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Term
Term description
abiotic
The non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment, including solar radiation,
water, atmospheric gases, soil type and fertility, temperature, etc. that put constraints on the
success of organisms.

ablution
The washing of ones body as a religious purification.

acid mine
drainage
acides amins

The outflow of acidic water from (usually abandoned) metal mines or coal mines.

action

An act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by physical or mental activity.

adaptation

The adjustment or changes in behavior, physiology, and structure of an organism allowing it to

become more suited to an environment.

adaptive
radiation

Un compos organique contenant un groupe amino et un groupe carbo'xyl; acides amins

sont les units ou blocs de construction qui forment les molcules de la mare et des
protines pep.

evolution of a number of divergent species from a common ancestor, each species becoming
adapted to occupy a different environment.

adenosine
triphosphate
(ATP)

A nucleoside, C10H13N5O4, composed of adenine linked to ribose, that is a component of

nucleic acids and of ADP, AMP, and ATP, and that plays a role in regulating various
physiological functions.

adhesion

The molecular attraction between substances in contact with surfaces or objects.

adhesive

The property of oppositely charged molecules to adhere to each other. Attracted to other types
1

Term

of
molecules
with positive and negative charges.
Term
description

aerobic

Living or occurring only in the presence of oxygen.

albedo

The fraction of solar energy (shortwave radiation) that is reflected from the Earth back into
space. Ice, especially with snow on top of it, has a high albedo; most sunlight hitting the
Earth's surface bounces back towards space. Water and land are much more absorbent and
less reflective, so have lower albedo.

algae

Unicellular or multicellular organisms formerly classified as plants, occurring in fresh or salt

water or moist ground, that have chlorophyll and other pigments but lack true stems, roots, and
leaves. Algae, which are now regarded as protists, include the seaweeds, diatoms, and
phytoplankton.

Allah

The Muslim name for God; the one Supreme Being.

alluvial fan

a fan or cone shaped deposit of sediment crossed and built up by streams

Alpine regions

Alpine tundra is an ecosystem that occurs in mountains worldwide. The high altitude climate is
too cold and windy to support a wide variety of trees. The flora of the alpine tundra is
characterized by dwarf shrubs close to the ground. The cold climate of the alpine tundra is
caused by the low air pressure, and is similar to polar climate.

ambient

Of or relating to the immediate surroundings, e.g. the ambient temperature is the present
temperature in a given place.

amino acid

An organic compound containing an amino group and a carbo'xyl group; amino acids are the
units or building blocks that make peptide and protein molecules.

aminocidos

Un compuesto orgnico que contiene un grupo amino y un grupo carbo'xyl; aminocidos son
las unidades o unidades bsicas que forman las mareas y molculas de protenas pep

anaerobic

Living or occurring in the absence of air or free oxygen.

anaerobic
decomposition

The process by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of
oxygen.

anaerobic
digestion

A process where microorganisms break down organic materials, such as food scraps, manure,
and sewage sludge, in the absence of oxygen, produces a gas principally composed of
methane (CH 4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) otherwise known as biogas.

animists

People who accept animism, the view that non-human entities (animals, plants, and inanimate
objects or phenomena) possess a spiritual essence.

Anthropocene
Mass
Extinction

The exponential increase in species extinction during the current geological age, within the
past 200 years, as a result of human activity.

anthropogenic
Term

Of,
relating
to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature.
Term
description

aquatic

Of, in, or pertaining to water; aquatic organisms include fish, plankton, amphibians, and
aquatic habitats include oceans, lakes, rivers and wetlands.

arctic
amplification

Arctic amplification refers to the greater rate of climate warming in the Arctic region than the
rest of the world. The amount of land in the Northern Hemisphere allows for greater annual
variation of snow cover. This fact allows for greater cooling and warming potentials when the
overall climate forcing is altered. Less forcing would result in a cooling trend that would allow
more snow cover and therefore a polar de-amplification effect in relation to the average
temperature of the rest of the globe. More forcing, as is what happens under the influence of
higher concentrations of greenhouse gases, allows for a more rapid decrease in snow and ice
cover. The decrease of melting of snow and ice reduces the albedo reflectance of the poles
therefore amplifying the temperature in the polar region.

astronomer

An expert in astronomy, the scientific study of the individual celestial bodies (including the
stars, planets asteroids, etc.) and of the universe as a whole.

atmosphere

the envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth; consists largely of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen
(21%)

atoll

A coral island or series of coral islands forming a ring that nearly or entirely encloses a
shallow lagoon. Atolls are surrounded by deep ocean water and range in diameter from about
1 km (0.62 mi) to over 100 km (62 mi). They are especially common in the western and central
Pacific Ocean and serve as important habitats for corals, algae and fishes.

aurora
borealis

A natural light display in the night time skies of the Northern Hemisphere created by colliding
charged particles in the atmosphere, sometimes called the Northern Lights.

autotroph

An organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or
chemical energy. Green plants, algae, and certain bacteria are autotrophs.

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