Glossary extracted starting with manual seeds, with BOW for the domain env and language EN

cerebrovascular disease	Range of disorders in which an area of the brain is temporarily or permanently affected by a loss of blood supply involving one or more blood vessels.
wavelength	the distance, measured in the direction of propagation of a wave, between two successive points in the wave that are characterized by the same phase of oscillation.
roche moutonee	n
dirt	Dirt is another name for soil
stream bed	Bottom of the stream channel.
continental divide	The elevated area that occurs on a continent that divides continental scale drainage basins.
acid	pH below 7 on scale of 0 to 14; normal product of decomposition characterized by hydrogen ions.
eustele	When a plant's vascular tissue develops in discrete bundles, it is said to have a eustele
quarter measure	a 0.25 litre glass measure
chronic exposure	Multiple exposures occurring over an extended period of time or over a significant fraction of an animal's or human's lifetime (usually seven years to a lifetime)
void	the pore space or other openings in rock
tropical rainforest	Forested biome found near the equator and dominated by evergreen vegetation.
host	Organism that develops disease from a pathogen or is being feed on by a parasite.
scute	Large dermal keratinous plates (i.e
laurentia	n
polar jet stream	Relatively fast uniform winds concentrated within the upper atmosphere in a narrow band
volcanic arc	n
radiation	Energy that passes from a warm object to a cooler one, like energy from the Sun to the Earth - sunlight.
evaporite	Type of sedimentary rock that is formed from the concentration of dissolved salts through evaporation.
bipedal	adj
magma	Molten rock originating from the Earth's interior.
proboscis	The proboscis is a a tube-like, flexible "tongue" that butterflies and moths use to sip their liquid food (usually flower nectar or the liquid from rotting fruits)
ecosystem	A community of living organisms and its physical environment; for example, coral reefs or kelp forests.
minimum ignition energy	The minimum ignition energy is the minimum energy required to ignite a flammable gas/air mixture
antagonistic muscles	A pair of muscles that work to produce opposite effects&emdash;one contracts as the other relaxes: for example, the bicep and tricep muscles on opposite sides of your upper arm.
accrete	v
turbidity	The decreased clarity in a body of water due to the suspension of silt or sedimentary material.
upper air westerlies	Consistent winds that exist in the upper troposphere that flow east to west from about 20° of latitude to the poles.
fault	n
groundwater	subsurface water that accumulates and returns to the surface in wells springs and watercourses.
industrialized countries	nations whose economies are based on industrial production and the conversion of raw materials into products and services, mainly with the use of machinery and artificial energy (fossil fuels and nuclear fission); generally located in the northern and western hemispheres (e.g., U.S., Japan, the countries of Europe).
sediment	matter that settles and accumulates on the bottom of a body of water or waterway.
geomorphic threshold	The amount of slow accumulated change a landform can take before it suddenly moves into an accelerated rate of change that takes it to a new system state.
coefficient of determination	Statistic that measures the proportion of the variation in the dependent variable that is associated with the statistical regression of an independent variable
baseflow	Stream or river flows consisting entirely of groundwater contributions.
respiration	Oxidation of carbon chains in the body of living organisms to extract energy for metabolic processes.
origin	The arbitrary starting point on a graph or grid coordinate system
outwash	Glaciofluvial sediments deposited by meltwater streams at the edge of a glacier.
fiord	A steep-sided, drowned coastal valley carved by glacial action
telson	The last segment of the abdomen in many arthropods
site specification	A reference list relating to a landfill site, prepared during the project planning stage, containing information on site details, method of working, equipment required, types of MSW and other relevant items.
ultramafic	Rock that is rich in magnesium and iron content.
mid-latitude cyclone	Cyclonic storm that forms primarily in the middle latitudes
slurry	a watery mixture of insoluble matter resulting from some pollution control techniques.
taku	Name for a katabatic type of cold wind that occurs in Alaska.
geostationary orbit	Satellite that has an orbit that keeps it over the same point on the Earth at all times
decubitus	də-KYOOB-ə-təs/ n
sister group	The two clades resulting from the splitting of a single lineage.
pesticide	insecticide
placenta	n
insolation	The amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth by latitude and by season
old growth forest	Climax forests dominated by late successional species of trees that are hundreds to thousands of years old
hydrologic	the cyclic phenomena of waters of the earth - precipitation, runoff, storage and evaporation
tornado watch	A forecast issued to the public that a tornado may occur in a specified region.
molecule	Minute particle that consists of connected atoms of one or many elements.
two-tailed statistical test	Is an inferential statistical test where the values for which one can reject the null hypothesis are located either side of the center of the probability distribution.
dendrobatidae	den-droh-BAT-ə-die, -dee/ n
phylogenetics	Field of biology that deals with the relationships between organisms
dynamic equilibrium	A dynamic equilibrium occurs when a system displays unrepeated average states through time.
light	A humanly visible form of electromagnetic radiation
skimming	using a machine to remove oil or scum from the surface of the water.
biodiversity	the variety of life at all levels, genetic, species and community Biotic: living, usually used in reference to things in an environment, such as plants and animals Blue crab: a crab common in coastal saltwater habitats, characterized by a brown shell and large blue claws
aerobic treatment	process by which microbes decompose complex organic compounds in the presence of oxygen and use the liberated energy for reproduction and growth
ground water	Water that occurs below the surface of the Earth, where it occupies spaces in soil or layers of rock
ice	a solid form of water.
meridional	Movement of wind or ocean waters in a direction that is roughly perpendicular to the lines of latitude.
direct solar radiation	Solar radiation received by the Earth's atmosphere or surface which has not been modified by atmospheric scattering.
legume	Angiosperm plant species that is a member of the Fabaceae (Pea or Bean) family
dendrology	den-DRAWL-ə-jee/ n
climax community	the final type of biotic community that forms in the natural development, or succession, of an area.
newton	A unit of force that creates an acceleration on a mass of 1 kilogram equal to 1 meter per second with no friction and under the conditions of a vacuum.
total solar irradiance	The amount of solar radiation received outside the Earth's atmosphere on a surface normal to the incident radiation, and at the Earth's mean distance from the Sun.
tropopause	The tropopause is a relatively thin atmospheric transition layer found between the troposphere and the stratosphere
firn limit	The lower boundary of the zone of accumulation on a glacier where snow accumulates on an annual basis
hearings	testimony (sworn statements like those given in court) given before a Congressional committee.
trade-off	Unescapable compromise between one trait and another
cladogenesis	The development of a new clade; the splitting of a single lineage into two distinct lineages; speciation.
cloudburst	a torrential downpour of rain, which by it spottiness and relatively high intensity suggests the bursting and discharge of water from a cloud all at once.
fuel switching	In general, this is substituting fuel A for fuel B
solar energy	Energy from the sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy such as heat or electricity.
hydrothermal vent	n
ammonite	n
succulent vegetation	Group of plants that have the ability to survive in deserts and other dry climates by having no leaves
photosynthesis	the process by which certain organisms make sugar from carbon dioxide by using the suns energy.
subsolar point	The location on the Earth where the Sun is directly overhead
peak annual flow	The largest discharge produced by a stream during a one year period.
longitude	Longitude is a west-east measurement of position on the Earth
alleles	Alternate forms of a
estuary	a bay or inlet, often at the mouth of a river, in which large quantities of freshwater and seawater mix together
pupa	In metamorphozing insects, a stage between the larva and adult during which the organism undergoes major developmental changes.
mutualism	Interspecific interaction where both species experience and increase in their fitness after interacting with the other species
gene	a heritable factor that controls a specific characteristic
pannotia	n
stamen	Part of a flower, the tip of which produces pollen and is called the anther
glaciofluvial	Geomorphic feature whose origin is related to the processes associated with glacial meltwater.
sand dune	A hill or ridge of aeolian sand deposits with a minimum height of less than one meter and a maximum height of about 50 meters
calcareous	adj
divergent evolution	Creation of two or more unique species from one ancestral species through the differential evolution of isolated populations.
young-of-the-year	All of the fish of a species younger than one year of age
oxbow lake	Is portion of abandoned stream channel filled with stagnant water and cut off from the rest of the stream
windward	Upwind side or side directly influenced to the direction that the wind blows from
denticles	DENT-ə-kəls/ n
mucus	Sticky secretion used variously for locomotion, lubication, or protection from foreign particles.
microphyll	A kind of leaf, specifically one which has a single, unbranched vein in it
steering committee	High-level committee to oversee in this case MSWM strategic planning process
nonrenewable resource	A resource that is in limited supply and can't be replenished by natural processes, at least not for thousands of years or more
discopodous	də-SKAWP-pə-dəs, dis-/ adj
industrial sector	Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes are a system of numerical codes that categorize industrial facilities by the type of activity in which they are engaged
high pressure	An area of atmospheric pressure within the Earth's atmosphere that is above average
geodesy	The science that measures the surface features of the Earth.
dikaryotic	Having two different and distinct nuclei per cell; found in the fungi
specific energy use	The energy used in the production of a unit material, product or service.
orthographic projection	Map projection that presents the Earth's surface in two-dimensions as if it were being observed from a great distance in space
lag time	the time from the center of a unit storm to the peak discharge or center of volume of the corresponding unit hydrograph.
segmentation	In many animals, the body is divided into repeated subunits called segments, such as those in centipedes, insects, and annelids
histamine	belongs to the biogenic amines
transpiration	Transpiration is the process of water loss from plants through stomata
voluntary action	Informal programs, self-commitments and declarations, where the parties (individual companies or groups of companies) entering into the action set their own targets and often do their own monitoring and reporting.
precautionary principle	A standard for human/environment interaction that emphasizes prudent action due to limited knowledge of the environment.
coral reef	Ridge of limestone found generally below the ocean surface
wet deposition	The transport of gases and minute liquid and solid particles from the atmosphere to the ground surface with the aid of precipitation or fog
rip current	A strong relatively narrow current of water that flows seaward against breaking waves.
gelisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
soil profile	Vertical arrangement of layers or horizons in a soil.
food chain	A series of living organisms connected by one eating another
negative feedback	A process that results in a reduction in the response of a system to an external influence
amoeboid	Having no definite shape to the cell, able to change shape.
surge	A large, destructive ocean wave caused by very low atmospheric pressure and strong winds
peridotite	Coarse grained ultramafic igneous rock composed mainly of olivine and pyroxene
dermad	DERM-ad/ adv
desiccation	deh-sick-KAY-shən/ n
organism abundance and condition	that portion of an Index of Biotic Integrity that is a metric measuring species abundance and condition, including proportion of individuals as hybrids and proportion of individuals with disease, tumors, physical damage, or physical anomalies.
operations and maintenance	An overarching term for activities related to the performance of routine, preventive, predictive, scheduled, and unscheduled actions aimed at preventing transportation system failure or decline
apomixis	Form of asexual reproduction
tidal current	Regional scale ocean current that is created the tidal rise and fall of the ocean surface.
ice lense	Horizontal accumulation of permanently frozen ground ice.
watershed	a region or area over which water flows into a particular lake, reservoir, stream, or river.
biodegradable	capable of being broken down by the action of living things (microorganisms); capable of being readily decomposed by microbial action
continental drift	Theory that suggests that the Earth's crust is composed of several continental plates that have the ability to move
permian period	The Permian period (named after the Perm Province in northeast Russia where rocks from this period were first described) is known as "The Age of Amphibians" (280 to 245 million years ago), this is when Pangaea formed and Earth's atmosphere was oxygenated to modern levels
caldera	A large circular depression in a volcano.
atomic weight	The sum of the weights of an atom's protons and
vector	An animal that transmits bacterial, viral, fungal or other disease.
reid vapor pressure	A measure which indicates how volatile a fuel is (how easily it evaporates).
osculum	The main opening through which filtered water is discharged
capacity building	Improving and building the technical and managerial skills and resources within an organisation.
phenotype	The physical appearance of an individual that is the result of that individual's genotype and the interaction of the genotype with the environment during development
species composition	that portion of an Index of Biotic Integrity that is a metric measuring the number and identity of species.
dysneuria	dis-NUHR-ee-yə/ n
fossil	Any evidence of past life, including remains, traces, imprints as well as life history artifacts
tides	Periodic movement of water resulting from gravitational attraction between the earth, sun, and moon.
northing	Second measurement of a grid reference used to specific the location of a point on a rectangular coordinate system
organism	any form of animal or plant life.
solar energy	See insolation.
water surface elevation	the elevation of a water surface above or below an established reference level, such as sea level.
omnivore	Literally, an organism that will eat anything
nymph	Insect larva: the larva of some insects that resembles the adult and develops into the adult insect directly, without passing through the intermediate pupa stage.
dactyloid	DAKT-əl-oid/ adj
dehydrogenase	də-high-DRAW-jən-aze, dee-/ n
mantle	Layer of the Earth's interior composed of mostly solid rock that extends from the base of crust to a depth of about 2,900 kilometers.
evapotranspiration	Combined loss of water to the atmosphere via the processes of evaporation and transpiration.
drill core	n
starch	a complex polymer of glucose, used by plants and green algae to store surplus sugar for later use.
fac fibro	An Australian term which is shortened form of Fibrous Asbestos Cement
continental shelf	Shallow submerged margin of the continents that lies between the edge of the shoreline and the continental slope
basal sliding	The sliding of a glacier over the surface it rests on
paleoherb	Any member of a group of basal flowering herbs which may be the closest relatives of the monocots
genes	The hereditary material coded in cells that determine how an organism will look and behave
lymphoma	a tumor marked by swelling in the lymph nodes.
leukemia	Any of several cancers of blood-forming organs (usually bone marrow cells) which cause the uncontrolled production of abnormal white blood cells (leukocytes).
ventilation	The exchange of ocean properties with the atmospheric-surface-layer such that property concentrations are brought closer to equilibrium values with the atmosphere.
rain gauge	Instrument that measures the rain that falls at a location over a period of time.
matric force	Force that holds soil water from 0.0002 to 0.06 millimeters from the surface of soil particles
congestion management program	A state-mandated program (California Government Code Section 65089a) that requires each county to prepare a plan to relieve congestion and reduce air pollution.
carnivore	Carnivores are animals that eat meat
particulate matter	A collective name for fine solid or liquid particles added to the atmosphere by processes at the earth's surface
diatoms	Microscopic algae with plate like structures composed of silica
carapace	A bony or chitenous case or shell covering the back or part of the back of an animal, such as a crab.
dropsy	DRAWP-see/ n
public workshop	A workshop held by a public agency for the purpose of informing the public and obtaining its input on the development of a regulatory action or control measure by that agency.
impervious	the quality or state of being impermeable; resisting penetration by water or plant roots
stratosphere	The highly stratified region of the atmosphere above the troposphere extending from about 10 kilometers (~ 6 miles), ranging from 9 kilometers (~5.6 miles) at high latitudes to 16 kilometers (~10 miles) in the tropics on average, to about 50 kilometers (~31 miles) altitude.
energy efficiency	Ratio of useful energy output of a system, conversion process or activity, to its energy input.
oxides of nitrogen	hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide
force of acceleration	Force resulting in the speed of a moving body to increase.
carbon	The chlorine and bromine containing halocarbons are also involved in the depletion of the ozone layer.
graphic scale	Way of expressing the scale of a map with a graphic.
overfishing	The OVEREXPLOITATION of a fishery by harvesting more fish than the fishery can yield on a sustainable basis.
amphipods	Small, shrimplike crustaceans.
metabolism	Describes all of the enzymatic reactions performed by the cells of an organism.
watershed	Catchment area of a drainage basin.
least-cost planning	a process for satisfying consumers' demands for energy services at the lowest societal cost.
multicellular	Any organism which is composed of many cells is termed multicellular.
polar high	Surface area of atmospheric high pressure located at about 90° North and South latitude
tepal	When the sepals and petals of a flower are indistinguishable, they are referred to as tepals
dose effect	A change in response to exposure to some agent attributable to a change in that agent’s concentration
guyot	form of trellising system
fermentation	• (n.) The process of undergoing an effervescent change, as by the action of yeast; in a wider sense (Physiol
dorsal	DORE-səl/ adj
richness	Number of parasite species per host individual or the mean number of parasite species within members of the host population.
anadromous	Fish that spend most of their life in salt water but migrate into freshwater tributaries to spawn (i.e
bolson	Is a closed desert basin with no drainage outlet, surrounded by mountains.
double membrane	In mitochondria and plastids, there is a two-layered membrane which surrounds the organelle
percolating waters	waters passing through the ground beneath the Earth's surface without a definite channel.
stratopause	The stratopause is a relatively thin atmospheric transition layer found between the stratosphere and the mesosphere
desertification	Transformation of other kinds of ecosystems (eg, grassland) to desert
half-life	Time required for one half of the nuclei in a radioisotope to emit its radiation
static water level	elevation or level of the water table in a well when the pump is not operating; the level or elevation to which water would rise in a tube connected to an artesian aquifer or basin in a conduit under pressure.
correlation coefficient	Statistic that measures the degree of linear association between two variables
regional groups	The five regional groups meet privately to discuss issues and nominate bureau members and other officials
circulatory	The organs and tissues involved in circulating blood and lymph through the body.
radiant energy	Energy in the form of electromagnetic waves and photons
dehydrate	də-HIGH-drate, dee-/ v
fermentation	[biochemistry] Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound
river	a natural stream of water of considerable volume.
fermentation	The process of growing a selected organism, usually a bacterium, mould or yeast, on substrate so as to bring about a desired change or to generate products of the cells' metabolism (e.g
interpolation	A mathematical method of constructing new data points from a discrete set of known data points
crust	n
ammonia	A pungent colorless gaseous compound of nitrogen and hydrogen that is very soluble in water and can easily be condensed into a liquid by cold and pressure
lung function	The main function of the lungs is the process of gas exchange called respiration (or breathing)
coastal zone	Relatively nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the edge of the continental shelf.
terrace	An elevated surface above the existing level of a floodplain or shore that is created by stream or ocean wave erosion.
germination	The process by which a seedling emerges and develops from a seed, or by which a sporeling emerges and develops from a spore.
storm surge	Relatively rapid rise in the height of the ocean along a coastline
green revolution	Increase in agricultural production through the introduction of high-yield crop varieties and application of modern agricultural techniques.
