal_cycle

Photo from http://www.ehow.com/list_7653299_four-different-types-tides.html

E

arth

is the planet we live on. It, as far as we know, is the only planet in the universe that contains human life. It has several layers of atmosphere to help sustain that life, and is home to many biomes that have their own diversities. Many human activities continue to destroy these homes, and as its inhabitants, we must take very good care of this planet.

Source: Class Notes

Photo from https://datafloq.com/read/three-use-cases-how-big-data-helps-save-the-earth/527

F

loods

are the result of a stream's discharge becoming great enough. They can be caused by rapid springs, melted snow, or heavy rainfall over a large region. There's also flash floods, which are very deadly, unpredictable floods that are influence by physical conditions of an area and can affect urban and mountainous areas. Many efforts have been made to prevent floods, such as the construction of levees and dams.

Source: Class Notes

Photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_of_1993

G

reenhouse Effect

is the heating of Earth's surface and atmosphere from the absorption of radiation and emission by the atmosphere though water vapor and CO2. Earth acts similar to a greenhouse because it absorbs sunlight and warms the air.

Source: Class Notes

Photo from http://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/module-2/how-greenhouse-effect-works.php

he

H

ydrosphere

is the total amount of water found on Earth. 71% of Earth is covered by water.

Almost all of it is saltwater, which makes sense due to most of that water being in the ocean. This also means that most of the water on earth is undrinkable. The water is evaporated by sunlight and is condensed in the sky as clouds, which will release the water as forms of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet and hail.

Sources: Class Notes and http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html Photo from https://sites.google.com/site/gccclimatechange/the-different-spheres/the-hydrosphere

I

so Bars

are lines on a map that connect places of equal air pressure. They are important for distinguishing what kinds of fronts are in an area. A cold front is classified by blue triangles, a warm front is classified by red semi-circles, a stationary front is classified by red semi-circles pointing one way, accompanied by blue triangles pointing the other way, and an occluded front is classified by purple semi-circles and triangles going in one direction.

Source: Class Notes

Photo from http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/I/isobar.html

J

etties

are structures that project from the land and into water and are used to protect or defend a harbor from currents.

Sources: Class Notes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetty

Photo from http://portofsiuslaw.com/marine-operations/boating-and-beach-safety/

K

epler

had 3 laws of planetary motion. The 1st one, the Law of Ellipses, stated that the sun was at one focus, while the other was symmetrically located at an opposite end. The 2nd one, the Law of Equal Areas, stated that each planet revolves around the sun through an imaginary, connected line over an equal area. The last and 3rd one, the Law of of Harmonies, stated that the length of time it takes a planet to orbit the sum is proportional to its distance from the sun.

Sources: Class Notes and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TGCPXhMLtU

Photo from http://www.a-tout-prague.com/en/news/kepler-museum-opens-in-prague/

L

ithification

occurs when sediments compact under pressure and gradually become solid rock. The compaction eliminates any porosity from the rock and it cements.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithification

Photo from https://protocolarchitecture.wordpress.com/category/lithification/

M

onoculture

involves growing a single crop in one field at a time. It is widely used in modern agriculture. While it greatly increases crop yields, it can negatively effect the environment by increasing the numbers of pests and diseases.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoculture

Photo from https://beependent.wordpress.com/disease/

N

itrogen

is something that we can't live without. It is needed to build essential molecules like nucleic acids and proteins. Nitrogen moves between plants, animals, bacteria, the atmosphere, and ground soil through a process called the nitrogen cycle. Bacteria is a really important part to this cycle since it helps the nitrogen change into a usable state.

Sources: Class Notes and Webster Comprehensive Dictionary – International Edition

Photo from http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/10/why-liquid-nitrogen-is-dangerous/

The

O

is home to many types of sea creatures and covers 71% of Earth's surface. It is also home to the Mariana Trench, the deepest natural hole on Earth. The ocean also contains rotating currents influenced by the coriolis effect called gyres. These serve as a heat transport that influences Earth's climate.

cean

Sources: http://www.oceanicinstitute.org/aboutoceans/aquafacts.html , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Trench , and http://web.mit.edu/~dfer/www/HomePage/Research_files/Ferrari_Ferreira_11-1.pdf Photo from http://www.scubadiving.com/keywords/marine-conservation/harvest-hope

P

hotosynthesis

is a process that plants go through when they use sunlight to produce their own food.

The plants then release oxygen.

Photosynthesis is needed to maintain atmospheric oxygen levels and helps supply the necessary compounds necessary for life. The chemical equation for Photosynthesis is: 6CO2 + 6H2O – (Light) > C6H12O6 + 6O2 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

Photo from http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/earth3.htm

Q

uartz

is the 2nd most abundant mineral on Earth. It is a precious gemstone with a structure composed of silicone and oxygen. The chemical formula is SiO2.

There are also other forms of quartz, like amethyst, citrine, rose, and milky.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz

Photo from http://www.gemstonebuzz.com/quartz

R

enewable Resources

are resources that can be quickly replaced and used again. These include wood, geothermal, water, wind, and solar energy. Fossil fuels like natural gases and coal take millions of years to be made, thus they are considered nonrenewable.

Source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_resource Photo from http://concordgogreenquest.weebly.com/

he

S

tratosphere

is the 2nd major layer of the atmosphere. It becomes warmer with rising altitude and contains ozone which blocks harmful UV radiation. It has drier, less dense air than the other atmospheric layers and is 7-31 miles above sea level.

Source: Class Notes

Photo from http://www.theozonehole.com/psc.htm

T

opography

is the study of physical features of land on the surface of Earth and other celestial bodies, such as moons and asteroids. Topography can affect the weather conditions of an area, such as a tall, tall mountain blocking the direction of a wind current.

Sources: Class Notes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topography

Photo from http://studiomaven.org/index.php?title=File:Brown_Topography.jpg

U

ltraviolet

Radiation comes from the sun and is really dangerous. Enough exposure to it can lead to negative effects on a person's skin and can cause cancer. Ozone molecules in the stratosphere can help keep us safe from UV radiation.

Sources: Class Notes and https://ehs.okstate.edu/modules/sun/Whatis.htm Photo from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6152/ultraviolet-radiation

V

iscosity

is the measure of a fluid's resistance to deformation due to different forms of stress. The thicker the fluid is, the higher the viscosity. The stress that leads to a fluids deformation is usually in the form of pressure.

Sources: Class Notes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity

Photo from http://www.runic.com/gallery/conceptual/runny-syrup.jpg.php

W

eathering

is the gradual eroding of a material, specifically rocks, minerals, or soil.

There are 3 types of weathering: Mechanical, chemical, and biological.

Mechanical weathering involves a direct breakdown of a material through means of water, head, or pressure. Chemical weathering occurs when a materials chemical composition is altered.

Biological weathering is a mix of both mechanical and chemical weathering.

Sources: Class Notes and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering

Photo from http://geologylearn.blogspot.com/2015/08/weathering-and-erosion.html

X

-Ray Crystallography

is used to determine a crystal's atomic and molecular structure. The crystallized atoms can cause x-rays to diffract in different directions, which can help determine the chemical bonds of the crystal.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_crystallography Photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_crystallography#/media/File:Zeolite-ZSM-5-vdW.png

Y

ttrium

is a transition metal and is considered a rare element, found combined with rare earth minerals.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yttrium

Photo from http://geologylearn.blogspot.com/2015/08/weathering-and-erosion.html

Z

oology

is a branch of biology that studies animals and how they interact with other animals and species, as well as their behavior and how they interact with their ecosystem.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoology

Photo from https://eeob.osu.edu/undergrad/zoo/bsba-zoology