| Term | Definition |
|---|
| weather | The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure. |
| climate | The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that are typical of a particular geographical region. |
| local climate | Climate in a very small geographic region. |
| microclimate | Climate of a small, specific place within an area such as an individual garden or hillside. |
| latitude | Angular distance north or south of the earth's equator, measured in degrees along a meridian, as on a map or globe. |
| prevailing wind | The predominant or usual wind direction in a given region. |
| elevation | Height to which something is raised above a point of reference such as the ground at sea level. |
| solstice | Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator. |
| equinox | Either of two times of the year when the day and night are of equal length. |
| wind | A natural movement of air, especially in a horizontal direction along the ground. |
| ocean currents | The steady flow of ocean water in a prevailing direction. |
| coniferous | Belonging to an order of trees or shrubs with true cones; includes pine, spruce, and many other species of evergreens. |
| deciduous | Falling off or shed at a specific point in the growth cycle; often refers to trees that shed their leaves annually. |
| temperate | Characterized by moderate temperatures, weather, or climate. |
| epiphyte | A plant that grows on another plant rather than in soil, but doesn't take nutrients from the host plant. |
| intertidal zone | The part of the coastline that is alternately covered with water and then exposed as the tide recedes. |
| tide | The periodic rise and fall of all ocean waters resulting from the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun. |
| photic zone | Any place in the ocean that light can reach. |
| aphotic zone | The depth in the ocean where there is no light. |
| estuary | The wide part of a river where it nears the sea; fresh and salt water mix. |
| autotroph | An organism that can synthesize its own food from inorganic substances. |
| gross primary productivity | The rate at which energy is incorporated by autotrophs. |
| heterotroph | An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms. |
| net primary production | The amount of energy available to heterotrophs. |
| food chain | The pathway of energy transfer in an ecosystem that results from the feeding patterns of the organisms in the ecosystem. |
| primary consumer | An organism that obtains its energy from the primary producers in an ecosystem. |
| secondary consumer | An organism that obtains its energy from the primary consumers in an ecosystem. |
| food web | A diagram that shows the feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem. |
| detritivore | An organism that obtains its energy by feeding on dead plants and animals. |
| trophic level | A division of species in an ecosystem on the basis of their main source of nutrition. |
| energy pyramid | A diagram that shows the flow of energy among different trophic levels in a community. |
| biomass | Quantitative estimate of the entire amount of living organisms in a particular habitat; measured in terms of volume, mass, or caloric energy. |
| biomass pyramid | A diagram that shows the biomass of different trophic levels within a community. |
| water cycle | The movement of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and land. (aka 'hydrologic cycle') |
| evaporation | The process by which a liquid changes into a gas. |
| greenhouse gas | A gas, like methane or carbon dioxide, that traps heat between the earth and the lower atmosphere. |
| condensation | Change in physical state of a substance from a gas to a liquid. |
| dew point | The temperature at which the rate of condensation surpasses the rate of evaporation. |
| rain shadow | The resulting less rain on the leeward side of a mountain due to the tendency of clouds to stay on the windward side of a mountain. |
| precipitation | Any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the earth's surface. |
| percolation | The passage of a liquid through a porous substance or filter. |
| water table | The upper layer of excess groundwater in the soil. |
| runoff | The process that carries water from streams and rivers back to the oceans. |
| erosion | The process by which soil and other materials are worn away from the Earth's surface. |
| nitrogen fixation | The conversion, by certain soil bacteria, of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that plants and other organisms can be used to synthesize amino acids. |
| symbiont | An organism living in symbiosis, which is the mutual relationship between two species of organisms in which both live together in a beneficial association. |
| nitrification | The process by which nitrogen gas or ammonia is converted to nitrate and nitrite ions. |
| denitrification | The process by which nitrate and nitrite ions are converted to atmospheric nitrogen. |
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