biostratigraphy	n
residual sugar	refers to the natural sugars that have not been converted into alcohol
pygidium	In trilobites, the posterior division of the body, formed by fusion of the telson with one or more posterior pleurae.
meteorological conditions	Atmospheric conditions such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and atmospheric stability (mixing of the air).
gastroliths	n
bearing	A system that measures in reference to the cardinal points of a compass in 90 degree quadrants.
windpower	power or energy derived from the wind (via windmills, sails, etc.).
recruitment	The residue of those larvae that have: (1) dispersed; (2) settled at the adult site; (3) made some final movements toward the adult habitat; (4) metamorphosed successfully, and (5) survived to be detected by the observer.
cladocera	Order of the Entomostraca
over-consumption	The use of resources at a rate that exceeds the ability of natural processes to replace them
cloud condensation nuclei	Cloud condensation nuclei or CCNs (also known as cloud seeds) are small particles (typically 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet) about which cloud droplets coalesce
island arc	A line of volcanic islands found of the ocean that have been created by the convergence of two tectonic plates and the subsequent subduction of one of the plates beneath the other
systematics	The area of biology that deals with the diversity of living organisms, their relationships to each other through evolution, and their classification
columella	A small column of tissue which runs up through the center of a spore capsule
cement grout	a mixture of water and cement in the ratio of not more than 5-6 gallons of water to a 94 pound sack of portland cement which is fluid enough to be pumped through a small diameter pipe.
atmosphere	A mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases that surrounds the Earth
criteria	Descriptive factors taken into account by US EPA in setting water quality standards for various pollutants for the protection of aquatic life and human health
ice wedge	Wedge-shaped, ice body composed of vertically oriented ground ice that extends into the top of a permafrost layer
declination	Location (latitude) on the Earth where the Sun on a particular day is directly overhead (90° from horizon) at solar noon
locus	the particular position on homologous chromosomes of a gene.
quality assurance project plan	a document describing in comprehensive detail the necessary quality assurance, quality control, and other technical activities that must be implemented to ensure that the results of the work performed will satisfy the stated performance criteria.
sand wedge	A form of ice wedge that contains accumulations of wind blown sand in long vertical layers
taphonomy	n
dormancy	DORE-mən-see/ n
thermal low	Area of low pressure in the atmosphere caused by the area having cooler temperatures relative to the air around it.
saxitoxin	neurotoxin found in a variety of dinoflagellates
remote sensing	The gathering of information from an object or surface without direct contact.
evapotranspiration	The process by which water re-enters the atmosphere through evaporation from the ground and transpiration by plants.
coelom	Fluid-filled cavity within the body of an animal; usually refers to a cavity lined with specialized tissue peritoneum in which the gut is suspended
sea breeze	Local thermal circulation pattern found at the interface between land and water
index contour	Contour line that is accentuated in thickness and is often labeled with the appropriate measure of elevation
informal sector	The part of an economy that is characterised by private, usually small-scale, labour-intensive, largely unregulated, and unregistered manufacturing or provision of services
recurrence interval	average amount of time between events of a given magnitude
data	A collection of facts, numbers, or other pieces of information
intrusion	n
ecology	The study of the relationships of living things.
ice fog	A fog that is composed of small suspended ice crystals
global warming	increase in the average temperature of the earth's surface.
chemical weathering	Breakdown of rock and minerals into small sized particles through chemical decomposition.
sediment rating curve	Numerical expression or graphical curve that describes the quantitative relationship between stream discharge and the sediment transported by a particular stream.
scenario	A plausible and often simplified description of how the future may develop, based on a coherent and internally consistent set of assumptions about driving forces and key relationships
chitin	n
pediment	A gradually sloping bedrock surface located at the base of fluvial-eroded mountain range
infrared radiation	Form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.7 and 100 micrometers (µm)
drainage well	a well drilled to carry excess water off agricultural fields
seepage lake	A lake that gets its water primarily from the seepage of groundwater.
climograph	Two dimensional graph that plots a location's air temperature and precipitation on times scales that range from a 24 hour period to a year.
convergent lifting	The vertical lifting of parcels of air through the convergence of opposing air masses in the atmosphere
connective tissue	One of the four basic types of tissue in the body; a material consisting of fibers (e.g., tendons or ligaments) that form a framework to support other body tissues (e.g., muscles).
parasite	Consumer organism that feeds on a host for an extended period of time
glycoprotein	a membrane-bound protein which has attached branching carbohydrates
spatial tradition	Academic tradition in modern Geography that investigates geographic phenomena from a strictly spatial perspective.
mammal	Group of warm blooded vertebrate animals
hot spot	A volcanic area on the surface of the Earth created by a rising plume of magma.
gradient wind	Horizontal wind in the upper atmosphere that moves parallel to curved isobars
spore	In a parasitological context, transmission stage.
fermentation	Chemical reaction induced by a living agent yeast, bacterium or mold that splits complex organic compounds to simple ones
cold vapor	method to test water for the presence of mercury.
groundwater	Water in a zone of saturation below the ground surface.
oceanic trench	Deep steep-sided depression in the ocean floor caused by the subduction of oceanic crust beneath either other oceanic crust or continental crust.
terminal velocity	Maximum speed that can be achieve by a body falling through a fluid like water or air.
evaporation pan	Meteorological instrument that is used to measure evaporation rates.
acronyms	The ARB uses many acronyms and we hope this list of acronyms lists will be of assistance to users of this website.
methyl orange alkalinity	A measure of the total alkalinity in a water sample in which the color of methyl orange reflects the change in level.
kingdom	Top most level of the common system used to classify life
water table	Top surface of groundwater.
adaptation	Taking actions to avoid, benefit from, or deal with current and future climate change
cap	An enforceable limit on total emissions for the facilities covered under the cap-and-trade program
incentive-based regulation	A regulation that uses the economic behavior of firms and households to attain desired environmental goals
water vapor	Water substance in vapor (gaseous) form; one of the most important of all constituents of the atmosphere.
ossification	n
frost	Deposition of ice at the Earth's surface because of atmospheric cooling.
transportation control measure	Any control measure to reduce vehicle trips, vehicle use, vehicle miles traveled, vehicle idling, or traffic congestion for the purpose of reducing motor vehicle emissions
scavenger	A carnivore that feeds on the remains of animals which it did not kill.
ethnicity	A term that represents a group based on their cultural and social affiliation, common history and origin, and sense of identification with the group [compare with race].
bay	A body of sheltered water found in a crescent shaped coastal configuration of land.
virulence	Morbidity and mortality of a host that is caused by parasites and pathogens
plasmodesmata	Cytoplasmic connections between neighboring cells in plant tissues.
resource	Anything obtained from the environment to meet the needs of a species.
generalist	A species that can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.
grassed waterway	natural or constructed watercourse or outlet that is shaped or graded and planted in suitable vegetation for the disposal of runoff water without erosion.
vested water right	the right granted by a state water agency to use either surface or ground water.
phyllopoda	Order of Entomostraca including a large number of species, most of which live in fresh water
cathaysian terranes	n
felsic	Term used to describe the amount of light-colored feldspar and silica minerals in an igneous rock
beta particle	Electron emitted from the nucleus of a radioactive isotope
short wave	A small wave in the polar jet stream and the westerlies that extends from the middle to the upper troposphere
polar axis	Is a line drawn through the Earth around the planet rotates
extrusive	Igneous
sensitivity analysis	Analysis of how errors in one or more estimates would affect the conclusion drawn from the estimates.
technology-based treatment requirements	NPDES permit requirements based on the application of pollution treatment or control technologies including BTP (best practicable technology), BCT (best conventional technology), BAT (best available technology economically achievable), and NSPS (new source performance standards).
larva	Among invertebrates, an immature stage in the life cycle which usually is much smaller than, and morphologically different from, the adult
homologous anatomical structures	structures which are similar in form and function but which are found in seemingly dissimilar species
pothole	A small pond.
cliff	A tall steep rock face.
dune field	An extensive region covered by numerous sand dunes.
levee	Ridge of coarse deposits found alongside the stream channels and elevated above the floodplain
fitness	Extent to which an individual contributes its genes to future generations in relation to the contribution of other genotypes in the same population at the same time.
deposition nuclei	Six-sided microscopic particle that allows for deposition of water as ice crystals in the atmosphere
oceanic crust	n
optimum	The level of an abiotic factor or condition in the environment within the tolerance range at which a species or population can function most efficiently or with the greatest positive effect to its physiological or reproductive fitness.
polyphyletic	A polyphyletic group consists of organisms but not their common ancestors
duodenum	doo-AWD-ə-nəm/ n
indicator species	Species that can be used as a early indicator of environmental degradation to a community or an ecosystem
metabolism	n
needle	A long slender leaf, such as those seen on the Douglas fir.
fluid drag	Reduction in the flow velocity of a fluid by the frictional effects of a surface.
biotic potential	Maximum rate that a population of a given species can increase in size (number of individuals) when there are no limits on growth rate.
casts	Fossils formed when water containing minerals leaks into a mold
global warming	Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.
siberian high	High pressure system that develops in winter over northern central Asia.
distance ratio	Method for measuring the gradient of a slope
population	all of the members of a species that live together in a particular geographical area.
isostacy	The buoyant condition of the Earth's crust floating in the asthenosphere
dormancy	A period of suspended growth and metabolic activity
ozone hole	Thin place in the ozone layer located in the stratosphere high above the Earth
aquiclude	a formation which, although porous and capable of absorbing water slowly, will not transmit water fast enough to furnish an appreciable supply for a well or a spring.
photic zone	Region of the ocean through which light penetrates; and the place where photosynthetic marine organisms live.
spongocoel	Central body cavity of sponges
best management practices	A practice or combination of practices that provide the most effective and practicable means of controlling point and nonpoint pollutants at levels compatible with environmental quality goals.
fiber	Elongated and thickened cell found in xylem tissue
supercooled water	Cooling of water below 0° Celsius without freezing
anaerobic	Pertaining to the absence of free oxygen
attrition fire	A fire whose fuel is comprised of dead or prunned tree or bush branches, limbs and cuttings.
speciation	The process by which new species originate through mutations, natural selection, and evolution.
carbon dioxide	A naturally occurring gas made of carbon and oxygen
ozone layer	A layer of ozone 12 to 15 miles above the earth's surface which helps to filter out harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun
systematics	Field of biology that deals with the diversity of life
tundra	High latitude biome dominated by a few species of dwarf shrubs, a few grasses, sedges, lichens, and mosses
atmosphere	The air or gases that surround a planetary body such as the Earth.
soil moisture	the water contained in the pore space of the unsaturated zone.
gypsum	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of calcium, sulfur, and oxygen.
turbulent flow	Movement of water within a stream that occurs as discrete eddies and vortices
cnidaria	includes sea jellies and coral polyps
greenhouse gases	Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range
ephippium	1
laurasia	Northern section of Pangaea.
cladogram	A diagram, resulting from a cladistic analysis, which depicts a hypothetical branching sequence of lineages leading to the taxa under consideration
action plan	The action plan sets out a detailed programme of implementation steps over a 5 year time frame, within the framework of the overall strategy for the long term
dorsum	DORE-səm/ adj
mid-oceanic ridges	Elongated rises on the ocean floor where basalt periodically erupts, forming new oceanic crust; similar to continental rift zones.
microtubules	Type of filament in eukaryotic cells composed of units of the protein tubulin
lichen	Organism that consists of a symbiotic joining of a species of fungi and a species of algae.
zone of saturation	the space below the water table in which all the interstices (pore spaces) are filled with water
epidemiology	Study of infectious diseases and disease-causing agents on the population level in a parasitological context
angler	Someone who goes fishing: somebody who fishes with a hook, line, and rod
beach drift	The lateral movement of sediments on a beach when the angles of swash and backwash differ.
bed load	Portion of the stream load that is carried along the stream bed without being permanently suspend in the flowing water.
carnivore	an animal that eats meat
lipolysis	the decomposition of fats, which is sometimes referred to as the destructive hydrolysis of fats ro lipids
trace fossil	Evidence left by organisms, such as burrows, imprints, coprolites, or footprints
biosphere	The part of the Earth system comprising all ecosystems and living organisms, in the atmosphere, on land (terrestrial biosphere) or in the oceans (marine biosphere), including derived dead organic matter, such as litter, soil organic matter and oceanic detritus.
wine press	Ein Gerät zum Ausquetschen oder Auspressen von Weintrauben oder Maische.
bird	Group of warm blooded vertebrate animals whose body is covered with feathers.
jet stream	a long narrow meandering current of high-speed winds near the tropopause blowing from a generally westerly direction and often exceeding a speed of 250 miles per hour.
decomposition	The breakdown of dead organic material by detrivores or saprophytes.
digitigrade	Some animals walk on their toes; the scientific term for this is digitigrade
threatened species	Species that is still plentiful in its natural range but is likely to become endangered because of declining population numbers.
parsimony	Parsimony is the scientific idea that the simplest explanation of a phenomenon is the best one.
root	Usually the below ground portion of a plant
virus	The smallest form of micro-organisms capable of causing disease.
ocean current	Large scale horizontal flow of ocean water that is persistent and driven by atmospheric circulation.
dna	"deoxyribonucleic acid"
insolation	Direct or diffused shortwave solar radiation that is received in the Earth's atmosphere or at its surface.
upland	n
lysimeter	Meteorological instrument used to measure potential and actual evapotranspiration.
diatomaceous	consisting of or abounding in diatoms, a class of unicellular or colonial algae having a silicified cell wall that persists as a skeleton after death.
cation	An ion carrying a positive atomic charge.
food chain /food web	All the interactions of predator and prey, included along with the exchange of nutrients into and out of the soil
tissue	A group of cells with a specific function in the body of an organism
ecosystem	An ecosystem is a system where populations of species group together into communities and interact with each other and the abiotic environment.
life-expectancy	The number of years that a person can expect to live on average, based on estimation of data on death rates of the population
chelicera	The first pair of appendages of a chelicerate arthropod
cretaceous	Geologic period that occurred roughly 65 to 144 million years ago
reflected infrared radiation	Form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.7 to 3.0 micrometers (µm).
carbohydrate	Any compound containing only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (such as sugars, starches, and cellulose).
merophytes	Group of cells which have all been produced from the same initial cell
hygroscopic nuclei	piece of dust or other particle around which water condenses in the atmophere
mesogloea	Jellylike material between the outer ectoderm and the inner endoderm of cnidarians
monotreme	n
lymphoma	Cancer that starts in a part of the immune system called the lymphatic system, which is made up of lymph or lymphatic tissue.
evolutionary tree	A diagram which depicts the hypothetical phylogeny of the taxa under consideration
dyke	Thin vertical veins of igneous rock that form when magma enters and cools in fractures found within the crust
pupa	The pupa is the stage in a butterfly's (or moth's) life when it is encased in a chrysalis and undergoing metamorphosis
recharge area	The area on the Earth's surface that receives water for storage into a particular aquifer.
sea level change	Sea level can change, both globally and locally, due to (i) changes in the shape of the ocean basins, (ii) changes in the total mass of water and (iii) changes in water density
abundance index	Information obtained from samples or observations and used as a measure of the weight or number of fish which make up a stock.
present value	The value now of a sum of money to be paid or received in the future.
inaccessible areas	Areas which are hard to get at such as wall cavities and the interiors of plant and equipment.
soil	The top layer of the earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter.
evaporation	Evaporation can be defined as the process by which liquid water is converted into a gaseous state
photosynthesis	Photosynthesis is the process in which plants convert sunlight into food energy (sugars and starches).
twilight zone	see Mesopelagic Zone
water cycle	natural pathway water follows as it changes between liquid, solid, and gaseous states; biogeochemical cycle that moves and recycles water in various forms through the ecosphere
land breeze	Local thermal circulation pattern found at the interface between land and water
carbohydrate	Is an organic compound composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms
specific heat	Is the heat capacity of a unit mass of a substance or heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram (g) of a substance 1 degree Celsius.
apnea	A disorder in which breathing stops for periods longer than 10 seconds during sleep; can be caused by failure of the automatic respiratory center to respond to elevated blood levels of carbon dioxide.
orogenesis	The process of mountain building through tectonic forces of compression and volcanism.
species diversity	the effective number of species represented in a data set
funnel cloud	A tornado which is beginning its descent from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud
chromosome	A linear sequence of genes wound up with proteins into a single unit that is found in the nucleus of cells
cretaceous western interior seaway	n
rhyolite	A fine grained extrusive igneous rock that is rich in quartz and potassium feldspar
clitellum	In annelids, a swelling of the body towards the head of the animal, where the gonads are located
radial	body parts in circular arrangement: used to describe the arrangement of the bodies of invertebrate marine animals such as the starfish and sea anemone that have parts spreading out from a single center.
diorite	A coarse grained igneous rock of intrusive origin that is darker and chemically more mafic than granite.
col	Saddle like depression found between two mountain peaks
pervious	porous, able to be penetrated by water.
point bar	Stream bar deposit that is normally located on the inside of a channel bend.
gleysol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
braided river	n
gyre	Basin-scale ocean horizontal circulation pattern with slow flow circulating around the ocean basin, closed by a strong and narrow (100-200 km wide) boundary current on the western side
hydrograph	a chart that measures the amount of water flowing past a point as a function of time.
sea stack	A steep pillar of rock located in the ocean a short distance from the coastline
hydrocarbon	Organic compound composed primarily of hydrogen and carbon atoms
ppb	Parts per billion; denotes 1 part per 1,000,000,000 parts.
pinaculum	Pinaculum (pl
radarsat	Satellite program established by the Canadian Space Agency for the purpose of remotely sensing the Earth's resources
plug flow	type of flow that occurs in tanks, basins, or reactors when a slug of water moves through without ever dispersing or mixing with the rest of the water flowing through.
mollusca	snails, clams and octopuses
marsupial	n
frugivore	Animal which primarily eats fruit
gastrodermis	In cnidarians, the endodermis which lines the gut cavity
tropical cyclone	Another name for hurricane.
minimisation	A comprehensive program to minimise or eliminate wastes, usually applied to wastes at their point of generation
photometry	instrumental methods, including analytical methods, employing measurement of light intensity
rain	water drops which fall to the earth from the air.
