Vocabulary Word Definition Image

biogeochemical cycles The flow of chemical

elements and
compounds between
living organisms and the
physical environment.
Chemicals absorbed by
organisms are passed
through the food chain
and returned to the soil,
air, and water by such
mechanisms as
respiration, excretion,
and decomposition

fossil fuels Any combustible organic

material, as oil, coal, or
natural gas, derived
from the remains of
former life.

global warming An increase in the

earth's average
atmospheric
temperature that causes
corresponding changes
in climate and that may
result from the
greenhouse effect.

runoff Something that drains or

flows off, as rain that
flows off from the land
into streams.
groundwater The water beneath the
surface of the ground,
consisting largely of
surface water that has
seeped down:the source
of water in springs and
wells.

nitrogen fixation This process as

performed by certain
bacteria found in the
nodules of leguminous
plants, which make the
resulting nitrogenous
compounds available to
their host plants.

transpiration The passage of water

through a plant from the
roots through the
vascular system to the
atmosphere.

precipitation
Falling products of
condensation in the
atmosphere, as rain,
snow, or hail.
evaporation The act or process of
evaporating.

sublimation A chemical process where a

solid turns into a gas without
going through the liquid
stage.

condensation The act of condensing;

the state of being
condensed.

Water cycle The natural sequence

through which water
passes into the
atmosphere as water
vapor, precipitates too
earth in liquid or solid
form, and ultimately
returns to the
atmosphere through
evaporation.
Carbon cycle The circulation of
carbon atoms in the
biosphere as a result of
photosynthetic
conversion of carbon
dioxide into complex
organic compounds by
plants, which are
consumed by other
organisms: the carbon
returns to the
atmosphere in the form
of carbon dioxide as a
result of respiration,
decay by fungi,bacteria,
etc., and combustion of
fossil fuels.

Nitrogen cycle The continuous

sequence of events by
which atmospheric
nitrogen and
nitrogenous compounds
in the soil are converted,
as by nitrification and
nitrogen fixation, into
substances that can be
utilized by green plants,
the substances returning
to the air and soil as a
result of the decay of
the plants and
denitrification.