adaptation
A characteristic or feature of a plant or animal that helps it survive, adaptations evolve over long time periods e.g. birds that become flightles
anthropogenic
Caused by people e.g. ocean acidification is caused by people increasing carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolutions
atmosphere
The air around us
biodiversity
The range or variety of living things in a particular area
biologist
A person who studies living things
biosphere
The part of the Earth system to do with all living things
braided river
A type of river that form a network of many branches within a channel. They occur only where a very specific combination of climate and geology allows rivers to form ever-changing and highly dynamic ‘braided’ channels across a wide gravelly riverbed. They have steep gradients and fast flows.
carbon
A natural chemical element found in all living, or once living things
carbon cycle
Just as the "water cycle" describes the transfer of water molecules between rivers, oceans, land and the atmosphere, the "carbon cycle" refers to the flow of carbon through different parts of the Earth system – including the air and the bodies of plants and animals
carbon dioxide
When a carbon atom joins with two oxygen atoms, a lot of carbon dioxide comes from burning things containing carbon
chemical compounds
Molecules made up of different types of atoms bonded together
climate
The average weather over many years
climate change
Rapid change in climate due to human activity (mainly burning fossil fuels) increasing heat trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
climate model
A computer model used to predict future climate change and the impacts of these changes
community
All the living things in a particular area
condensation
The process of changing water from a gas to a liquid is called condensation
continent
One of the seven large areas of land on earth
cryosphere
The frozen part of the Earth system. Where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and frozen ground (there is overlap between the cryosphere and hydrosphere which includes all water on the Earth's surface)
ecosystem
This is all the living (e.g. animals, plants) and non-living (e.g. light, water) things within a particular area
endemic
A native species found nowhere else in the world
evaporation
The process of changing water from a liquid to a gas is called evaporation
fluorinated gases
Man-made gases containing fluorine that can stay in the atmosphere for centuries and contribute to a global greenhouse effect.
fossil
When a plant or animal or parts of a plant or animal are preserved in rocks
glacier
A river of ice
glacial recession
When a glacier shrinks as melting exceeds the amount of snow that accumulates
global cooling
When the average temperature on earth naturally falls
global warming
When the average temperature on earth naturally rises
greenhouse effect
The way the earth is warmed by its atmosphere
greenhouse gases
Gases which trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere
humidity
Amount of moisture in the air described as a percentage
hydrosphere
All the waters on the Earth's surface, such as lakes and seas
hypothesis
An explanation of why things happen that can be tested by scientists
Ice Age
A period when the earth's climate is colder
ice sheet
A large area of ice formed when glaciers join together
ice shelf
A large area of floating ice, formed when glaciers flow out to sea
iceberg
Part of a glacier or ice shelf that has broken off and floated away
Industrial Revolution
A period when the invention of machines led to a rapid increase in industry in Britain in the late 1700s
lithosphere
The solid rocky layer covering the surface of the Earth including the crust and upper mantle
mass
The quantity of matter contained in an object
matter
Anything that takes up space and has mass - everything around us
meteorologist
A person who studies the atmosphere and especially the weather
meteorological
To do with the atmosphere, especially weather
methane
A greenhouse gas CH4 produced from the breakdown of once living things
microorganism
an organism too small to see with the naked eye
molecule
A group of atoms bonded together
nitrous oxide
Sometimes called laughing gas, a greenhouse gas produced by bacteria and by people through agriculture
ocean acidification
The lowering of the pH of the oceans due to their absorbtion of carbon dioxide
ocean current
Large flows of water in the oceans
organism
A living thing
ozone
A gas made up of three oxygen atoms which is naturally present in the upper atmosphere, it helps protect Earth from harmful UV radiation
particles
A very small amount of something, or the smallest possible part of something
pH
A measure of how acidic (or alkaline) a substance is
photosynthesis
The process that plants carry out to harness the sun's energy and carbon dioxide to make sugars for food
pressure
The force of something upon a surface eg air pressure is the force or weight of air above a particular point on the Earth's surface
pressure ridge
A fold or buckle in ice, often where ice collides with land
radiation
Energy that comes from a source and travels through some material or space. Light, heat and sound are forms of radiation
salinity
The amount of salt in sea water
sea ice
Sea ice is formed on the ocean surface when the water temperature falls to –2 degrees Celsius. It floats because it is less dense than sea water
solar activity
activity on the sun's surface such as flares and sunspots
sunspots
darker, cooler areas on the sun's surface
weather
Day to day changes in the atmosphere