defloration	dehf-lə-RAY-shən/ n
specificity	Describes the observation that only a subset of hosts is susceptible to infection
richter scale	A logarithmic measurement scale of earthquake magnitude
percolation	Vertical movement or infiltration of water from the Earth's surface to its subsurface
public good	Refers to commodities or services whose benefits are not depleted by additional users and for which it is generally difficult, if not impossible, to exclude people from its benefits even if they are unwilling to pay for it
laterite	Hard subsurface deposit of oxides of aluminum and iron found in tropical soils where the water table fluctuates with seasonal changes in precipitation.
parasite	A plant or animal which lives on or in an organism of another species from which it derives its nutrition and/or protection; usually without benefit to the host and often with harmful effects.
morbidity	The occurrence of a disease or condition that alters health and quality of life; often measured as incidence or prevalence.
barometer	Instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.
managed growth	growth or expansion that is controlled so as not to be harmful.
nanometer	n
hydrologic unit	is a geographic area representing part or all of a surface drainage basin or distinct hydrologic feature.
monsoon	A monsoon is a tropical and subtropical seasonal reversal in both the surface winds and associated precipitation, caused by differential heating between a continental-scale land mass and the adjacent ocean
thalweg	The middle of the chief navigable channel of a waterway.
life-year	One year of a non-specified person's life
spongin	proteinacous compound of which the spicules in Demospongiae are composed.
precipitation	Rain, hail, mist, sleet, snow, or any other moisture that falls to the Earth.
desiccation	The process of drying out
endoderm	The innermost basic layer of tissue in those animals with true tissues
plicate	Folded like a paper fan, as in the leaves of palms, cyclanthoids, and some orchids.
ecological niche	Is all of the physical, chemical and biological conditions required by a species for survival, growth and reproduction
cultural diversity	the respect of difference cultures and interculturality
enzyme	proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions
plutonic	Applies to igneous rocks formed beneath the surface of the Earth; typically with large crystals due to the slowness of cooling
meltwater	Water produced from the melting of snow and/or glacial ice.
mafic	Term used to describe the amount of dark-colored iron and magnesium minerals in an igneous rock
siderite	Also called ironstone, that is a concretion of iron carbonate
water vapor	Water that is present in the atmosphere as a gas
zooplankton	Animal component of small aquatic organisms that mainly drift with water movements
floating plants	Water plants with floating leaves; may be free-floating, such as duckweed, or attached to the bottom by a root system as in the case with pond lilies.
biosphere	(1) the part of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life; (2) the living organisms and their environment composing the biosphere.
gill	In aquatic animals, highly vascularized tissues with large surface area; these are extended out of the body and into the surrounding water for gas exchange.
auricle	The chamber of the heart that receives blood from the body returned to the heart by the
remote sensor	Mechanical devices used to remotely sense an object or phenomenon.
national action plans	Plans submitted to the Conference of the Parties (COP) by all Parties outlining the steps that they have adopted to limit their anthropogenic GHG emissions
operator function	Refers to distinct roles inherent to MSWM services
exploitation	Form of competition where the indirect effects of the two or more species or individuals reduce the supply of the limiting resource or resources needed for survival.
alcohol	Term for ethanal
desmosome	DEZ-mə-soam/ n
supplier diversity	the use of diverse suppliers
index	the amount of formaldehyde gas measured in grams, dissolved in 100 ml of water
soil water	The water found occupying the pore spaces between soil particles.
reasonableness	Being in accordance with good judgment, sound sense fairness, duty, or prudence.
creek	a watercourse smaller than, and often tributary to, a river.
brackish	mixed fresh and salt water.
tectonic plate	An extensive layer of lithosphere that moves as a discrete unit on the surface of the Earth's asthenosphere.
esker	n
tubercle	Any small rounded protrusion
parrot	Parrots are an intelligent birds.
cooling tower	large tower used to transfer the heat in cooling water from a power or industrial plant to the atmosphere either by direct evaporation or by convection and conduction.
adaptation	Change in a organism resulting from natural selection; a structure which is the result of such selection.
hygrometer	An instrument for measuring atmospheric humidity.
ingestion	The intake of water or food particles by "swallowing" them, taking them into the body cavity or into a vacuole
hydroelectric dam	A power plant that uses the energy from moving water to produce electricity
pangaea	Hypothetical super continent that existed in the geological past
gulf stream	Warm ocean current that originates in and around the Caribbean and flows across the North Atlantic to northwest Europe.
esophagus	That portion of the gut which connects the pharynx to the stomach.
elastic limit	Maximum level of elastic deformation of a material without rupture.
nucleic acid	class of biochemical compounds which includes DNA and RNA
molt	To shed the exoskeleton (outer covering)or prior to new growth (i.e
vacuole	Membrane-bound fluid-filled space within a cell
palps	A sensory appendage found in many invertebrate species, that is located near the mouth, and used to assess or manipulate food before it is eaten.
reptile	Group of terrestrial vertebrate animals that includes turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and alligators.
eolian landform	Is a landform formed from the erosion or deposition of weathered surface materials by wind
diploid life cycle	Occurs when the only multicellular stage in an organism's life cycle is diploid.
throughflow	The roughly horizontal flow of water through soil or regolith.
thermonuclear	the application of high heat, obtained via a fission explosion, to bring about fusion of light nuclei.
florida bay	bay at southern tip of Florida which is bounded by the Florida Keys.
stratosphere	Atmospheric layer found at an average altitude of 11 to 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface
thematic mapper	Remote sensing device found on Landsat satellites that scans images in seven spectral bands from visible to thermal infrared.
watershed	a region bounded at the periphery by physical barriers that cause water to part and ultimately drain to a particular body of water.
enzymes	Any of numerous complex proteins that are produced by living cells to catalyze specific biochemical reactions.
thermal circulation	Atmospheric circulation caused by the heating and cooling of air.
wet deposition	delivery of air pollutants in the aqueous phase to surfaces (via rain, snow, clouds, or fog).
substrate	"Supporting surface" on which a sessile organism lives and grows
continental crust	The Earth's crust that includes both the continents and the continental shelves.
peafowl	Peafowl are magnificent birds from India.
nymph	In aquatic insects, the larval stage.
dry line	A boundary the separates dry and moist air in the warm sector of a mid-latitude cyclone wave
igneous rock	Any rock solidified from molten or partly molten material.
regional metamorphism	Large scale metamorphic modification of existing rock through the heat and pressure of plutons created at tectonic zones of subduction.
evaporation fog	A type of fog produced from the advection of cold air over warm water or warm or moist land
turbidity	a cloudy condition in water due to suspended silt or organic matter.
polymer	a large molecule constructed from many smaller identical units
diploid	A diploid cell has the same number of chromosomes that most other cells of that organism have (except the gametes, like the sperm and the egg, which are haploid).
weaned	When a baby or young animal is consuming food other than its mother's milk.
earthquake	Is a sudden motion or trembling in the Earth
symbiotic mutualism	Mutualistic interaction where the species interact physically and their relationship is biologically essential for survival.
annular space	the space between two concentric cylindrical objects, one of which surrounds the other, such as the space between the walls of a drilled hole and a casing.
radiation	Event of rapid cladogenesis, believed to occur under conditions where a new feature permits a lineage to move into a new niche or new habitat, and is then called an adaptive radiation.
canopy	the overhanging cover formed by branches and foliage.
processes	Work area dimensions, containment, wet methods, crew size, tools and application or removal methods.
designated use	An element of a water quality standard, expressed as a narrative statement, describing an appropriate intended human and/or aquatic life objective for a water body
permit	An authorisation, license, or equivalent control document issued by governmental body or an approved state agency to implement the requirements of an environmental regulation; eg a permit to operate a landfill site or to operate a facility that may generate harmful emissions.
sporangiophore	A stalk to which sporangia are attached.
wise use movement	a loosely-affiliated network of people and organizations throughout the U.S
ozone	a naturally occurring, highly reactive gas comprising triatomic oxygen formed by recombination of oxygen in the presence of ultraviolet radiation
zero-emission vehicles	bike lanes and trip reduction programs.
puddle	a small pool of water, usually a few inches in depth and from several inches to several feet in its greatest dimension.
nekton	Pelagic organisms that are free-swimming and so whose movements are independent of the tides, currents and waves
fission	Division of single-celled organisms, especially prokaryotes, in which mitosis does not occur
fucoxanthin	yellowish-brown pigment found in some members of the Chromista, including kelps and diatoms.
polar front	Weather front located typically in the mid-latitudes that separates arctic and polar air masses from tropical air masses
herb	A nonwoody angiosperm whose above ground vegetation dies off seasonally.
transpiration	The evaporation of water vapor from the surfaces of leaves through stomata.
soil taxonomy	The classification of a soil in a hierarchical system based on its various properties
abdominal processes	Processes on the abdomen of Daphnia that close the brood chamber.
discharger	any person who discharges waste that could affect the quality of state waters
continental glacier	Largest type of glacier with a surface coverage in the order of 5 million square kilometers.
temperate glacier	Glacier in which the ice found below 10 to 20 meters from its surface is at the pressure melting point
vertical well	The most common type of landfill gas collector
peptidoglycan	carbohydrate polymer cross-linked by proteins
id50	See Infective dose 50%.
apical meristem	Group of cells at the growing tip of a branch or root
exoskeleton	The hard outer covering which supports or protects the soft tissue of an organism such as the shells on turtles, snails and lobsters.
turgor pressure	Force exerted outward on a cell wall by the water contained in the cell
storm surge	The temporary increase, at a particular locality, in the height of the sea due to extreme meteorological conditions (low atmospheric pressure and/or strong winds)
crustacea	Aquatic arthropods characterized by the presence of biramous appendages and two sets of antennae
mouth	Front opening of the digestive tract, into which food is taken for digestion
nonlinearity	A process is called nonlinear when there is no simple proportional relation between cause and effect
dacite	Igneous volcanic rock, less mafic than andesite, typically fine-grained and light in color; rough volcanic equivalent of granodiorite.
boundary conditions	definition or statement of conditions or phenomena at the boundaries of a model; water levels, flows, and concentrations that are specified at the boundaries of the area being modeled.
solar radiation	Electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun
absorption	The process by which the products of
recovery rate	Percentage of useable recycled materials that have been removed from the total amount of municipal solid waste generated in a specific area or by a specific business.
reserves	amount of a particular resource in known locations that can be extracted at a profit with present technology and prices.
separate sewer	a sewer system that carries only sanitary sewage, not stormwater runoff
escarpment	the topographic expression of a fault.
histostructure	n
prokaryotic	Literally "before the nucleus", the term applies to all bacteria and archaea
potentiometric surface	the surface to which water in an aquifer can rise by hydrostatic pressure
basalt	A dark colored fine grained igneous rock formed from mafic magma.
barrier islands	Nearshore islands, most often occurring in a chain of long, thin islands that parallel the mainland coast and separate the mainland from the ocean
psychrometric table	Table of values that allows for the determination of relative humidity and dew point from dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures recorded on a psychrometer.
background extinction	Normal extinction of species that occurs as a result of changes in local environmental conditions
spring tide	Tide that occurs every 14 to 15 days and coincides with the new and full moon
polar vortex	High pressure system located in the upper atmosphere at the polar regions
pool	Scoured depression found on the bed of streams
ice age	Period of time when glaciers dominate the landscape of the Earth
distal	DIS-təl/ adj
barometer	An instrument that measures the air pressure of the atmosphere
gross national product	Gross National Product is the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a nation's economy, including income generated abroad by domestic residents, but without income generated by foreigners.
platyspermic	Having seeds which are flattened and disc-like
desert	A desert is a very dry area that receives less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rainfall each year
precocial	adj
fair test	A science inquiry where all variables are held constant; only one variable is manipulated all other variables are held constant.
fossil fuel	A type of fuel that forms deep within the Earth
tide	Cyclical rise and fall of the surface of the oceans
radioactivity	the spontaneous emission of matter or energy from the nucleus of an unstable atom (the emitted matter or energy is usually in the form of alpha or beta particles, gamma rays, or neutrons).
chinook wind	The name of a North American wind that occurs on the leeward side of mountains
in-situ vitrification	technology that treats contaminated soil in place at high temperatures, at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
continental shelf	n
inhibition model of succession	This model of succession suggests that the change in plant species dominance over time is caused by death and small scale disturbances and variations is plant species longevity and ability to disperse
hypoxic	A condition where only very low levels of oxygen are present.
dyspnea	disp-NEE-yə/ n
bergschrund	A deep crevasse commonly found at the head of an alpine glacier
continental margin	The area between a continent's shoreline and the beginning of the ocean floor
endangered	A species that is in immediate danger of becoming extinct and needs protection to survive.
mercator projection	Map projection system that presents true compass direction
pycnoxylic	Wood in which there is little or no parenchyma tissue among the xylem is called pycnoxylic
guard cells	Pair of cells which surround a stomate and regulate its size by altering their shape.
hydrophobic	"water fearing"
period	The period is the basic unit of geological time in which a single type of rock system is formed, lasting tens of millions of years.
allele	One of a series of possible alternative DNA sequences at a given locus.
urbanization	Expansion of cities into rural regions because of population growth
drip tip	The drip tip is the long, sharply-pointed tip on some rainforest plant leaves that allows water to flow quickly off the leaf surface
convectional precipitation	Is the formation of precipitation due to surface heating of the air at the ground surface
initial dilution	the process that results in the rapid and irreversible turbulent mixing of effluent and receiving water around the point of discharge.
venation	The arrangement and pattern of veins in a leaf.
palps	Palps are the mustache-like scaly mouthparts of adult butterflies that are on each side of the proboscis
unconformity	A break in the sequence of sedimentary strata
rhumb line	A line of constant compass direction or bearing which crosses the meridians at the same angle
sheeting	A form of physical weathering of rock where surface sheets of material fracture and exfoliate because of pressure release
leaf pile	A passive method of composting, where leaves are placed in large piles until a usable product is developed, a minimum of 2-3 years.
respiratory system	The system consisting of the airways (nose, mouth, throat, bronchi) the lungs and the respiratory muscles that pump the air into and out of the body
helical flow	Movement of water within a stream that occurs as spiral flows.
amniotic egg	n
adhesion	the molecular attraction asserted between the surfaces of bodies in contact
tree rings	Concentric rings of secondary wood evident in a cross-section of the stem of a woody plant
electrodialysis	a process which uses an electrical current and an arrangement of permeable membranes to separate soluble minerals from water
seismology	A branch of science focused on the study of earthquakes and seismic activity.
scree	An accumulation of weathered rock fragments at the base of a steep rock slope or cliff.
metropolitan statistical area	Metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are metropolitan areas (MAs) that are not closely associated with other MAs
welfare	An economic term used to describe the state of well-being of humans on an individual or collective basis
head	the pressure of a fluid owing to its elevation, usually expressed in feet of head or in pounds per square inch, since a measure of fluid pressure is the height of a fluid column above a given or known point.
transmit diversity	wireless communication using signals originating from two or more independent sources
nematocyst	stinging organ found in members of the anthozoan class of animals, which includes jellyfish, corals and anemones
perianth	The sepals and petals of a flower are together called the perianth; literally "around the anthers"
saprophyte	Organism which feeds on dead and decaying organisms, allowing the nutrients to be recycled into the ecosystem
subtropical high pressure zone	Surface zone of atmospheric high pressure located at about 30° North and South latitude
ecosphere	total of all the ecosystems on the planet, along with their interactions; the sphere of air, water, and land in which all life is found.
hotspot	n
duplex dna	DOOP-lex/ Two single polynucleotide DNA chains joined along their lengths to form a double helix.
prepupa	A prepupa is the last larval instar of an insect after it stops eating
cooperative diversity	a multiple antenna technique for improving or maximising total network channel capacities
mesoscale convective complex	A cluster of thunderstorms covering an area of 100,000 kilometers or more
enzyme	complex protein which helps to speed biochemical reactions
uranium	a heavy, radioactive metal (atomic number 92) used in the explosion of nuclear weapons (especially one isotope, U-235).
low-emission vehicles	vehicles which emit little air pollution compared to conventional internal combustion engines.
echinoderm	a marine invertebrate animal that has a radially symmetrical body, tube feet, and a system of calcareous plates under the skin
universe	All of the observable phenomena in the celestial cosmos.
stormwater discharge	precipitation that does not infiltrate into the ground or evaporate due to impervious land surfaces but instead flows onto adjacent land or water areas and is routed into drain/sewer systems.
gas	natural gas, used as fuel.
implementation	Implementation describes the actions taken to meet commitments under a treaty and encompasses legal and effective phases
hardwood	a tree that produces wood which is hard enough to be used as lumber.
cold desert	Desert found in the high latitudes and at high altitudes where precipitation is low
dura mater	D(Y)ER-ə MADE-er/ The tough, fibrous outer membranous sheath of the brain and spinal cord.
parthenogenesis	Development of an organism from an unfertilized egg
cover	the total area directly under a tree's crown
quality control	the overall system of technical activities that measures the attributes and performance of a process, item, or service against defined standards to verify that they meet the stated requirements established by the customer; operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality.
hydrologic model	a computer model of a watershed used to evaluate how precipitation contributes to flow in streams
backshore slope	Sloping bank landward of the shore
equator	Location on the Earth that has a latitude of 0°.
globalization	The growing integration and interdependence of countries worldwide through the increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows, and the more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology, information and culture.
desalination	the process of salt removal from sea or brackish water.
subpolar lows	Surface zone of atmospheric low pressure located at about 60° North and South latitude
vernal equinox	One of two days during the year when the declination of the Sun is at the equator
protista	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
banking	A provision in air district permit regulations that allows a facility to accumulate credits for reducing emissions beyond regulatory limits (emission reduction credits) and then use or sell those credits at a later date
icelandic low	Subpolar low pressure system found near Iceland
psychrometer	Instrument used to measure atmospheric humidity
canadian shield	Very old igneous and metamorphic shield rock that covers much of northern Canada
experimental epidemiology	Study of epidemiology in replicated experimental populations.
drought	Climatic condition where water loss due to evapotranspiration is greater than water inputs through precipitation.
gametophyte	The haploid stage in the life cycle of an organism undergoing alternations of generations
lanugo	a fine growth of downy hair which is sometimes found on the face of a baby
endosymbiosis	When one organism takes up permanent residence within another, such that the two become a single functional organism
bank-caving	Collapse of stream bank material into a stream channel.
