Biosphere II
Carolyn N. Kinder
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Give FeedbackGLOSSARY
Abiotic: nonliving part of the environment
Acid Rain:
precipitation having a pH value less than that of normal rainfall (5-5.6 average). Pure water has a pH of 7. Acid Rain is caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal and from exhaust gas from cars and trucks.
Aquifer:
an underground layer of rock, sediment or soil that is filled with water. Water moves through the aquifer very slowly.
Atmosphere:
mixture of gases (air) that surrounds the Earth.
Bacteria:
microscopic one-celled organisms. Some are helpful. Harmful bacteria may cause disease.
Biotic:
living part of the environment.
Cloud:
a visible mass of fine water droplets or ice particles flowing in the air.
Condensation:
the process in which gas changes to a liquid form.
Contaminant:
a chemical that make something impure, infects or makes something else impure.
Dissolve:
condition where solid particles mix, molecule by molecule, with a liquid, and appear to become part of the liquid.
Ecosystem:
all the parts of a certain environment, including the plants and animals, soil, water, air and the sun energy.
Environment:
everything that surrounds a living thing.
Evaporation:
the process in which a liquid changes to a gas.
Factors:
things to consider which might influence or change a result.
Fresh Water:
water that is not salty.
Glacier:
a large mass of ice formed on land. Glaciers move downslope or outward between soil particles or cracks and crevices in rocks.
Hydrologic Cycle:
the water cycle in which water continuously moves from the Earth to the atmosphere and back.
Molecule:
the smallest part of a substance that still resembles that substance; it is usually made up of two or more atoms.
Organism:
a complete, living individual (plant or animal) which may have one cell or many cells.
Pollutants:
contaminants that produce undesirable effects on the environment.
Precipitation:
water from the atmosphere which falls as rain, hail, sleet or snow.
Recycle:
use again.
Runoff:
rainwater or snowmelt which flows over the surface of the ground without seeping into the soil.
Sediment:
pieces of rock and soil produced by weathering and erosion.
Spring:
groundwater seeping or flowing out of the Earth.
Surface Water:
all water, fresh and salty, on the surface of the Earth. Oceans, glaciers, and lakes are examples.
Suspended:
supported or kept from falling through the air or water.
Technology:
knowledge which is used to make products or objects which make life easier.
Transpiration:
a process by which living plants give off water vapor into the atmosphere.
Water Table:
upper limit of the zone of saturation.
Water Vapor:
water in its gaseous state.
Zone of Saturation:
the part of the ground below the water table where all the pores in the soil and cracks in the rocks are filled with water.