Ecosystems Vocabulary
biomass - 1: the amount of living matter (as in a unit area or volume of habitat) 2: plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel.
compost - A mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve
soil structure and provide nutrients.
compost bin - Any container bought or built to contain the ingredients of a compost
pile.
energy pyramid - illustrates the energy flow within an ecosystem.
biodiversity - The number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.
photosynthesis -The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates
are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Photosynthesis releases oxygen as a byproduct.
food chain - The sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an ecological community.
food web - A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.
ecological succession - the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established.
radiant energy - comes from electromagnetic waves, including microwaves, X-rays and light.
organic compound - a material that contains carbon and hydrogen and usually other elements such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen.
carbon - The chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6.
equilibrium - a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.
compost - A mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve
soil structure and provide nutrients.
compost bin - Any container bought or built to contain the ingredients of a compost
pile.
energy pyramid - illustrates the energy flow within an ecosystem.
biodiversity - The number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.
photosynthesis -The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates
are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Photosynthesis releases oxygen as a byproduct.
food chain - The sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an ecological community.
food web - A complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.
ecological succession - the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established.
radiant energy - comes from electromagnetic waves, including microwaves, X-rays and light.
organic compound - a material that contains carbon and hydrogen and usually other elements such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen.
carbon - The chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6.
equilibrium - a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.
Safety/Scientific Method Vocabulary
mass - a property of physical objects that measures the amount of matter they contain.
weight - A measure of the heaviness of an object.
conservation - a careful preservation and protection of something.
comparative investigation - Investigation where you compare results with others.
descriptive investigation - research that describes data and characteristics about the phenomenon being studied.
experimental investigation - Experiments are carried out to support a predicted outcome.
valid - sound; just; well-founded
empirical evidence - evidence based on observation or experience
stereoscope - An optical instrument with two eyepieces used to impart a three-dimensional effect to two photographs of the same scene.
microscope observation - using a microscope to look at things to small to see with the naked eye.
inference - deriving logical conclusions based on observation.
testable - can be used as the basis for an experiment.
non-testable - can not be used as the basis for an experiment.
independent variable - a factor that can be varied or manipulated in an experiment (e.g. time, temperature, concentration, etc).
dependent variable - what is being measured in an experiment
weight - A measure of the heaviness of an object.
conservation - a careful preservation and protection of something.
comparative investigation - Investigation where you compare results with others.
descriptive investigation - research that describes data and characteristics about the phenomenon being studied.
experimental investigation - Experiments are carried out to support a predicted outcome.
valid - sound; just; well-founded
empirical evidence - evidence based on observation or experience
stereoscope - An optical instrument with two eyepieces used to impart a three-dimensional effect to two photographs of the same scene.
microscope observation - using a microscope to look at things to small to see with the naked eye.
inference - deriving logical conclusions based on observation.
testable - can be used as the basis for an experiment.
non-testable - can not be used as the basis for an experiment.
independent variable - a factor that can be varied or manipulated in an experiment (e.g. time, temperature, concentration, etc).
dependent variable - what is being measured in an experiment
Humans in Space Vocabularyproximity - The state, quality, sense, or fact of being near or next; closeness.
atmosphere - the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air. gravity - The natural force of attraction exerted by a celestial body, such as Earth, upon objects at or near its surface accommodations - something supplied for convenience or to satisfy a need: as . a: lodging, food, and services or traveling space. terrestrial planet - the earth or a planet that resembles the earth in its physical characteristics (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) |
Catastrophic Events Vocabularyerosion - the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
deposition - the state of being deposited or precipitated: deposition of soil at the mouth of a river. destruction - the act of destroying weathering - the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed rock to decompose. chemical weathering - A weathering process whereby rocks and minerals are transformed into new, fairly stable chemical combinations by such chemical reactions as hydrolysis, oxidation, ion exchange, and solution. mechanical weathering - The process of weathering by which physical forces break down or reduce a rock to smaller and smaller fragments, involving no chemical change. Also known as physical weathering. 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. uplifting - To raise; elevate construction - act or process of constructing; the way in which something is constructed; manner or method of building; something constructed; structure; building. longitude - describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. latitude - The angular distance north or south of the earth's equator, measured in degrees along a meridian. waterspout - A tornado or lesser whirlwind occurring over water and resulting in a funnel-shaped whirling column of air and spray. tsunami - A very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. typhoon - A tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans. earthquake - A sudden movement of the Earth's lithosphere (its crust and upper mantle). epicenter - The point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. aftershock - A quake of lesser magnitude, usually one of a series, following a large earthquake in the same area. avalanche - A fall or slide of a large mass, as of snow or rock, down a mountainside. mudslide - the rapid downward movement of a large quantity of saturated earth; a landslide of mud. tornado- a violent windstorm characterized by a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud. Saffir-Simpson Scale - a 1 to 5 categorization based on a hurricane's intensity and wind. Richter Scale - scale used to rate the strength or total energy of earthquakes. The scale has no upper limit but usually ranges from 1 to 9. runoff - something that drains or flows off, as rain that flows off from the land in streams. river - A large natural stream of water emptying into an ocean, lake, or other body of water and usually fed along its course by converging tributaries. tributary - a stream or river that flows into a main stem (or parent) river or a lake. stream - A flow of water in a channel or bed, as a brook, rivulet, or small river. drainage - the act, process, or mode of draining; also: something drained off. basin - A basin is a hollow or depression in the earth’s surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land such as a river basin. flood - An overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. plain - a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. meander - To follow a winding and turning course. oxbow lake - A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander of a river or stream is cut off from the main channel. alluvial fan - a fan -shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. delta - a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river, where the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir. stalactite - an icicle-shaped, secondary mineral deposit, usually calcite, that hangs from the roof of a cave stalagmite - conical mineral deposit, usually calcite or aragonite, built up on the floor of a cavern. glacier - A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation. sinkhole - a hollow place or depression in which drainage collects. beach - a shore of a body of water covered by sand, gravel, or larger rock fragments. sand dune - A hill or ridge of wind-blown sand. |