appropriations act	Action of a legislative body that makes funds available for expenditure with specific limitations as to amount, purpose, and duration
induction	Inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances
taiga	The northernmost belt of boreal forest adjacent to the Arctic tundra.
hadley cell	Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation cell located at roughly 0 to 30° North and South of the equator
pathogen	Any organism capable of producing disease or infection
biosphere reserve	a part of an international network of preserved areas designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
snow pellets	A form of precipitation also known as graupel
slate	type of soil
kame	n
intrusive igneous rock	A mass of igneous rock that forms when magma from the mantle migrates upward and cools and crystallizes near, but not at, the Earth's surface
elater	A cell or part of a cell which assists in dispersing spores
radioactive	of or characterized by radioactivity.
gaging station	the site on a stream, lake or canal where hydrologic data is collected.
developmental effects	Physical or cognitive effects that develop in the fetus during pregnancy and may be due to exposure before conception (either parent) ,during fetal development or may be due to genetics.
diversity	Term used to describe numbers of taxa, or variation in morphology.
anthophyte	A flowering plant, or any of its closest relatives, such as the Bennettitales, Gnetales, or Pentoxylales.
anaerobic	Oxygen absent.
generalist	Organism which can survive under a wide variety of conditions, and does not specialize to live under any particular set of circumstances.
cyclone	Area of low pressure in the atmosphere that displays circular inward movement of air
grid south	The direction south as measured on the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system.
female	In organisms with separate sexes, the one which produces eggs.
mixed tide	Tides that have a higher high water and lower high water as well as higher low water and lower low water per tidal period.
radiometer	General name for an instrument used to measure radiation over a specific wavelength range.
internode	The region of a stem between two nodes, when there is no branching of the vascular tissue.
orographic precipitation	Is precipitation that forms when air is forced to rise because of the physical presence of elevated land
macrointervebrate	an animal without a backbone, large enough to be seen without magnification and unable to pass through a 0.595 mm mesh.
snow	precipitation in the form of branched hexagonal crystals, often mixed with simple ice crystals, which fall more or less continuously from a solid cloud sheet
diurnal	die-ERN-əl/ adj
hydrology	the science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water.
anther	The top of a stamen's filament; divided into
mutagenicity	A change in the genetic material of a living organism, usually in a single gene, which can be passed on to future generations.
cuspate foreland	Is a triangular accumulation of sand and/or gravel located along the coastline
public health	the health or physical well-being of a whole community.
radioactive decay	Natural decay of the nucleus of an atom where alpha or beta particle and/or gamma rays are released at a fixed rate.
trade winds	Surface winds that generally dominate air flow in the tropics
global warming	The progressive gradual rise of the Earth's average surface temperature thought to be caused in part by increased concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere.
theory	Proposed explanation for the causal mechanisms responsible for a phenomenon or a set of facts
naturalized conditions	an estimate of natural conditions obtained by attempting to remove effects of human activities from a set of measured conditions.
open sea	That part of the ocean that extends from the continental shelf
denaturation	də-nay-cher-RAY-shən, dee-/ The unraveling or separation of a protein or other large molecule that occurs under certain conditions
extinct species	A species which has disappeared from existence due to either natural or human-induced means (opposite of extant).
pseudoelaters	Moisture-sensitive cells produced in the sporangium of hornworts.
cenote	n
core	The core is a layer rich in iron and nickel found in the interior of the Earth
ph	numeric value that describes the intensity of the acid or basic (alkaline) conditions of a solution
golgi apparatus	Eukaryotic organelle which package cell products, such as enzymes and hormones, and coordinate their transport to the outside of the cell.
public awareness and education	Public Awareness and Education campaigns can take many shapes and forms
true north	Direction of the North Pole from an observer on the Earth.
nerve cord	Primary bundle of nerves in chordates, which connects the brain to the major muscles and organs of the body.
oxidation	reaction of must and wine compounds with oxygen
circle of illumination	A line that bisects areas on the Earth receiving sunlight and those areas in darkness
dissociation	Chemical process where a compound or molecule breaks up into simpler constituents.
high-yield varieties	Genetically improved crops produced by modern breeding methods to have a high level of production under ideal environmental conditions.
native species	Species which have lived in a particular region or area for an extended period of time.
median	Statistical measure of central tendency in a set of data
stream channel	Long trough-like depression that is normally occupied by the water in a stream.
sublimation	the transition of water directly from the solid state to the gaseous state, without passing through the liquid state; or vice versa
contingent valuation method	CVM is an approach to quantitatively assess values assigned by people in monetary (willingness to pay) and non monetary (willingness to contribute with time, resources etc.) terms
red queen hypothesis	Hypothesis that states that the adaptive importance of genetic recombination is to create genetic variation among the offspring, which is important in confrontation with coevolving parasites.
mandible	Either of a pair of jaw-like parts, found in insects and crustaceans used for biting or cutting food.
human geography	Field of knowledge that studies human-made features and phenomena on the Earth from a spatial perspective
bedrock	Rock at or near (beneath soil and regolith) the Earth's surface that is solid and relatively unweathered.
phenotype	the characteristics of an organism
sporangium	A chamber inside of which spores are produced through meiosis.
fossiliferous	adj
sun	Luminous star around which the Earth and other planets revolve around
eddy	A localized chaotic movement of air or liquid in a generally uniform larger flow.
polar easterlies	Winds that originate at the polar highs and blow to the subpolar lows in a east to west direction.
mercalli scale	A scale for rating the power of an earthquake.
dominant allele	an allele that has the same effect on the phenotype whether it is present in the homozygous or heterozygous state
glaze	Coating of ice that forms when rain falls on a surface with a temperature below freezing.
morbidity	State of ill-health produced by a disease
infective dose 50%	Number of parasite transmission stages (exposure doses) that results in 50% of hosts being infected.
abundance	How commonly a taxon or group of taxons occurs
deletion	də-LEE-shən, dee-/ n
thermocline	The layer of maximum vertical temperature gradient in the ocean, lying between the surface ocean and the abyssal ocean
subduction	n
suspended load	Portion of the stream load that is carried almost permanently suspended in flowing water.
oceanic plate	A rigid, independent segment of the lithosphere composed of mainly basalt that floats on the viscous plastic asthenosphere and moves over the surface of the Earth
homosporous	Producing only one size or kind of spore
salinization	Pedogenic process that concentrates salts at or near the soil surface because evapotranspiration greatly exceeds water inputs from precipitation.
competition	Interaction where two or more organisms in the same space require the same resource (e.g., food, water, nesting space, and ground space) which is in limiting supply to the individuals seeking it
swim bladder	an organ regulating the buoyancy in most teleost (bony) fishes.
climate feedback	An interaction mechanism between processes in the climate system is called a climate feedback when the result of an initial process triggers changes in a second process that in turn influences the initial one
insectivorous	Feeding on insects
latitude	A measure of how far north or south a particular place is located on the Earth
coastal wetland	Wetland habitat found along a coastline and is covered with ocean salt water for all or part of the year
batholith	A large mass of subsurface intrusive igneous rock that has its origins from mantle magma.
fault scarp	The section of the fault plane exposed in a fault
competition	a demand by two or more organisms or kinds of organisms for some environmental resource in short supply
continental shelf break	Boundary zone between the continental shelf and slope.
genotype	Genetic composition of an organism as distinguished from its physical appearance (phenotype).
biostratinomy	The study of what happens between the death of an organism and burial
caliche	An accumulation of calcium carbonate at or near the soil surface.
arachnid	A group of animals including: spiders, ticks, scorpions, and mites that have four pairs of legs and whose body is divided into two segments.
dewater	remove or separate a portion of the water in a sludge or slurry to dry the sludge so it can be handled and disposed; remove or drain the water from a tank, trench, or aquifer.
backwash	The return water flow of swash
blowout depression	Saucer shaped depressions created by wind erosion
acid	A substance that increases the number of hydrogen ions in a solution.
stratosphere	the upper portion of the atmosphere (approximately 11 km to 50 km above the surface of the earth).
ice sheet	A dome-shaped glacier covering an area greater than 50,000 square kilometers
swale	A slight depression, often for drainage, in the midst of generally level land.
parapodia	Paired appendages or feet that are found on each segment of many segmented marine worms (Polychaeta)
caliche	n
sea smoke	See evaporation fog.
sav	see submerged aquatic vegetation.
evapotranspiration	The combined process of evaporation from the Earth's surface and transpiration from vegetation.
sex linkage	association of a characteristic with gender, because the gene controlling the chromosome is located on a sex chromosome.
outer core	Outer region of the Earth's core
volume	The occupation of space in three dimensions
leaf area index	The ratio between the total leaf surface area of a plant and the ground area covered by its leaves.
dendrochronology	Dendrochronology is the science in which tree rings are studied to determine conditions in the past.
fission	the process whereby the nucleus of a particular heavy element splits into (generally) two nuclei of lighter elements, with the release of substantial amounts of energy.
tracheae	Internal tubes through which air is taken for respiration
agonal algor	the decrease in the recorded temperature of the body during the agonal state
carrying capacity	The maximum population number of a particular plant or animal species that an ecosystem can support on a long-term basis.
base level	The subterranean elevation below which a stream cannot vertically erode sediment
solar day	Time required for the Earth to complete one rotation relative to the Sun.
decaliter	DEK-ə-LEET-er/ n
normal fault	Vertical fault where one slab of the rock is displaced up and the other slab down
glucose	simple sugar, and the primary product of photosynthesis
cardinal points	The four main navigational directions (North, East, South, and West) found on a compass or a map.
compound leaves	n
rift valley	Steep sided valley found on the Earth's surface created by tectonic rifting.
ebb tide	A falling tide.
ovulation	n
notochord	A flexible rodlike structure that forms the main support of the body in the lowest chordates, such as the lancelet; a primitive backbone.
deposition	Any accumulation of material, by mechanical settling from water or air, chemical precipitation, evaporation from solution, etc.
dna polymerase	pə-LIM-er-aze/ n
air	"Pure" air is a mixture of gases containing about 78 percent nitrogen; 21 percent oxygen; less than 1 percent of carbon dioxide, argon, and other gases; and varying amounts of water vapor (compare with ambient air).
growth management plan	A plan for a given geographical region containing demographic projections (i.e., housing units, employment, and population) through some specified point in time, and which provides recommendations for local governments to better manage growth and reduce projected environmental impacts.
plutonium	a heavy, radioactive, man-made, metallic element (atomic number 94) used in the production of nuclear energy and the explosion of nuclear weapons; its most important isotope is fissile plutonium-239, produced by neutron irradiation of uranium-238.
terrane	n
warm desert	Desert found in the subtropics or interiors of continents at the middle latitudes where precipitation is low and surface air temperatures are high.
trough	An elongated area of low pressure in the atmosphere.
fault plane	The plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault.
discontinuous permafrost	Form of permafrost that contains numerous scattered pockets of unfrozen ground.
soil porosity	The volume of water that can be held in a soil
organ	Group of cells and tissues that have a particular function for an organism.
pathogenic	Organism which causes a disease within another organism.
threatened species	a species likely, in the near future, to become an endangered species within all or much of its range
gall-peters projection	Map projection system that reduces the area distortion found in Mercator projections.
sleet	See ice pellets.
floodplain	land next to a river that becomes covered by water when the river overflows its banks .
polarity of characters	The states of characters used in a cladistic analysis, either original or derived.Original characters are those acquired by an ancestor deeper in the phylogeny than the most recent common ancestor of the taxa under consideration
anoxic	A condition where no oxygen is present
blade	Any broad and flattened region of a plant or alga, which allows for increased photosynthetic surface area.
stratosphere	The region of the Earth's atmosphere 10-50 km above the surface of the planet.
epidermis	The outermost layer of cells or skin
climatic cycle	the periodic changes climate displays, such as a series of dry years following a series of years with heavy rainfall.
macroscopic	Objects or organisms that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye.
periphyton	Ambient Toxicity
protoplasm	Substances making up a cell including its exterior membrane.
aerobic	Oxygen present.
nekton	Organisms with swimming abilities that permit them to move actively through the water column and to move against currents (i.e
macroparasite	Parasite that usually does not multiply within its definitive hosts but instead produces transmission stages (eggs and larvae) that pass into the external environment or to vectors
glacial trough	A deep U-shaped valley with steep valley walls that was formed from glacial erosion
pharyngeal slits	Characteristic of chordates, pharyngeal slits are openings through which water is taken into the pharynx, or throat
cetacean	Any member of the group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
lumber	wood or wood products used for construction.
gills	Organs that enable aquatic animals to obtain oxygen from the water.
feed-in tariff	The price per unit of electricity that a utility or power supplier has to pay for distributed or renewable electricity fed into the grid by non-utility generators
foreshock	Small earth tremors that occur seconds to weeks before a significant earthquake event.
outcrop	Area of exposed bedrock at the Earth's surface with no overlying deposits of soil or regolith.
niche	Adaptive role that a species has in a habitat
tidal mud flat	The unvegetated shore exposed to air during low tide.
nucleus	Membrane-bound organelle which contains the DNA in the form of chromosomes
positive feedback	A process that results in an amplification of the response of a system to an external influence
nucleoid	Region in prokaryotes where the DNA is concentrated
annelida	segmented worms
chlorophyll a	A pigment contained in plants that is used to turn light energy into food
proxy data	Data that measures the cause and effect relationship between two variables indirectly.
south pole	Surface location defined by the intersection of the polar axis with Earth's surface in the Southern Hemisphere
animism	Belief that plants, animals and some non-living parts of nature have spirits or souls.
vascular plant	Plant that has vascular tissues to transport water, nutrients, and other metabolic products.
barrier island	Long, narrow islands of sand and/or gravel that are usually aligned parallel to the shore of some coasts.
finite element	a method of solving the governing equations of a numerical model by dividing the spatial domain into elements in each of which the solution of the governing equations is approximated by a continuous function.
outgassing	The release of gas from cooling molten rock or the interior of the Earth
salinity	Concentration of dissolved salts found in a sample of water
organ system	Collection of organs which have related roles in an organism's functioning
mitochondrion	Complex organelle found in most eukaryotes; believed to be descended from free-living bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with a primitive eukaryote
mean sea-level	The average height of the ocean surface as determined from the mean of all tidal levels recorded at hourly intervals.
granitic magma	Felsic magma that generates mainly granitic rocks.
diplotene	DIP-low-teen/ n
beach	The terrestrial interface area in between land and a water body where there are accumulations of unconsolidated sediments like sand and gravel
needle ice	A form of periglacial ground ice that consists of groups ice slivers at or immediately below the ground surface
shellfish	An aquatic animal, such as a mollusk (e.g
shear wave	A seismic wave that creates wave-like motion perpendicular to the direction of seismic energy propagation
topography	The relief exhibited by a surface.
lung capacity	The volume of air the lungs can hold
population	a group of organisms from one species that share the same environment and interbreed Precipitation: the falling of water in its various states, as a part of weather (ex
drawdown	the drop in the water table or level of groundwater when water is being pumped from a well; the amount of water used from a tank or reservoir; the drop in the water level of a tank or reservoir.
hydrolysis	Chemical weathering process that involves the reaction between mineral ions and the ions of water (OH- and H+), and results in the decomposition of the rock surface by forming new compounds, and by increasing the pH of the solution involve through the release of the hydroxide ions.
riparian	Having to do with the edges of streams or rivers.
soil erosion	Transport of soil mineral particles and organic matter by wind, flowing water, or both
dendrite	DEND-right/ n
parasite	A parasite is an organism (a plant or animal) that lives on another organism (the host), obtaining nutrition from it and sapping or killing the host.
graywacke	Sandstone composed of poorly sorted angular clasts.
pistil	The central set of organs in a flower; it is composed of one or more carpels
tree	A large woody plant that has a trunk which supports branches and leaves.
magma	Hot, melted rock under the Earth’s crust
inflorescence	A cluster of flowers.
virus	Is a fragment of DNA or RNA that depends on the infection of host cells for their reproduction
barrier beach	A long and narrow beach of sand and/or gravel that runs parallel to the coastline and is not submerged by the tide.
visual range	the distance at which a large black object would just disappear from view.
hydrologic cycle	natural pathway water follows as it changes between liquid, solid, and gaseous states; biogeochemical cycle that moves and recycles water in various forms through the ecosphere
aerobic	Characterized by the presence of oxygen.
easting	First measurement of a grid reference used to specific the location of a point on a rectangular coordinate system
dna	DNA (short for deoxyribonucleic acid) is a complex organic molecule that carries the genetic information of an organism
amniote egg	An egg with compartmentalized sacs (a liquid-filled sac in which the
coevolution	The coordinated evolution of two or more species that interact and exert selective pressures on each other that can cause each species to undergo associated adaptations
climate	The long-term average weather of a region including typical weather patterns, the frequency and intensity of storms, cold spells, and heat waves
miller cylindrical projection	Map projection that mathematically projects the Earth's surface onto a cylinder that is tangent at the equator
flagellum	A long, threadlike or whiplike appendage found in certain cells or unicellular organisms that functions as an organ of locomotion.
global dimming	Global dimming refers to perceived widespread reduction of solar radiation received at the surface of the Earth from about the year 1961 to around 1990.
dendrites	n
salt water intrusion	the invasion of fresh surface or ground water by salt water
carpel	A unit of the pistil; it is evolutionarily a modified leaf.
volcanism	n
nitrogen oxides	A group of gases made up of nitrogen and oxygen that cause acid rain and other environmental problems, such as smog and eutrophication of coastal waters
induced defense	Defense that is only expressed in response to a specific stimulus.
cholera	A water-borne intestinal infection caused by a bacterium (Vibrio cholerae) that results in frequent watery stools, cramping abdominal pain, and eventual collapse from dehydration and shock.
dosage effect	DOE-səj/ The effect of varying gene copy number; increasing/reducing the number of copies of a gene within a genome can increase/reduce the number of copies of gene product produced, causing changes in physiology and development.
hydropower	also called hydroelectric power; generating electricity by conversion of the energy of running water; production of electricity by waterpower; pertaining to the generation and distribution of electricity derived from the energy of falling water or any other hydraulic source
reef	A ridge of rocks found in the tidal zone along a coastline
hardpan	a shallow layer of earth material which has become relatively hard and impermeable, usually through the deposition of minerals
physical weathering	Breakdown of rock and minerals into small sized particles through mechanical stress.
