abiotic factor
Non-living chemical and
physical factors in the
environment, such as
temperature, light, water,
minerals, and climate, that
influence an organism.
air masses
A large body of air with
similar characteristics
throughout.
atmosphere
The shell of gases that
surround the Earth.
biodiversity
The genetic, species, and
ecological diversity of the
organisms in a given area.
aerosols
Minute particles or liquid
droplets suspended in the
air.
aquifer
Porous, water-bearing
layers of sand, gravel, and
rock below the earth's
surface; reservoirs for
groundwater.
barycenter
biosphere
The common center of mass
around which two or more
bodies revolve.
The zone of air, land, and
water at the surface of the
earth that is occupied by
organisms.
biotic factor
climate
Pertaining to life;
environmental factors
created by living organisms.
The long term weather
patterns.
deforestation
The cutting down of trees.
estuary
A bay or drowned valley
where a river empties into
the sea.
carrying capacity
The maximum number of
individuals that a given
environment can support
without detrimental effects.
chlorofluorocarbons
Chemical compounds with a
carbon skeleton and one or
more attached chlorine and
fluorine atoms. Commonly
used as refrigerants,
solvents, fire retardants,
and blowing agents.
density
nutation rotation
How tightly packed the
atoms are in an object.
A small periodic motion of
the celestial pole of the
earth with respect to the
pole of the ecliptic.
ecological footprint
the impact of a person or
community on the
environment, expressed as
the amount of land required
to sustain their use of
natural resources
epicenter
The place on the Earth’s
surface directly above the
focus.
foliation
The layered structure
common to metamorphic
rocks
front
The boundary between two
air masses of different
temperature and density
El Nino
focal point
(focus)
fossil fuels
greenhouse effect
A climatic change marked
by shifting of a large warm
water pool from the western
Pacific Ocean towards the
east. Wind direction and
precipitation patterns are
changed over much of the
Pacific and perhaps around
the world.
A fixed point.
Petroleum, natural gas, and
coal created by geological
forces from organic wastes
and dead bodies of formerly
living biological organisms
The trapping of infrared
energy in the Earth’s
atmosphere.
geohazards
hydrosphere
Köppen climate
classification system
lithosphere
A geological state that
represents or has the
potential to develop further
into a situation leading to
damage or uncontrolled risk
The layer of water on the
Earth’s surface.
The most widely used method
for classifying the world's
climates. The system has five
major climate categories based
on annual and monthly average
temperature and precipitation:
A tropical rainy; B, dry; C, mild
midlatitude; D, severe
midlatitude; and E, polar.
The solid ground that we
walk on.
hydrologic
invasive species
limiting factors
natural resources
The scientific study of the
properties, distribution, and
effects of water on the
earth's surface, in the soil
and underlying rocks, and in
the atmosphere.
A nomenclature term and
categorization phrase used
for flora and fauna, and for
specific restorationpreservation processes in
native habitats.
Chemical or physical factors
that limit the existence,
growth, abundance, or
distribution of an organism.
Goods and services
supplied by the
environment.
nuclear fusion
A process in which two
smaller atomic nuclei fuse
into one larger nucleus and
release energy; the source
of power in a hydrogen
bomb.
plate tectonics
A study of the Earth’s
crustal movements.
relative humidity
runoff
The percentage of the air
that is filled with water.
The excess of precipitation
over evaporation; the main
source of surface water and,
in broad terms, the water
available for human use.
precession
revolution
The slow movement of the
axis of a spinning body
around another axis due to a
torque (such as gravitational
influence) acting to change
the direction of the first axis.
An instance of revolving.
specific heat
The heat required to raise
the temperature of the unit
mass of a given substance
by a given amount (usually
one degree).
urbanization
An increasing concentration
of the population in cities
and a transformation of land
use to an urban pattern of
organization.