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ES UNIT 1

Terms in this set (40)

Astronomy
(p.6) study of objects beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Meteorology
(p. 6) the study of the atmosphere, which is the air surrounding Earth.
Geology
(p. 7) study of materials that make up Earth and the processes that form and change these materials, and the history of the planet and its life-forms since its origin.
Oceanography
(p. 7) study of Earth's oceans including the creatures that inhabit its waters, its physical and chemical properties, and the effects of human activities.
Environmental Science
(p. 7) study of the interactions of humans with environment.
Geosphere
(p. 8) the part of Earth from its surface to its center.
Atmosphere
(p. 8) blanket of gases surrounding Earth that contains about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide, and water vapor.
Hydrosphere
(p. 8) all the water in Earth's oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, and glaciers plus all the water in the atmosphere.
Biosphere
(p. 9) all of Earth's organisms and the environments in which they live.
Scientific Methods
(p. 10) a series of problem-solving procedures that help scientists conduct experiments.
Hypothesis
(p. 10) a testable explanation of a situation.
Independent Variable
(p. 12) factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in an experiment.
Dependent Variable
(p. 12) factor in an experiment that can change if the independent variable is changed.
Control
(p. 12) standard for comparison in an experiment.
Le Système International d'Unités (SI)
(p. 13) replacement for the metric system; based on a decimal sys- tem using the number 10 as the base unit; includes the meter: (m), second: (s), and kilogram: (kg).
Scientific Notation
(p. 16) a method used by scientists to express a number as a value between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10.
Scientific Model
(p. 10) a series of problem-solving procedures that help scientists conduct experiments.
Scientific Theory
(p. 19) an explanation based on many observations during repeated experiments; valid only if consistent with observations, can be used to make testable predictions, and is the simplest explanation; can be changed or modified with the discovery of new data.
Scientific Law
(p. 19) a principle that describes the behavior of a natural phenomenon.
Cartography
(p. 30) science of mapmaking.
Equator
(p. 30) imaginary line that lies at 0° latitude and circles Earth midway between the north and south poles, dividing Earth into the northern hemi- sphere and the southern hemisphere.
Latitude
p. 30) distance in degrees north and south of the equator.
Longitude
(p. 31) distance in degrees east and west of the prime meridian.
Prime Meridian
(p. 31) imaginary line representing 0° longitude, running from the north pole, through Greenwich, England, to the south pole.
International Date Line
(p. 33) the 180° meridian, which serves as the transition line for calendar days.
Mercator Projection
(p. 34) map with parallel lines of latitude and longitude that shows true direction and the correct shapes of landmasses but distorts areas near the poles.
Conic Projection
(p. 35) map that is highly accurate for small areas, made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a cone.
Gnomonic Projection
(p. 35) map useful in plotting long-distance trips by boat or plane that is made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a piece of paper that touches the globe at a single point.
Topographic Map
(p. 36) map that uses contour lines, symbols, and color to show changes in the elevation of Earth's surface and features such as mountains, bridges, and rivers.
Contour Line
(p. 36) line on a topographic map that connects points of equal elevation.
Contour Interval
(p. 36) difference in elevation between two side-by-side contour lines on a topographic map.
Geologic Map
(p. 38) a map that shows the distribution, arrangement, and types of rocks below the soil, and other geologic features.
Map Legend
(p. 39) key that explains what the symbols on a map represent.
Map Scale
(p. 39) ratio between the distances shown on a map and the actual distances on Earth's surface.
Remote Sensing
(p. 41) process of gathering data about Earth from instruments far above the planet's surface.
Landsat Satellite
(p. 41) information-gathering satellite that uses visible light and infrared radiation to map Earth's surface.
Topex/Poseidon Satellite
(p. 42) data-gathering satellite that uses radar to map features on the ocean floor.
Sonar
(p. 43) use of sound waves to detect and mea- sure objects underwater.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
(p. 44) satellite-based navigation system that permits a user to pinpoint his or her exact location on Earth.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
(p. 44) a map- ping system that uses worldwide databases from remote sensing to create layers of information that can be superimposed upon each other to form a comprehensive map.
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