claws	the sharp nails of animals used for preying, grasping, and defense
time	Measurable period in which cause and effect occurs and systems function.
social organization	The structure of social relations within a group, including relations among different subgroups and institutions.
flail	A metal flange or tine attached to a rotating shaft for moving, mixing and aerating leaves.
finite difference	a method of solving the governing equations of a numerical model by dividing the spatial domain into a mesh of nodes
pinot noir	member of the Pinot varieties
nutrient removal technology	Also known as biological nutrient removal (BNR)
kinetic energy	energy possessed by a moving object or water body.
gradient	The steepness of a slope as measured in degrees, percentage, or as a distance ratio (rise/run).
dryopithecine	DRY-oh-PITH-ə-seen/ n
stratum	A layer of sedimentary rock; plural is strata.
diversion	to remove water from a water body
propo system	The proPO activating system plays several functions in invertebrate immunity and is considered one of the most important defense mechanisms
compression	Fossil formed when an organism is flattened (compressed) and a thin film of organic material from its body is left in the rock.
impervious	Surfaces that will not allow things to pass through
meristem	Group of undifferentiated cells from which new tissues are produced
cephalopod	A member of the group of molluscs that includes octopuses, squid, nautiluses and cuttlefishes.
zone of ablation	Area of a glacier where losses of ice from melting, evaporation, and sublimation exceed additions of snow annually.
retriever	a dog, usually large, that retrieves game: a large strong-bodied dog originally bred to retrieve game for a hunter
establishment	Subsequent growth and/or reproduction of a colonized species in a new territory.
mass extinction	A catastrophic, widespread perturbation where major groups of species become extinct in a relatively short time compared to normal background extinctions.
föhn wind	European equivalent of chinook wind.
extinction	The complete disappearance of an entire biological species.
acclimatization	The physiological adaptation to climatic variations.
tidal zone	Area along the coastline that is influence by the rise and fall of tides.
heterotroph	an organism that obtains organic molecules from other organisms
purchasing power parity	The purchasing power of a currency is expressed using a basket of goods and services that can be bought with a given amount in the home country
filter feeder	An organism which filters food from the environment via a straining mechanism (such as gills)(i.e
divergent evolution	də-VERJ-ənt, die-/ adj
cell cycle	Complete sequence of steps which must be performed by a cell in order to replicate itself, as seen from mitotic event to mitotic event
hydrocarbon	such as benzene or toluene
biotic factor	A living component of the environment which arises from and affects living organisms (distinct from physical factors)
codominant alleles	pairs of alleles that both affect the phenotype when present in a heterozygote
sea-level	The average surface elevation of the world's oceans.
thermal metamorphism	Is the metamorphic alteration of rock because of intense heat released from processes related to plate tectonics.
toxicity	The extent, quality, or degree of being poisonous or harmful to humans or other living organisms.
basic solution	Any water solution that is basic (pH greater than 7) or has less hydrogen ions (H+) than hydroxide ions (OH-)
dna	Deoxyribonucleic acid
nitrate	Form of nitrogen commonly found in the soil and used by plants for building amino acids, DNA and proteins
fermentation	A breakdown in organic compounds caused by a leavening agent, such as the effect of yeast on flour.
feldspar	A group of common aluminum silicate minerals that contains potassium, sodium, or calcium.
bryophyte	Plants in which the gametophyte generation is the larger, persistent phase; they generally lack conducting tissues
dip	The angle that a bedding plane or fault makes with the horizontal when measured perpendicular to the strike of the bedding plane or fault.
geocoding	The conversion of features found on an analog map into a computer-digital form
grassland	Region in which the climate is dry for long periods of the summer, and freezes in the winter
microstructure	n
aerosol	a mixture of microscopic solid or liquid particles in a gaseous medium
implementation	Implementation describes the actions taken to meet commitments under a treaty and encompasses legal and effective phases.
silicification	Process whereby silica replaces the original material of a substance
tethys ocean	n
hybrid vehicle	Any vehicle that employs two sources of propulsion, especially a vehicle that combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor.
cytoplasm	All of the protoplasm in a cell except for what is contained in the nucleus.
biotic community	an area where many species of organisms live and interact together.
restoration	the care given to the deceased to recreate natural form and color
phylum	A group or category used in the taxonomic and/or phylogenic classification of organisms
collagen	long proteins whose structure is wound into a triple helix
sandstone	A type of sedimentary rock that contains a large quantity of weathered quartz grains.
diesel	a petroleum-based fuel which is burned in engines ignited by compression rather than spark; commonly used for heavy duty engines including buses and trucks.
bowen reaction series	Model that explains the origin of the various types of igneous rocks
chemical post mortem changes	those changes which are the direct result of some chemical process, and which are primarily responsible for alterations in the chemical composition and properties of the body
pathogen	Disease-causing microorganism, such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa
indigenous species	A species which evolved on the North American continent, was present at the time of European Colonization, and is resident within Oregon's North Coast without human manipulation.
haploid-diploid life cycle	Occurs when a multicellular diploid phase, or sporophyte, alternates with a multicellular haploid phase, or gametophyte
crown	the top of a tree made up of all of the spreading branches and leaves .
warm front	A transition zone in the atmosphere where an advancing warm air mass displaces a cold air mass.
fertile	Something that is very productive; enhancing the growth of new life.
nocturnal	Active only at night.
synangium	A cluster of sporangia which have become fused in development.
thermocline	A specific depth at which there is a layer of water where the temperature changes dramatically
force	Process that changes the state of rest or motion of a body.
decreased drought flow	inadequate groundwater recharge causes diminished or loss of flow in watercourses.
hygroscopic	readily absorbing moisture, as from the atmosphere.
peridinin	carotenoid pigment found in dinoflagellates.
lignite	Low grade coal
pathogen	Microscopic parasite organism that causes disease in a host
frontal fog	Is a type of fog that is associated with weather fronts, particularly warm fronts
mesa	A flat topped hill that rises sharply above the surrounding landscape
drainage network	System of interconnected stream channels found in a drainage basin.
diagnosis	die-ag-NOE-səs, die-əg-/ n
waterspout	A vortex of rapidly moving air over water that is associated with some thunderstorms.
well monitoring	measurement by on-site instruments or laboratory methods of well water quality.
standard atmospheric pressure	A pressure of 101.32 kilopascals or 1013.2 millibars.
flash flood	A rapid and short-lived increase in the amount of runoff water entering a stream resulting in a flood.
binomial nomenclature	n
confined aquifer	Aquifer between two layers of relatively impermeable earth materials, such as clay or shale.
brain	Collection of nerve cells usually located at the anterior end of an animal, when present at all
stream long profile	Vertical and horizontal profile of the stream
genotype	the alleles of an organism
atmosphere	The gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth
daylight savings time	The setting of time so it is one hour ahead starting in the spring and one hour back beginning in the fall in the Northern Hemisphere
channelization	natural or intentional straightening and/or deepening of streams so water moves faster and causes less flooding. Channelization can sometimes exacerbate flooding in other downstream areas.
semi-diurnal tide	Tides that have two high and two low waters per tidal period.
agonal coagulation/congealing	a process where the blood starts to change from a fluid state t a semisolid mass; or to solidify before death occurs
homologous chromosomes	two chromosomes that are similar in shape and size and carry the same genes (one from mother, one from father)
dredge	a fishing method that utilizes a bag dragged behind a vessel that scrapes the ocean bottom, usually to catch shellfish
branchiopoda	See Phyllopoda.
metapopulation	Group of partially isolated populations belonging to the same species
hypersaline	adj
moraine	n
groundwater	water within the earth that supplies wells and springs; water in the zone of saturation where all openings in rocks and soil are filled, the upper surface of which forms the water table.
microclimate	Local climate at or near the Earth's surface
polyphyletic	Term applied to a group of organisms which does not include the most recent common ancestor of those organisms; the ancestor does not possess the character shared by members of the group
spring	an issue of water from the earth; a natural fountain; a source of a body or reservoir of water.
infrared radiation	A type of electromagnetic radiation
star	A large and very massive, self-luminous celestial body of gas that illuminates via the radiation derived from its internal source of energy.
rockfall	Type of mass movement that involves the detachment and movement of a small block of rock from a cliff face to its base
hypertonic	a solution with a higher osmotic pressure (concentration) is hypertonic or more dense
salinity	amount of dissolved salts in a given volume of water.
efficiency	A service is efficient if the available resources are used in the best possible way.
hydrological	The scientific study of the properties, distribution, and effects of water on the earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere.
leaf	An organ found in most vascular plants; it consists of a flat lamina (blade) and a petiole (stalk)
ecosystem services	Materials, energy or information that people obtain from ecosystems for survival (eg, food, fibres, construction materials and water) or as amenities and experiences to enrich their lives.
buoyancy	the tendency of a body to float or rise when immersed in a fluid; the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it.
tornado	A vortex of rapidly moving air associated with some severe thunderstorms
calorie	amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius.
neutral solution	Any water solution that is neutral (pH approximately 7) or has an equal quantity of hydrogen ions (H+) than hydroxide ions (OH-)
magnetic field	The space influence by magnetic force
hanging valley	A secondary valley that enters a main valley at an elevation well above the main valley's floor
pupate	To pupate is to turn into and exist as a pupa
sedimentation	the separation of suspended particles from water by gravity Decreased drought flow - inadequate groundwater recharge causes diminished or loss of flow in watercourses.
notification period	The time period between lodging the relevant forms and control plan etc
calibration	to check, adjust, or determine by comparison that a computer model will produce results that meet or exceed some defined criteria within a specified degree of confidence.
inner core	Inner region of the Earth's core
tree	a plant with a trunk circumference of 10 centimeters or more.
chert	Hard, dense sedimentary rock, composed of interlocking quartz crystals and possibly amorphous silica (opal)
opisometer	Mechanical device for measuring non-linear distances on maps.
resistance	a component of ecosystem stability, is the ability of an ecosystem to remain stable in the face of disturbance.
geostrophic wind	Horizontal wind in the upper atmosphere that moves parallel to isobars
eyespot	Light-sensitive organelle found in many groups of protists, and in some metazoans.
desiccated	DEH-sick-kate-əd/ adj
deciduous	Deciduous plants lose their leaves seasonally, usually for the dry season
mutation	Change in the structure of a gene or chromosome.
bioturbation	n
ice jam	The accumulation of ice at a specific location along a stream channel
book lung	A set of soft overlapping flaps, covered up by a plate on the abdomen, through which oxygen is taken up and carbon dioxide given off
bed stability	occurs when the average elevation of the streambed does not change significantly over time
stemflow	Is the process that directs precipitation down plant branches and stems
axons	Long fibers that carry signals away from the cell body of a
laminarin	a beta-glucan polysaccharide produced by many chromists through photosynthesis.
natural selection	Environment's influence on the reproductive success of individuals in a population
osmosis	the passage of a liquid from a weak solution to a more concentrated solution across a semi-permeable membrane that allows passage of the solvent (water) but not the dissolved solids.
atmosphere	The gaseous mass or envelope of air surrounding the Earth
phalanges	Phalanges are the bones in the fingers or toes
plasma membrane	Outer membrane of a cell, sometimes called the cell membrane
brackish	Environment that is influenced by seawater with a salinity less than 35 parts per thousand (usually caused by the presence of an inflow of fresh water).
ingroup	In a cladistic analysis, the set of taxa which are hypothesized to be more closely related to each other than any are to the outgroup.
surface runoff	The water that travels over the land surface to the nearest surface stream; runoff of a drainage basin that has not passed beneath the surface since precipitation.
prevalence	Proportion of host individuals infected with a particular parasite
terrestrial	Living on land, as opposed to marine or aquatic.
nocturnal	being awake and active at night.
organotins	chemical compounds used in antifoulant paints to protect the hulls of boats and ships, buoys, and pilings from marine organisms such as barnacles.
nitrification	The biochemical oxidation of ammonium to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate
electron	A sub-particle of an atom that contains a negative atomic charge.
clone	a group of genetically identical organisms or a group of cells derived from a single parent cell
pennsylvanian period	The Pennsylvanian Period lasted from 325 to 280 million years ago
litter	Accumulation of leaves, twigs and other forms of organic matter on the soil surface
mountain breeze	Local thermal circulation pattern found in areas of topographic relief
transect	A straight line placed on the ground along which ecological measurements are taken
asbestos work area	The immediate area of removal work; with restricted access, well defined boundaries with barriers and clear signage
metamorphosis	n
hospital transfers	A patient discharged from one facility and readmitted to a second facility on the same day.
biomes	The world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment
iapetus ocean	n
watershed	land area from which water drains toward a common watercourse in a natural basin.
infiltration	the penetration of water through the ground surface into sub-surface soil or the penetration of water from the soil into sewer or other pipes through defective joints, connections, or manhole walls.
biomass	The weight of living tissues usually measured per unit area over a particular time interval
volcanic neck	See volcanic pipe.
nucleotide diversity	the measure the degree of polymorphism within a population
action potential	A reversal of the electrical potential in the plasma membrane of a
discharge	See stream discharge.
desert	a portion of hot arid land with sandy terrain
anthropogenic	Of human origin.
ribosome	(ribosomal RNA)
extracellular matrix	(ECM) Region outside of metazoan cells which includes compounds attached to the plasma membrane, as well as dissolved substances attracted to the surface charge of the cells
mesosphere	Atmospheric layer found between the stratosphere and the thermosphere
wave-cut platform	A flat or slightly sloping bedrock surface that forms in the tidal zone
geoid	True shape of the Earth, which deviates from a perfect sphere because of a slight bulge at the equator.
lowland	n
sexual reproduction	Any process of reproduction that does involve the fusion of gametes.
beaufort wind scale	Descriptive system that determines wind speed by noting the effect of the wind on the environment
mycorrhizae	Fungi in symbiotic association with plant roots, facilitating phosphorous uptake by the roots.
clade	A monophyletic taxon; a group of organisms which includes the most recent common ancestor of all of its members and all of the descendants of that most recent common ancestor
soil permeability	The rate at which water and air move vertically through a soil.
potential evapotranspiration	Is a measure of the ability of the atmosphere to remove water from the surface through the processes of evaporation and transpiration assuming no limitation on water supply.
drop-off	Recyclable materials collection method in which individuals bring them to a designated collection site.
dentary	DENT-er-ee/ n
galaxy	An assemblage of millions to hundreds of billions of stars.
evolution	Darwin's definition: descent with modification
luciferase	enzyme which activates luciferin to produce bioluminescence.
reinsurance	The transfer of a portion of primary insurance risks to a secondary tier of insurers (reinsurers); essentially 'insurance for insurers'.
through talik	Is a form of localized unfrozen ground (talik) in an area of permafrost
open	the Heuriger is open for business
snow	A type of solid precipitation that forms in clouds with an air temperature below freezing
hypha	n.Threadlike filaments that form the mycelium (body) of a fungus; hyphae- pl.
prime meridian	The location from which meridians of longitude are measured
host	Organism which serves as the habitat for a parasite, or possibly for a symbiont
fault	A fracture in rock caused by stress.
zooplankton	The animal forms of plankton
earth albedo	Is the reflectivity of the Earth's atmosphere and surface combined
shoreline	The line that separates a land surface from a water body
fuel cell	A fuel cell generates electricity in a direct and continuous way from the controlled electrochemical reaction of hydrogen or another fuel and oxygen
dibasic	die-BASE-ick/ adj
resource partitioning	The evolutionary process of species living in the same ecosystem dividing up resources so that each species develops dissimilar resource requirements to avoid competition
karst	Landform type with limestone bedrock and dominated by geomorphic features created from solution chemical weathering.
wind ripples	Wind ripples are miniature sand dunes between 5 centimeters and 2 meters in length and 0.1 to 5 centimeters in height
resource recovery	A term used to describe the extraction of economically useful materials and/or energy from solid waste
indicator tests	tests for a specific contaminant, group of contaminants, or constituent which signals the presence of something else (ex., coliforms indicate the presence of pathogenic bacteria).
horizontal transmission	Parasite transmission between infected and susceptible individuals or between disease vectors and susceptibles.
sporophyte	The diploid stage in the life cycle of an organism undergoing an alternation of generations
tributary	A smaller branching stream channel that flows into a main stream channel
radionuclide	a radioactive particle, man-made or natural, with a distinct atomic weight number
calcification	A dry environment soil-forming process that results in the accumulation of calcium carbonate in surface soil layers.
distributional limit	Spatial boundary that defines the edge of a species geographical range.
bilateral symmetry	A body design found in most animals in which if an imaginary plane divided the body into left and right halves, each side would be a mirror image of the other..
neutralism	Interspecific interaction where the species do not directly influence each other fitness.
melange	A body of rocks consisting of large blocks (mappable size) of different rocks jumbled together with little continuity of contacts.
earth rotation	Refers to the spinning of the Earth on its polar axis.
mannoxylic	Wood in which there is a great deal of parenchyma tissue among the xylem is called mannoxylic
subsidence	sinking down of part of the earth's crust due to underground excavation, such as removal groundwater.
ldc	See less developed country.
dry-bulb thermometer	Thermometer on a psychrometer used to determine current air temperature
jetty	a wall or other barrier built out into a body of water to shelter a harbor, protect a shoreline from erosion, and/or redirect water currents
salinity	A measure of the salt concentration of water
cost-effective alternative	An alternative control or corrective method identified after analysis as being the best available in terms of reliability, performance, and cost.
egg	(1) A large gamete without flagellae that is fertilized by a sperm cell
overbank flow	Movement of flood waters outside a stream channel during period of high discharge.
tundra	A treeless, level, or gently undulating plain characteristic of the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions characterized by low temperatures and short growing seasons.
solar wind	Mass of ionized gas emitted to space by the Sun
random	Process or event that occurs by chance.
piranha	Piranhas are meat-eating, freshwater fish that are native to eastern South America.
transportation planning	systems to improve the efficiency of the transportation system in order to enhance human access to goods and services.
hypostasis	the gravitation of blood into all dependent parts of the body
gamete	A mature reproductive cell that is capable of fusing with another gamete of the opposite sex to form a zygote
trophic structure	the feeding relationships among species within a food web.
