| A | B |
|---|
| carbon cycle | Pathway that follows carbon through Photosynthesis, Glucose, then Respiration, which returns CO2 to the atmosphere |
| nitrogen cycle | N2 --> Ammonia --> Nitrate --> Amino Acids --> Ammonia |
| ammonification | the conversion of organic nitrogen to ammonium (NH4+) by the action of decomposers (bacteria). |
| transpiration | The process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as from leaves but also from stems and flowers. |
| nitrogen fixation | the chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds, esp. by certain microorganisms as part of the nitrogen cycle. |
| watershed | The land area that drains into a specific stream |
| groundwater | The supply of fresh water under Earth's surface. Groundwater is stored in underground caverns and porous layers of underground rock called aquifers. |
| thermosphere | the region of the atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the height at which the atmosphere ceases to have the properties of a continuous medium. The thermosphere is characterized throughout by an increase in temperature with height. |
| troposphere | the lowest region of the atmosphere, extending from the earth's surface to a height of about 3.7–6.2 miles (6–10 km), which is the lower boundary of the stratosphere. |
| stratosphere | the layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth's surface (the lower boundary of the mesosphere). |
| exosphere | the region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude. |
| mesosphere | the region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude. |
| El Nino | large climate disturbances which are rooted in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and occur every 3 to 7 years. They have a strong impact on the continents around the tropical Pacific, and some climatic influence on half of the planet. |
| weather | The state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.: |
| climate | the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years. |
