earth science final

a measure of how much light is reflected from a surface instead of being absorbed

a small, icy body that warms when near perihelion, losing some of its mass in the process

the idea that natural processes can, over a long period of time, transform into a completely different organism

the distance light would travel in a year, based on how it behaves on earth

a floating sheet of ice that is permanently attached to land

the constant motion of water throughout the earth's hydrosphere

the sum total of all the natural components of God's creation

the level below which the soil is saturated with water

brightening of the night sky caused by street lights and other man-made sources

the point in a body's orbit when it is closest to the sun

an ocean current produced by changes in the salinity and temperature of seawater

the view that most of the crust's features are the result of slow, gradual processes

a molecule with an uneven distribution of electrons, which results in slight electrical charges inside the molecule

a pair of thin sedimentary strata of contrasting color that were deposited in one year

the extinction of a large percentage of animals over a short geological time

the movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to one of low concentration

the two times each year when the length of the day is equal to the length of the night

the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of an object bu one degree

the amount of solar radiation received by the earth

an atom that becomes electrically charged because it has an imbalance of electrons and protons

soil, sand, sediment, or rock that remains at or below 0 °C (32 °F) for at least two years

the day at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum height in the sky

a tide in which the suns gravity fights the moons gravity, reducing the extremes

the amount of water vapor in the air as a percentage of its saturation level

The property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force

the deflection of the path of any object that changes latitude over a long distance

allowing passages of some substances but not others

the average distance between the earth and the sun

a permanent layer of ice covering a very large area of land

a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere

the study of the geographical distribution of animals on this planet

a giant ocean current that forms an oval

the theory that natural processes can, over time, transform an organism into a more specialized version of that organism

a small body that orbits a larger body

a slowly moving mass of ice cause by the accumulation of snow

a celestial object, that emits regular pulses of radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation

a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere, appearing as a streak of light

microscopic particles in the atmosphere that provide surfaces for water vapor to condense on

the movement of water through the pores in soil or rock

the force applied to an object divided by the area over which it is applied

a process by which a solution is boiled and the vapor is then collected and condensed

a measure of how strongly molecules of a substance are attracted to one another

the point in a body's orbit when it is farthest from the sun