food chain/food web	All the interactions of predator and prey, included along with the exchange of nutrients into and out of the soil
thermal infrared radiation	Radiation emitted by the Earth's surface, the atmosphere and the clouds
abandoned water right	a water right which was not put to beneficial use for a number of years, generally five to seven years.
hypoxia	the depletion of dissolved oxygen in water, a condition resulting from an overabundance of nutrients of human or natural origin that stimulates the growth of algae, which in turn die and require large amounts of oxygen as the algae decompose
alkaline	pH above 7 on a scale of O to 14; containing bases (hydroxides, carbonates) that neutralize acids to form salts.
substrate	"Supporting surface" on which an organism grows
spore load	Number of spores or sporophorous vesicles of a parasite (e.g., microsporidium, bacterial) in a host individual
hydroelectric plant	electric power plant in which the energy of falling water is used to spin a turbine generator to produce electricity.
extinction	When all the members of a clade or taxon die, the group is said to be extinct.
ground-level ozone	The ozone in the air near the Earth's surface
niche	n
arthropod	A large group of invertebrate animals with jointed legs, including the insects, scorpions, crustaceans and spiders.
surface heat flux	Process where heat energy is transferred into land and ocean surfaces on the Earth
neurotoxin	poison which interferes with nerve function, usually by affecting the flow of ions through the cell membrane.
limnology	The study of river system ecology and life.
geography	The study natural and human constructed phenomena relative to a spatial dimension.
velocity	The speed of movement of an object in one direction.
convectional lifting	The vertical lifting of parcels of air through convective heating of the atmosphere
mesopause	Thin boundary layer found between the mesosphere and the thermosphere
allozyme	Gene product of one of several alleles that have the same function but differ in their amino acid sequence and therefore in their physio-chemical properties so that they migrate different distances in an electrophoretic assay
dredging	removal of mud from the bottom of water bodies
diurnal	Active during daylight.
cancer	Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases that occur when a cell, or group of cells, grows in an unchecked, uncontrolled, or unregulated manner
latitude	Latitude is a north-south measurement of position on the Earth
mean	Statistical measure of central tendency in a set of data
selection	Process by which certain phenotypes are favored over other phenotypes
stationary source	A fixed-site generator of pollution, mainly power plants and other facilities using industrial combustion processes.
thematic map	Map that displays the geographical distribution of one phenomenon or the spatial associations that occur between a few phenomena
population	a group of organisms of the same species who live in the same area at the same tim
librigenae	The "free cheeks"; separate, detachable portions of the trilobite cephalon
habit	The general growth pattern of a plant
effectiveness	The effectiveness of a service means the extent to which the objective of the service have been me in practice
copepod	A type of small planktonic crustacean
deuterium	Isotope of hydrogen, with a nucleus containing one proton and one neutron, and an atomic mass number of 2.
biotic factors	any type of living thing in an environment
karyogamy	A process of fusion of the nuclei of two cells; the second step in syngamy.
kame	a short ridge, hill, or mound of stratified drift deposited by glacial meltwater.
passive solar heating	The use of windows, building materials, and other features to take advantage of sunlight to heat the inside of a building.
wine diseases	a wine disease describes a fault, that is caused by a micro organism
anaerobic	Characterized by the absence of oxygen.
appendicular skeleton	The bones of the appendages (wings, legs, and arms or fins) and of the pelvic and pectoral girdles that join the appendages to the rest of the skeleton; one of the two components of the skeleton of vertebrates.
heredity	The transmission of behavioral, physiological and morphological characteristics from parent to offspring.
attenuation	the process whereby the magnitude of a flood event is reduced by slowing, modifying, or diverting the flow of water.
kingdom animalia	animals
calving	The loss of glacier mass when ice breaks off into a large water body like an ocean or a lake.
temperature inversion	Situation where a layer of warmer air exists above the Earth's surface in a normal atmosphere where air temperature decreases with altitude
participation rate	A measure of the number of people participating in a recycling programme compared to the total number that could be participating.
vertebrate	Animals with a backbone including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
regosol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
naturalist	A person who appreciates, studies and interprets the natural environment.
aerosol	a suspension of small liquid or solid particles in gas.
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon	a chemical compound composed of fused six carbon rings.
frustule	The mineral "skeleton" of a diatom or other unicellular organism.
niche specialization	Process where evolution, through natural selection, adapts a species to a particular set of abiotic and biotic characteristics within a habitat.
cell membrane	The outer membrane of a cell, which separates it from the environment
diotic	die-AWT-ick/ adj
frost	a covering of minute ice crystals on a cold surface.
microwave radiation	Form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.1 to 100 centimeters.
nuclear membrane	The double membrane which surrounds the eukaryotic nucleus
pinnately compound	Leaves which are divided up like a feather are said to be pinnately compound.
mixing ratio	The ratio between the weight (mass) of water vapor (or some other gas) held in the atmosphere compared to the weight of the dry air in a given volume of air
policy	A series of broad statements setting out the overall policy framework for either environmental management and/or MSWM at the national or regional level
sand sea	A large region of sand and sand dunes in a desert
neritic	A part of the pelagic zone which extends from the high tide line to the bottom.
genetic diversity	Genetic variability found in a population of a species or all of the populations of a species
leachate	Solution containing material leached from a soil.
threatened species	A species that is rare and could become endangered if its numbers decrease further.
zygote	A fertilized egg
periphyton	Dense strands of algal growth that cover the water surface between the emergant aquatic plants
median particle size	value for which half the particles in a sample have a greater diameter and half a lesser diameter.
voice vote	a vote where members vote by saying either "yes" or "no" together; individual member's votes are not placed on record.
wave cyclone	See mid-latitude cyclone.
anaphylaxis	A severe allergic reaction in which
vortex	A rapid spiraling motion of air or liquid around a center of rotation.
hydrologic balance	an accounting of all water inflow to, water outflow from, and changes in water storage within a hydrologic unit over a specified period of time.
meltwater	water that comes from the melting ice of a glacier or a snowbank.
ozone layer	Very diluted atmospheric concentration of ozone found at an altitude of 10 to 50 kilometres above the earth's surface.
dicot	DIE-cawt/ n
ph	An indicator number showing how acidic (pH less than 7) or basic (pH above 7) a material is
interglacial	Period of time during an ice age when glaciers retreated because of milder temperatures.
contracting	An activity through which a competitive tender is awarded by municipality to a private firm to provide defined aspects of the overall MSWM service, for a fixed period
false origin	Location of the starting coordinates picked to the south and west of the true origin of a rectangular coordinate system
extrusive igneous rock	Igneous rock that forms on the surface of the Earth
contraceptive	preventing conception and pregnancy.
fresh water	Water that is relatively free of salts.
capillary action	movement of water through very small spaces due to molecular forces called capillary forces.
siphon	Opening in molluscs or in urochordates which draws water into the body cavity
cumulonimbus cloud	A well developed vertical cloud that often has top shaped like an anvil
bank	A bank is a raised seafloor feature such as a large submerged plateau that is usually part of the continental shelf.
adult	The mature stage of an organism, usually recognized by the organism's attaining the ability to reproduce.
shear stress	the frictional force per unit area exerted on a streambed by flowing water
oligohaline	Pertaining to moderately brackish water with low range salinities (from .5-5 parts per thousand)
stakeholder	A person, group, or community who has an interest in activities at a hazardous waste site.
erosion	The disruption and movement of soil particles by wind, water, or ice, either occuring naturally or as a result of land use.
epithelium	Layer of cells which lines a body cavity; cells may be ciliated or unciliated, and may be squamous (flat, scale-shaped), cuboidal (cube-shaped), or columnar (column-shaped)
troposphere	Layer in the atmosphere found from the surface to a height of between 8 to 16 kilometers of altitude (average height 11 kilometers)
granodiorite	Igneous plutonic rock, less felsic than granite, typically light in color; rough plutonic equivalent of dacite.
meridional transport	Transport of atmospheric and oceanic energy from the equator to the poles.
rbcl	a gene which is located in the chloroplast of photosynthetic organisms
anaerobic	a life or process that occurs in, or is not destroyed by, the absence of oxygen.
strip mining	mining technique in which the land and vegetation covering the mineral being sought are stripped away by huge machines, usually damaging the land severely and limiting subsequent uses.
electric vehicles	vehicles which use electricity (usually derived from batteries recharged from electrical outlets) as their power source.
franchise	In the MSWM terms, it refers to the action by Municipality in which it awards, via competitive tendering, a limited monopoly to a private company to deliver a particular MSWM service, in a defined area for a fixed period
graben fault	This fault is produced when tensional stresses result in the subsidence of a block of rock
super-saturation	Atmospheric condition where saturation occurs at a relative humidity greater than 100% because of a shortage of deposition or condensation nuclei.
dendritic	Term used to describe the stream channel pattern that is completely random
palsa	A mound of peat that develops as the result of the formation of a number ice lenses beneath the ground surface
paraphyletic	Term applied to a group of organisms which includes the most recent common ancestor of all of its members, but not all of the descendants of that most recent common ancestor
pedipalps	The second pair of appendages of cheliceromorphs
obliquity	Tilt of the Earth's polar axis as measured from the perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun
canadian high	High pressure system that develops in winter over central North America.
cathodoluminescence	n
shore	The land area bordering a relatively large water body like a lake or ocean.
cullet	Clean, generally colour-sorted, crushed glass used to make new glass products
toxicant	A poisionous or toxic agent which is harmful to living resources either terrestrial or aquatic.
lightning	Visible discharge of electricity created by thunderstorms.
acetylcholine	A chemical released at neuromuscular junctions that binds to receptors on the surface of the plasma membrane of muscle cells, causing an electrical impulse to be transmitted
respiratory system	The organs in our body involved with the process of breathing.
infiltration capacity	The ability of a soil to absorb surface water.
capsid	The protein "shell" of a free virus particle.
energy conservation	using energy efficiently or prudently; saving energy.
diploid	having two sets of chromosomes
dimer	DIE-mer/ n
lateral shoot	side shoot
mid-oceanic ridge	Chain of submarine mountains where oceanic crust is created from rising magma plumes and volcanic activity
specialist	an organism that eats only one type of other organism for food.
non-clastic sedimentary rock	Sedimentary rocks that are created either from chemical precipitation and crystallization, or by the lithification once living organic matter.
thalweg	the line of maximum depth in a stream
rain	A form of precipitation
run-off	precipitation that the ground does not absorb and that ultimately reaches rivers, lakes or oceans.
megaspore	In plants which are heterosporous, the larger kind of spore is called a megaspore; it usually germinates into a female (egg-producing) gametophyte
carbohydrates	class of biochemical compounds which includes sugars, starch, chitin, and steroids.
summer	Season between spring and fall
ozone layer	Atmospheric concentration of ozone found at an altitude of 10 to 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface
climate	The average weather conditions in a particular location or region at a particular time of the year
quorum	minimum number of people who must be present before a specified event can commence (for Congress to vote, at least half the members must be present).
chaetae	Stiff bristles characteristic of annelids.
phytomelanin	a papery "sooty" black layer over the seed of plants in the Asparagales, which includes agaves, aloes, onions and hyacinths
overland flow	The topographic movement of a thin film of water from precipitation to lower elevations
axial skeleton	The skull, vertebral column, and rib cage; one of the two components of the skeleton in
bermuda high	High pressure system that develops over the western subtropical North Atlantic
trolling	a method of fishing using several lines, each hooked and baited, which are slowly dragged behind the vessel.
primitive	adj
impoundment	a body of water such as a pond, confined by a dam, dike, floodgate or other barrier
fossil fuel	Fuel derived from ancient organic remains; e.g
north pole	Surface location defined by the intersection of the polar axis with Earth's surface in the Northern Hemisphere
dictyostele	A dictyostele is a siphonostele (a cylinder of vascular tissue) that has two or more overlapping leaf gaps (as in ferns)
venous	Type of testing for blood lead that involves the drawing of blood from a vein rather than a capillary.
second-growth forest	Stand of forest that is the result of secondary succession.
authorization	Upper limits of funding made available to a program.
swash	A thin sheet of water that moves up the beach face after a wave of water breaks on the shore.
fundamental niche	Describes the total range of environmental conditions that are suitable for a species existence without the effects of interspecific competition and predation from other species.
heterotroph	An organism that is unable to synthesize organic compounds (and thus its energy) from the environment and therefore fulfils its energy requirements by feeding on other organisms or organic matter
protozoa	Heterotrophic eukaryotic unicellular organisms that belong to the kingdom protista.
plantae	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
interface	the common boundary between two substances such as water and a solid, water and a gas, or two liquids such as water and oil.
plate tectonics	A scientific theory that describes how large sections of the Earth’s crust called plates move over time
aggressive water	water which is soft and acidic and can corrode plumbing, piping, and appliances.
pelagic	Comes from the Greek word pelagos, meaning sea, and is an adjective describing things of or relating to the upper water column of the ocean.
altricial	adj
filter	a device used to remove solids from a mixture or to separate materials
graupel	A type of precipitation that consists of a snow crystal and a raindrop frozen together
granite	Medium to coarse grained igneous rock that is rich in quartz and potassium feldspar
agroecology	the science of ecology, or the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, applied to the design, development, and management of agriculture.
underdrain	a concealed drain with openings through which the water enters when the water table reaches the level of the drain.
underflow	movement of water through subsurface material.
solar year	The time it takes the Earth to make one orbit around the Sun
unloading	The releasing of downward pressure on rocks because of removal of overlying material by erosion
salinity regime	A portion of an estuary distinguished by the amount of tidal influence and salinity of the water
heterosporangiate	Producing two different kinds of sporangia, specifically microsporangia and megasporangia
diadromous	Species that use both marine and freshwater habitats during their life cycle
la niña	See El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
juvenile	Strictly speaking, a juvenile is any of a species which is not yet sexually mature
diploid	Having two different sets of chromosomes in the same nucleus of each cell
well	a dug or drilled hole used to get water from the earth.
sidereal day	Time it takes to complete one Earth rotation relative to the position of a fixed star
valley train	A linear accumulation of glaciofluvial outwash sediments found in a once glaciated valley.
male	In organisms with separate sexes, the one which produces sperm.
asthma	A respiratory disorder caused by allergies that constrict the
diaphragm	DIE-ə-fram/ n
fermentation	(fur″mәn-ta´shәn) the anaerobic enzymatic conversion of organic compounds, especially carbohydrates, to simpler compounds, especially to lactic acid or ethyl alcohol, producing energy in the form of ATP.
brine	Seawater with a salinity greater than 35 parts per thousand
map scale	Ratio between the distance between two points found on a map compared to the actual distance between these points in the real world.
escarpment	n
heart	Muscular pump which circulates the blood.
acetaldehyde	group of chemical compounds known as aldehydes
histosols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
isoline	Lines on a map joining points of equal value.
emergent properties	arise from the interaction of component parts: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
normal lapse rate	Average rate of air temperature change with altitude in the troposphere
litmus paper	Paper coated with a chemical coloring obtained from lichens that turns red in acidic water and blue in basic water
backwashing	reversing the flow of water through a home treatment device filter or membrane to clean and remove deposits.
weather	day to day variation in atmospheric conditions
climate	General pattern of weather conditions for a region over a long period time (at least 30 years).
hydropower	energy or power produced by moving water.
paleoclimatology	Scientific study of the Earth's climate during the past.
zooplankton	Tiny, free-floating organisms in aquatic systems
toluene-equivalents	Scorecard's common unit of comparison for non-carcinogens, so that the seriousness of a release of one non-carcinogen can be compared to a release of another
time diversity	a technique used in digital communication systems
sima layer	The part of the crust that forms the ocean basins and lower layers in the crust and is composed of relatively heavy, basaltic rocks.
prehensile	Prehensile means able to grasp or grab
sensible heat flux	The flux of heat from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere that is not associated with phase changes of water; a component of the surface energy budget.
sic code	Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes are a system of numerical codes that categorize industrial facilities by the type of activity in which they are engaged
geologic maps	Maps that show the types and ages of rock of an area
energy efficiency	The ratio of useful energy output of a system, conversion process or activity to its energy input.
rna	"ribonucleic acid"
incandescent light bulb	The most common type of light bulb, which produces light when electricity heats a thin metal wire
focus	The initial point within the Earth that ruptures in an earthquake, directly below the epicenter.
ozone	Tri-atomic oxygen that exists in the Earth's atmosphere as a gas
cell theory	Include the following
shrub	A woody plant species that is smaller than a tree
phenols	organic compounds that are byproducts of petroleum refining; tanning; and textile, dye, and resin manufacturing
stratocumulus clouds	Low altitude gray colored cloud composed of water droplets that has a patchy appearance
rock flour	Very finely ground rock fragments that form between the base of a glacier and the underlying bedrock surface.
transduction	Viral transfer of DNA to new host.
bloc	a group of people with the same interest or goal (usually used to describe a voting bloc, a group of representatives intending to vote the same way).
focus	See earthquake focus.
exoskeleton	the external supportive covering of some kinds of animals, mainly insects
fog	Fog exists if the atmospheric visibility near the Earth's surface is reduced to 1 kilometer or less
thermal equator	Continuous area on the globe that has the highest surface temperatures because of the presence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
region	A term used in geography that describes an area of the Earth where some natural or human-made phenomena display similar traits.
pumping test	a test conducted to determine aquifer or well characteristics.
ultrastructure	The detailed structure of a specimen, such as a cell, tissue, or organ, that can be observed only by electron microscopy
onshore-offshore transport	The up and down movement of sediment roughly perpendicular to a shoreline because of wave action.
dissolved oxygen	Microscopic bubbles of oxygen that are mixed in the water and occur between water molecules
chlorine	a highly reactive halogen element, used most often in the form of a pungent gas to disinfect drinking water.
big crunch	Collapse of the Universe into its original form before the Big Bang
sedimentary rock	Rock that is formed by the consolidation of sediment particles or of the remains of plants and animals Simile: a comparison to show similarities between unlike things using the words, "like" or "as" (ex
estimator	An estimator is any value calculated from the sample data For example, the sample mean is an estimator of the population mean.
chromosome	Linear piece of eukaryotic DNA, often bound by specialized proteins known as histones.
ferricretes	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of iron.
cohesion	a molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass whether like or unlike
dodo	The dodo is an extinct, flightless bird that lived on an island in the Indian Ocean near Africa.
scandinavia	The countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, in the North of Europe.
sample	A sample is a subset group of data selected from a larger population group
demand side management	an attempt by utilities to reduce customers' demand for electricity or energy by encouraging efficiency.
suspended load	specific sediment particles maintained in the water column by turbulence and carried with the flow of water.
gross primary production	The amount of energy fixed from the atmosphere through photosynthesisls.
water quality standards	A provision of State or Federal law consisting of a designated use or uses for a water body and the quantifiable criteria protective of the use(s)
endoplasmic reticulum	(ER) network of membranes in eukaryotic cells which helps in control of protein synthesis and cellular organization.
laminar flow	Movement of water within a stream that occurs as uninterrupted parallel flows
mangrove	Treed wetlands located on the coastlines in warm tropical climates.
turbid	Cloudy or opaque water due to the suspension of sediment.
natural infrastructure	physical systems provided by the earth that support life (water cycle, nitrogen cycle, water purification)
phylum	n
producer	A producer (or autotroph) is an organism that makes its own food from light energy (using photosynthesis), or chemical energy (using chemosynthesis)
system relationship	Is the association that exist between the elements and attributes of a system based on cause and effect.
gravitational water	Water that moves through soil due to gravitational forces
genetic adaptation	Changes in the genetic makeup of organisms of a species due to mutations that allow the species to reproduce and gain a competitive advantage under changed environmental conditions.
hantavirus	A virus in the family Bunyaviridae that causes a type of haemorrhagic fever
greenhouse effect	The insulating effect of atmospheric greenhouse gases (e.g., water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) that keeps the Earth's temperature about 60"F warmer than it would be otherwise.
solar constant	A term used to describe the average quantity of solar insolation received by a horizontal surface at the edge of the Earth's atmosphere
zooplankton	Small animals that live in the water of an aquatic ecosystem.
dessication	Mummification.
diurnal	Diurnal animals are most active during the day (compare with nocturnal).
longshore transport	The transport of sediment in water parallel to a shoreline.
authorization act	Substantive language that establishes or continues Federal programs or agencies and establishes an upper limit on the amount of funds for the program(s).
aerobic	Living systems or processes that require, or are not destroyed by, the presence of oxygen
gill slit	A slitlike or porelike opening connecting the pharynx of a chordate with the outside of the body
gradualism	A model of evolution that assumes slow, steady rates of change
dactyl	DAKT-əl/ n
fitness	A measure of the health of a species in terms of physiology and future reproductive success.
privacy	Health information privacy broadly refers to individuals’ rights to control the acquisition, use, or disclosure of their identifiable health data.
entropy	Entropy is the measure of the disorder or randomness of energy and matter in a system.
resistance	Reduction in host susceptibility to infection.
ecosphere	See biosphere.
spawn	To release eggs and/or sperm into water.
effective porosity	the portion of pore space in saturated permeable material where the movement of water takes place.
dhole	The dhole is a wild dog from Asia.
igneous rock	Rocks formed by solidification of molten magma either beneath (intrusive igneous rock) or at (extrusive igneous rocks) the Earth's surface.
troposphere	the layer of atmosphere closest to the Earth, extending seven to ten miles above the surface, containing most of the clouds and moisture.
symbiosis	Mutually beneficial association between two different species of organisms.
use attainability analysis	A UAA is a structured scientific assessment of the factors affecting attainment of the designated use component of water quality standards, based on physical, chemical, biological, and/or economic factors.
boreal	adj
rank	In traditional taxonomy, taxa are ranked according to their level of inclusiveness
soot	Particles formed during the quenching of gases at the outer edge of flames of organic vapors, consisting predominantly of carbon, with lesser amounts of oxygen and hydrogen present as carboxyl and phenolic groups and exhibiting an imperfect graphitic structure
stomata	Openings in the epidermis of a stem or leaf of a plant which permit gas exchange with the air
drainage divide	Topographic border between adjacent drainage basins or watersheds.
tetrahedron	Silicon atom joined by four oxygen atoms (SiO4)
low pressure	An area of atmospheric pressure within the Earth's atmosphere that is below average
fold	Bent rock strata.
chromosome	Organic structure that carries an organism's genetic code (DNA).
geothermal	literally, heat from the earth; energy obtained from the hot areas under the surface of the earth.
copal	Brittle aromatic yellow to red resins of recent or fossil origin, obtained from tropical trees.
diversity	See Species Diversity.
carbon dioxide	A colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally in the Earth's atmosphere
septum	Partition which divides up a larger region into smaller ones, such as in the central body cavity of some anthozoa.
dehydration synthesis	də-HIGH-dray-shən, dee-/ The linking of monomers into a polymer by removing a molecule of water from each.
matter	Is the material (atoms and molecules) that constructs things on the Earth and in the Universe.
magma	n
polyhaline	Pertaining to waters with salinities of 18-30 parts per thousand.
frontal precipitation	See convergence precipitation.
precipitation	Precipitation is water that falls from clouds, like rain, snow, sleet, hale, etc.
macroplankton	Planktonic organisms that are 200-2,000 micrometers in size.
pelagic species	fish that live at or near the water's surface
open talik	Is a form of localized unfrozen ground (talik) in an area of permafrost
parasitoid	A parasitoid is an organism (a plant or animal) that lays its eggs in or on another living organism (the host)
gene pool	Sum total of all the genes found in the individuals of the population of a particular species.
zone of accumulation	Area of a glacier where additions of snow exceed losses of ice from melting, evaporation, and sublimation.
ethanol	A type of alcohol that can be produced from different forms of biomass, such as agricultural crops
wave-cut notch	A rock recess at the foot of a sea cliff where the energy of water waves is concentrated.
msx	An oyster disease caused by the protozoan parasite, Haplosporidium nelsoni.
turbidity current	n
subtropical	areas of the earth that are close to the tropics, the area near the equator, and have a climate much milder than temperate, northern zones.
lake	A body standing water found on the Earth's continental land masses
metabolism	Chemical processes necessary for life.
condensation	The change in state of matter from vapor to liquid that occurs with cooling
redundancy	Duplication or overlap of function that exceeds what is necessary.
plane of the ecliptic	Hypothetical two-dimensional surface in which the Earth's orbit around the Sun occurs.
fertility rates	average number of live births per woman during her reproductive years, among a given set of people.
lineage	Any continuous line of descent; any series of organisms connected by reproduction by parent of offspring.
solar noon	Point of time during the day when the Sun is aligned with True North and True South.
lithosphere	Is the solid inorganic portion of the Earth (composed of rocks, minerals, and elements)
kingdom prokaryotae	bacteria
wave refraction	The re-orientation of a wave so that it approaches a shoreline at a more perpendicular angle
troposphere	The layer of the atmosphere closest to the earth's surface.
ocean basin	Part of the Earth's outer surface that is comprised of the ocean floor, mid-oceanic ridges, continental rise, and continental slope
landsat	Series of satellites launched by NASA for the purpose of remotely monitoring resources on the Earth
fetch	The distance of open water in one direction across a body of water over which wind can blow.
thunderstorm	A storm several kilometers in diameter created by the rapid lifting of moist warm air which creates a cumulonimbus cloud
exotic stream	A stream that has a course that begins in a humid climate and end in an arid climate
multiple infections	Infection in which an individual is infected by parasites of more than one species or more than one genotype of the same species.
sinkhole	n
spit	A long and narrow accumulation of sand and/or gravel that projects into a body of ocean water
anaerobic	Refers to organisms that are not dependent on oxygen for
map	An abstraction of the real world that is used to depict, analyze, store, and communicate spatially organized information about physical and cultural phenomena.
resident	Species which are permanent living members of a particular area.
liquefaction	Temporary transformation of a soil mass of soil or sediment into a fluid mass
uplift	n
calendar	in the legislative sense, a group of bills or proposals to be discussed or considered in a legislative committee or on the floor of the House or Senate.
stage	The elevation of the water surface in a stream channel.
nitrogen	The element that comprises four-fifths of the earth’s atmosphere
double hulled tankers	large transport ships with two hulls with space between them, protecting the cargo (in most cases, oil) from spilling in case of a collision.
location	A term used in geography that deals with the relative and absolution spatial position of natural and human-made phenomena.
foot wall	The bottommost surface of an inclined fault.
bering land bridge	n
thermal expansion	In connection with sea level, this refers to the increase in volume (and decrease in density) that results from warming water
photosensitization	Sensitization or heightened reactivity of the skin to sunlight, usually due to the action of certain drugs.
fertilizer	Substance that adds inorganic or organic nutrients to soil for the purpose of increasing the growth of crops, trees, or other vegetation.
troposphere	The lowest part of the atmosphere, from the surface to about 10 kilometers (~6 miles) in altitude at mid-latitudes (ranging from 9 kilometers (~5.6 miles) at high latitudes to 16 kilometers (~10 miles in the tropics on average), where clouds and weather phenomena occur
site diversity	multiple receivers for satellite communication
gaia hypothesis	The Gaia hypothesis states that the temperature and composition of the Earth's surface are actively controlled by life on the planet
isotherm	line that connects points of equal temperature.
outcrop	exposed at the surface
physical geography	Field of knowledge that studies natural features and phenomena on the Earth from a spatial perspective
co2	A colorless, odorless, gas that occurs naturally in the earth's atmosphere
sinking	controlling oil spills by using an agent to trap the oil and sink it to the bottom of the body of water where the agent and the oil are biodegraded.
punctuated equilibrium	A model of evolution in which change occurs in relatively rapid bursts, followed by longer periods of stasis.
riparian area	Riparian refers to the area of land adjacent to a body of water, stream, river, marsh, or shoreline
oxygenated fuel	A special type of gasoline with added oxygen in order to burn more completely than regular gasoline in cold start conditions
soil organic matter	Organic constituents of soil.
phloem	Nutrient-conducting tissue of vascular plants.
hierarchy	A series in which each element is categorized into successive ranks or grades with each level subordinate to the one above.
pitted topography	Landscape characterized by numerous kettle holes on a glacial outwash plain.
surface water	water located above ground (e.g., rivers, lakes).
subpolar glacier	Glacier in which the ice found from the its surface to base has a temperature as cold as -30° Celsius throughout the year
stratosphere	The portion of the atmosphere 10 to 25 miles above the earth’s surface.
diurnal	being awake and active during the day.
ocean trench	Deep depression found at the edge of the ocean floor
infrastructure	The basic equipment, utilities, productive enterprises, installations and services essential for the development, operation and growth of an organization, city or nation.
gate fee	Charge made by a MSWM facility operator for each tonne of waste delivered to the facility.
stratus clouds	Low altitude gray colored cloud composed of water droplets
demand	the number of units of something that will be purchased at various prices at a point in time
efficiency	see energy efficiency.
haploid	Having a single set of chromosomes in the nucleus of each cell
tropics	The parts of the Earth near the Equator, which are very warm all year long because they receive a lot of direct sunlight.
food chain	A food chain is the sequence of who eats whom in a biological community (an ecosystem) to obtain nutrition
diastasis	die-AST-ə-səs/ n
brownfields	abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
edge wave	A wave of water that moves parallel to the shore
pulp	raw material made from trees used in producing paper products.
primipare	Female producing offspring or eggs for the first time.
species	organisms that look alike and can mate and produce normal offspring.
heat island	The dome of relatively warm air which develops over the center of urbanized areas.
latent heat flux	Latent heat flux is the global movement of latent heat energy through circulations of air and water
reference map	Map that shows natural and human-made objects from the geographical environment with an emphasis on location
patterned ground	Term used to describe a number of surface features found in periglacial environments
hydrometer	an instrument used to measure the density of a liquid.
friction	Resistance between the contact surfaces of two bodies in motion.
fall line	A line joining the waterfalls on several rivers that marks the point where each river descends from the upland to the lowland and marks the limit of navigability of each river.
roe	Fish eggs, especially while still massed in the ovarian membrane; called caviar.
mitosis	The process of nuclear division in eukaryotes
reticulopodia	Long thread-like pseudopodia that branch apart and rejoin, forming a fine network
endemic species	A species that is restricted in its distribution to a particular locality or region.
stable atmosphere	Condition in the atmosphere where isolated air parcels have a tendency to sink
eye	Area in the center of a hurricane that is devoid of clouds.
exurbia	(1) the area of suburbs; (2) the region outside a city and its suburbs where wealthier families live.
silicate magma	Magma that is felsic in composition.
tornado alley	Region in North America which receives a extraordinary high number of tornadoes
mass action	Concept used to describe the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases
environmental system	A system where life interacts with the various abiotic components found in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
evolution	Is a process by which species come to possess genetic adaptations to their environment
dew	Condensation of water on the Earth's surface because of atmospheric cooling.
sunlight zone	see Photic Zone.
hydrologic cycle	Model that describes the movement of water between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
homeostasis	Negative feedback that maintains a living organism’s body function within limits essential for the body to continue functioning properly despite external stimuli that have a tendency to disrupt the function.
vicariance	Speciation which occurs as a result of the separation and subsequent isolation of portions of an orginal population.
global warming	An increase in temperature near the surface of the Earth
interstate water	according to law, interstate waters are defined as (1) rivers, lakes and other waters that flow across or form a part of state or international boundaries; (2) waters of the Great Lakes; (3) coastal waters whose scope has been defined to include ocean waters seaward to the territorial limits and waters along the coastline (including inland streams) influenced by the tide.
kaolinite	A type of clay that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions
doldrums	Area of low atmospheric pressure and calm westerly winds located at the equator
structural landform	Is a landform created by massive Earth movements due to plate tectonics
siberia	n
mitochondria	Organelle in a cell that oxidizes organic (see respiration) energy for use in cellular metabolism.
food web	A model describing the organisms found in a food chain
dugong	DOO-gawng/ n
nimbostratus clouds	Dark, gray low altitude cloud that produces continuous precipitation in the form of rain or snow
nephelometer	an instrument that measures the amount of light scattered.
topographic map	Map that displays topography through the use of elevation contour lines
secondary growth	Growth in a plant which does not occur at the tips of the stems or roots
population	Group of interbreeding individuals and their offspring
ecological niche	The role of a particular species in the ecosystem
seepage	percolation of water through the soil from unlined canals, ditches, laterals, watercourses, or water storage facilities.
photovoltaic cell	A device that converts energy from sunlight into electricity
icbm	a land-based or mobile rocket-propelled missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to a range greater than 5,500 kilometers.
heat	Heat is defined as energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another because of the temperature difference between them
phylum	The broadest classification for animals
hydrosphere	region that includes all the earth's liquid water, frozen water, floating ice, frozen upper layer of soil, and the small amounts of water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere.
ferrous metals	A term used to describe iron and its alloys, e.g., steels
drought	A period of unusually dry weather lasting long enough to cause serious shortages of water for ecosystems and human use (such as drinking water and agriculture) in the affected area.
permafrost	Zone of permanently frozen water found in high latitude soils and sediments
immunological	The body’s immune system and its defense against infection and certain other diseases.
leaf trace	The strand of vascular tissue which connects the leaf veins to the central vascular system of the stem.
stigma	The sticky tip of a pistil
dematerialization	The process by which economic activity is decoupled from matter-energy throughput, through processes such as eco-efficient production or industrial ecology, allowing environmental impact to fall per unit of economic activity.
hydrostatic head	a measure of pressure at a given point in a liquid in terms of the vertical height of a column of the same liquid which would produce the same pressure.
isotope	Form of an element where the number of neutrons in its atomic nucleus is different than the number of protons.
air	So-called "pure" air is a mixture of gases containing about 78 percent nitrogen; 21 percent oxygen; less than 1 percent of carbon dioxide, argon and other gases; and, varying amounts of water vapor
convergence precipitation	The formation of precipitation due to the convergence of two air masses
water solubility	the maximum possible concentration of a chemical compound dissolved in water.
thermal infrared radiation	Form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 3 to 14 micrometers (µm).
pore	Any opening into or through a tissue or body structure.
steam fog	See evaporation fog.
cell respiration	the controlled release of energy from organic compounds in cells to form AT
latent heat flux	The flux of heat from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere that is associated with evaporation or condensation of water vapor at the surface; a component of the surface energy budget.
deme	Population that is sufficiently isolated so that it can be considered an evolving unit
high vine training system	type of vine trellis or training system
capillary action	Movement of water along microscopic channels
genus	A group in the classification of organisms
dacryorrhea	dack-ree-oh-REE-ə/ n
epicenter	Surface location of an earthquake's focus.
solar altitude	Height of the Sun above the horizon from either True North or True South.
breast cancer	Cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts, tubes that carry milk to the nipple, and/or lobules, glands that make milk.
re-entrants	A prominent indentation in an escarpment, ridge or shoreline.
pollen tube	In seed plants, the extension of the male gametophyte as it emerges from the pollen grain in search of the female gametophyte.
fruit texture	fruit taste
island arc	n
perihelion	It is the point in the Earth's orbit when it is closest to the Sun (147.5 million km)
timber	logged wood sold as a commodity.
falsification	Falsification is a procedure used in science to test the validity of a hypothesis or theory
hamada	A very flat desert area of exposed bedrock.
fallow	Land that is left unused, without ploughing, planting or raising crops.
limy	adj
sheetwash	The removal of loose surface materials by overland flow
canyon	Steep-sided valley where depth is considerably greater than width
mammal	Any of a large class called Mammalia; warm blooded, usually hairy vertebrates whose offspring are fed with milk secreted by the mammary gland.
stem group	All the taxa in a clade preceding a major cladogenesis event
anabolic reactions	Reactions in cells in which new chemical bonds are formed and new molecules are made; generally require energy, involve
tornado warning	A warning issued to the public that a tornado has been observed by an individual in a specified region
nerve	A bundle of neurons, or nerve cells
dormant	DORE-mənt, -mant/ adj
gross world product	An aggregation of the individual country's Gross Domestic Products to obtain the sum for the world.
tropic of cancer	Latitude of 23.5° North
trip reduction	reducing the total numbers of vehicle trips, by sharing rides or consolidating trips with diverse goals into fewer trips.
dyad	DIE-ad/ n
income elasticity	This is the ratio of the percentage change in quantity of demand for a good or service to a one percentage change in income
hydraulic gradient	The slope of the water table or aquifer
exoskeleton	n
geographical coordinate system	System that uses the measures of latitude and longitude to locate points on the spherical surface of the Earth.
leaflet	In a compound leaf, the individual blades are called leaflets.
ozone	Ozone, the triatomic form of oxygen (O3), is a gaseous atmospheric constituent
drumlin	n
crown group	All the taxa descended from a major cladogenesis event, recognized by possessing the clade's synapomorphy
aperture	Small opening, for example the opening in the test of a foram.
air	so–called "pure" air is a mixture of gases containing about 78 percent nitrogen; 21 percent oxygen; less than 1 percent of carbon dioxide, argon, and other inert gases; and varying amounts of water vapor
photosynthsis	The process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen
meteor	A body of matter that enters the Earth's atmosphere from space
second law of thermodynamics	This law states that heat can never pass spontaneously from a colder to a hotter body
proleg	A proleg is one of the peg-like legs on the abdomen (hind region) of a caterpillar
water table	level below the earth's surface at which the ground becomes saturated with water
genus	n
histones	proteins attached to the DNA of eukaryotes which allows it to be packaged into chromosomes.
retrofitting	installing modern pollution control devices at facilities without making major changes to the facility's design.
coastal plain	The level land with generally finer and fertile soils downstream of the piedmont and fall line, where tidal influence is felt in the rivers.
eutrophication	The fertilization of surface waters by nutrients that were previously scarce
catalytic converters	A filter fitted to car exhausts to help remove pollution.
terminal fall velocity	Velocity at which a particle being transported by wind or water falls out of the moving medium
tentacles	Appendages which are flexible, because they have no rigid skeleton
melanin	Substance used by invertebrates to (among other functions) encapsulate parasites
extinction	The global disappearance of an entire species.
striations	Grooves of scratches found in surface rock that are the result of glacial abrasion.
epithelial tissue	One of the four basic tissues of the body
gust front	A boundary found ahead of a thunderstorm that separates cold storm downdrafts from warm humid surface air
continental margin	n
phytoplankton	The plant and algae component of the plankton; the primary producers of almost all marine food webs
cancer	unregulated growth of changed cells; a group of changed, growing cells (tumor).
arms race	Occurs when an adaptation in one species reduces the fitness of individuals in another species, thereby selecting in favor of counter-adaptations in the other species
mammilla	n
pleurae	In trilobites and other arthropods, pleurae are elongated flat outgrowths from each body segment, that overlie and protect the appendages.
seep	a spot where water contained in the ground oozes slowly to the surface and often forms a pool; a small spring.
platyhelminthes	flatworms
generalist species	Species that can survive and tolerate a broad range of environmental conditions.
brevitoxin	neurotoxin produced by the dinoflagellate Ptychodiscus brevis.
barachois	n
eugenics	the study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding.
streptophytes	The clade consisting of the plants plus their closest relatives, the charophytes.
hair hygrometer	Hygrometer that uses the expansion and contraction of hair to determine atmospheric humidity.
sedimentary cycle	biogeochemical cycle in which materials primarily are moved from land to sea and back again.
precipitable water	Amount of water potentially available in the atmosphere for precipitation
petal	One of the outer appendages of a flower, located between the outer sepals and the stamens
capillary	Type of testing for blood lead that involves the drawing of blood from a capillary such as through a finger prick
landfall	The coastline location where a tropical storm or hurricane moves from ocean onto land.
phosphate	an ion consisting of a phosphorus atom and four oxygen atoms
shoot	Usually, the above ground portion of a plant, bearing the leaves
headlands	A strip of land that juts seaward from the coastline
easement	a limited right to make use of a property owned by another, for example, a right of way across the property.
creek	a small stream of water which serves as the natural drainage course for a drainage basin
mesocyclone	A cylinder of cyclonically flowing air that form vertically in a severe thunderstorm
equinox	Two days during the year when the declination of the Sun is at the equator
lung cancer	Cancer that forms in tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining air passages
brown fields	a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, then abandoned; abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use; land previously used for industrial purposes or certain commercial uses that may be contaminated by low concentration of hazardous waste or pollution and has the potential to be reused once it is cleaned up
sugar	Type of carbohydrate chemically based on carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.
subtropical jet stream	Relatively fast uniform winds concentrated within the upper atmosphere in a narrow band
soil science	The study of soils from an interdisciplinary perspective.
node	The region of a stem between two internodes, where there is branching of the vascular tissue into leaves or other appendages.
adaptation	1
subsidence	Lowering or sinking of the Earth's surface.
parapodia	A sort of "false foot" formed by extension of the body cavity
plucking	Erosive process of particle detachment by moving glacial ice
marl	n
dendritic cell	den-DRIT-ik/ A type of leukocyte that functions as an antigen-presenting cell, activating T lymphocytes
wetting and drying	Physical weathering process where rocks are mechanically disintegrated by the accumulation of successive layers of water molecules in between the mineral grains of a rock
ice age	An ice age or glacial period is characterized by a long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's climate, resulting in growth of continental ice sheets and mountain glaciers (glaciation).
terminal moraine	Moraine that marks the maximum advance of a glacier.
biosphere	the earth and all its ecosystems.
alternation of generations	Life cycle in which haploid and diploid generations alternate with each other.
quality assurance/quality control	A system of procedures, checks, audits, and corrective actions to ensure that all research design and performance, environmental monitoring and sampling, and other technical and reporting activities achieve the program's desired data quality objectives (DQOs).
capillary water	Water that moves horizontally and vertically in soils by the process of capillary action
acid rain	Rain, snow, hail and fog which is acidic, as a result of pollution
littoral drift	The sediment that is transported by waves and currents through beach drift and longshore drift along coastal areas.
neutral atmosphere	Condition in the atmosphere where isolated air parcels do not have a tendency to rise or sink
silica	amorphous silicon dioxide (glass)
tuberculation	development or formation of small mounds of corrosion products on the inside of iron pipe
rate	A measure of the frequency with which an event occurs in a defined population.
ground water	Fresh water located underground.
ancestor	Any organism, population, or species from which some other organism, population, or species is descended by reproduction.
stage ii controls	Mechanisms on gasoline pumps designed to control and capture vapors during vehicle fueling.
troposphere	The region of the Earth's atmosphere 0-10 km above the planet's surface.
species	a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offsprin
desertification	Conversion of marginal rangeland or cropland to a more desert like land type
stream	A long narrow channel of water that flows as a function of gravity and elevation across the Earth's surface
endangered species	A species found in nature that has so few surviving individuals that the it could soon become extinct in all or most of its natural range
entomophily	Seed plants which are pollinated by insects are said to be entomophilous.
threatened	A species that is likely to become endangered if not protected.
surface wave	Type of seismic wave that travels across the Earth's surface
endangered species	a species threatened with extinction; species whose continued existence is threatened; population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters
dendrochronology	den-droh-krə-NAWL-ə-jee/ n
low-carbon technology	A technology that over its life cycle causes less CO2-eq
parasitism	Biological interaction between species where a parasite species feeds on a host species.
electromagnetic spectrum	See spectrum.
mountains	the land region in South Carolina that is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is characterized by cooler climates and major changes in elevation
snow line	Altitudinal or latitudinal limit separating zones where snow does not melt during the summer season from areas in which it does
snow water equivalent	The equivalent volume/mass of water that would be produced if a particular body of snow or ice was melted.
mercury barometer	Type of barometer that measures changes in atmospheric pressure by the height of a column of mercury in a U-shaped tube which has one end sealed and the other end immersed in an open container of mercury
micron	a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter; the unit of measure for wavelength.
centripetal force	Force required to keep an object moving in a circular pattern around a center of rotation
epicenter	Point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
valley	A linear depression in the landscape that slopes down to a stream, lake or the ocean
hypotonic	a solution with a lower osmotic pressure (concentration) is hypotonic or less dense
lysosome	Eukaryotic organelle which carries digestive enzymes
oceanic crust	Basaltic portion of the Earth's crust that makes up the ocean basins
aquaculture	the controlled rearing of fish or shellfish by people or corporations who own the harvestable product, often involving the capture of the eggs or young of a species from wild sources, followed by rearing more intensively than possible in nature.
cambrian explosion	Great diversification of multicellular life forms in the Earth's oceans that started during the Cambrian about 570 million years ago.
dem	digital elevation model
channel	a natural or artificial watercourse that continuously or intermittently contains water, with definite bed and banks that confine all but overbanking streamflows.
tropical depression	An organized group of thunderstorms often found over a tropical ocean that generates a cyclonic flow of between 37 and 63 kilometers per hour
crust	Earth's outer most layer of solid rock
instream use	use of water that does not require withdrawal or diversion from its natural watercourse; for example, the use of water for navigation, recreation, and support of fish and wildlife.
glacier	A large long lasting accumulation of snow and ice that develops on land
spectrum	Is a graph that describes the quantity of radiation that is emitted from a body at particular wavelengths.
snowfield	An area of permanent snow accumulation
fermentation	Fer`men·ta'tion noun [ Confer French fermentation .] 1
coniferous	cone bearing plant without flowers that keeps it leaves all year long
acid rain	Natural rainfall which contains nitric and sulfuric acids due to oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide discharged into the air by industries, power plants, and automobiles.
runoff	The topographic flow of water from precipitation to stream channels located at lower elevations
stalinization	The accumulation of salts in soils.
dejecta	də-JEK-tə, dee-/ n
kirchoff's law	This law suggests that good emitters of radiation are also good absorbers of radiation at specific electromagnetic radiation wavelength bands
sea-level pressure	Average atmospheric pressure at sea-level
probability	Statistical chance that an event will occur.
natural selection	The main mechanism of evolutionary change
groundwater	Water found underground as a result of rainfall, ice and snow melt, submerged rivers, lakes, and springs
externalities	Occur when a change in the production or consumption of one individual or firm affects indirectly the well-being of another individual or firm
silcretes	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of silica.
liquid	A state of matter where molecules have the ability to flow and the surface of this mass displays the property of surface tension.
evapotranspiration	The combined process of water evaporation from the Earth's surface and transpiration from vegetation.
cloture	the formal end to a debate or filibuster in the Senate requiring a three-fifths vote.
in-situ oxidation	technology that oxidizes contaminants dissolved in groundwater, converting them into insoluble compounds.
mtoc	(microtubule organizing center) MTOCs are bundles of protein tubes which may be found at the base of a eukaryotic flagellum
flood	Inundation of a land surface that is not normally submerged by water from quick change in the level of a water body like a lake, stream, or ocean.
neutron	Atomic sub-particle found in the nucleus of an atom
spore bank	Spores resting in soil or sediments.
battery electric vehicle	A vehicle that runs on electricity stored in batteries and has an electric motor rather than an internal combustion engine
anaerobic	Not containing oxygen or not requiring oxygen.
instability	Atmospheric condition where a parcel of air is warmer that the surrounding air in the immediate environment
in articulo mortis	movement of the blood from the hear and arteries into the capillaries and veins which occurs at the moment of death
homozygous	having two identical alleles of a gene
cellulose	A type of carbohydrate
urbanization	The conversion of land from a natural state or managed natural state (such as agriculture) to cities; a process driven by net rural-to-urban migration through which an increasing percentage of the population in any nation or region come to live in settlements that are defined as 'urban centers'.
resolution	a formal statement from Congress.
interbasin transfer	the physical transfer of water from one watershed to another; regulated by the Texas Water Code.
paternoster lakes	A linear series of mountain valley lakes that are formed from glacial erosion
anthropoda	insects, spiders and crustaceans
wave period	The time elapsed for a wave to travel the distance of one wavelength.
synonym	describes a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another
sinusoidal equal-area projection	Map projection that represents areas in their true form on a two-dimensional map
public transportation	various forms of shared-ride services, including buses, vans, trolleys, and subways, which are intended for conveying the public.
collaborative	Educational collaboratives are formed through an agreement among two or more school committees to provide educational programs or services for their member school systems
pressure	Is defined as the force acting on a surface from another mass per unit area.
cimmerian terranes	n
osmosis	the passive movement of water molecules, across a partially permeable membrane, from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration.
basal group	The earliest diverging group within a clade; for instance, to hypothesize that sponges are basal animals is to suggest that the lineage(s) leading to sponges diverged from the lineage that gave rise to all other animals.
sustainable development	Development that meets the cultural, social, political and economic needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
solar system	The collection of celestial bodies that orbit around the Sun.
vulnerable	A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events
gene mutation	random, rare change in genetic material
population	The number of individuals of a particular species that live within a defined area.
species diversity	Number of different species in a given region.
wood	A secondary tissue found in seed plants which consists largely of xylem tissue.
upslope fog	Fog produced by air flowing over topographic barriers
wetland	An area of land that is periodically saturated with water, which influences the types of plants and animals that can live there
pump station	mechanical device installed in sewer or water system or other liquidcarrying pipelines to move the liquids to a higher level.
vertical transmission	Parasite transmission from parent to offspring.
coenocytic	Condition in which an organism consists of filamentous cells with large central vacuoles, and whose nuclei are not partitioned into separate compartments
earthquake focus	Point of stress release in an earthquake.
dyne	A unit of force that creates an acceleration on a mass of 1 gram equal to 1 centimeter per second
abdomen	Region of the body furthest from the mouth
plantigrade	Animals that are plantigrade walk in a flat-footed manner
fixed energy	A process, like photosynthesis, where organisms repackage inorganic energy into organic energy.
regression	(n) A drop in sea level that causes an area of the land to be uncovered by seawater.
xylem	Water-conducting tissue of vascular plants.
solar radiation	Electromagnetic radiation that originates from the Sun
majority leader	the leader of the majority party in either the House or the Senate.
enations	Flaps of tissue such as those found on psilophytes.
pollen	The microspore of seed plants.
accountability	Refers to the basic principle that the manager responsible for a service such as MSWM should have the authority to control all of the necessary functions of the organisation, and in return should take both
esker	Long twisting ridges of sand and gravel found on the Earth's surface
basaltic magma	Mafic magma that forms basaltic igneous rocks.
precambrian shield	Another term for shield.
chlorophyll	Green pigment found in plants and some bacteria used to capture the energy in light through photosynthesis.
dermatology	derm-ə-TAWL-ə-jee/ n
ecosystem	All living things and nonlivings things in an area, as well as the interactions between them.
life cycle assessment	methodology developed to assess a product's full environmental costs, from raw material to final disposal.
bioaccumulate	certain metals and organic pollutants tend to bioaccumulate, meaning they accumulate in muscle or fatty tissue of organisms and dramatically increase in concentration as they move up the food chain.
sporophyll	Any leaf which bears sporangia is called a sporophyll.
grass	Type of plant that has long slender leaves that extend from a short stem or the soil surface.
chloroplast	A chlorophyll-containing plastid found in algal and green plant cells.
coelom	Body cavity or space between the body wall and the digestive tract.
autotroph	An autotroph (or producer) is an organism that makes its own food from light energy or chemical energy without eating
tracheophyte	Any member of the clade of plants possessing vascular tissue; a vascular plant.
passive remote sensing	Form of remote sensing where the sensor passively captures electromagnetic radiation reflected or emitted by an object.
pulmonary	Relating to or affecting the lungs.
dysplasia	dis-PLAYZ-yə/ n
interference	Form of competition where an individual directly prevents the physical establishment of another individual in a portion of a habitat.
undercurrent	a current below the upper currents or surface of a fluid body.
cost recovery	Recovering the cost of MSWM or other municipal services from the users
raindrop impact	Force exerted by a falling raindrop on a rock, sediment, or soil surface.
luciferin	compound whose activated form emits light.
updraft	Upward movement of air.
anagensis	Evolutionary change along an unbranching lineage; change without speciation.
sex allocation	Allocation of resources into male and female functions
global warming	An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth
carbamates	a class of new-age pesticides that attack the nervous system of organisms.
echolocation	the use of high frequency sound waves to determine the position of nearby objects
refraction	Process where insolation is redirect to a new direction of travel after entering another medium.
trophic composition	that portion of an Index of Biotic Integrity that is a metric measuring the proportion of species and proportions of omnivores, insectivores, and omnivores.
allele	One of the alternative forms of a particular gene
synapomorphy	A character which is derived, and because it is shared by the taxa under consideration, is used to infer common ancestry.
emergent property	A characteristic of a system as a whole that comes into existence from the organization of the system’s parts rather than from characteristics of any of the parts themselves.
worldview	A person’s comprehensive conception or image of the surrounding world and his relation to it
combustion	The act or instance of burning some type of fuel, such as gasoline, to produce energy
ground temperature	The temperature of the ground near the surface (often within the first 10 cm)
global warming	This leads to an expansion of the ocean volume and hence an increase in sea level.
sea level equivalent	The change in global average sea level that would occur if a given amount of water or ice were added to or removed from the oceans.
amino acid	unit molecule from which proteins are constructed by polymerization.
entisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
zygote	The product of gamete fusion
black body	Is a body that emits electromagnetic radiation, at any temperature, at the maximum possible rate per unit surface area
swell	A relatively smooth ocean wave that travels some distance from the area of its generation.
amber	Fossilization where the organism is entrapped in resin and preserved whole.
fermentation	originally, the foaming that occurs during the manufacture of wine and beer, a process at least 10,000 years old
respiration	The process whereby living organisms convert organic matter to carbon dioxide, releasing energy and consuming molecular oxygen.
parsimony	Refers to a rule used to choose among possible cladograms, which states that the cladogram implying the least number of changes in character states is the best.
value added	The net output of a sector or activity after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs.
viscosity	The amount of the resistance to flow in a fluid due to intermolecular friction.
cytoskeleton	Integrated system of molecules within eukaryotic cells which provides them with shape, internal spatial organization, motility, and may assist in communication with other cells and the environment
primate	Primates are mammals that include monkeys, apes, lemurs (prosimians), and people
jointed	When stiff body parts are connected by a soft flexible region, the body is said to be jointed.
overthrust fault	Fault produced by the fracturing of rock in a fold because of intense compression.
technology transfer	The exchange of knowledge, hardware and associated software, money and goods among stakeholders, which leads to the spreading of technology for adaptation or mitigation
phragmoplast	The cell plate formed during cell division.
generalist	A species that can live in many different habitats and can feed on a number of different organisms
erosion	the wearing away of the land surface by wind, water, ice or other geologic agents
endemic	Permanent presence of a parasite population in a host population
loess	type of soil
geologic province	n
dispersal	The spreading of plants, animals or microorganisms from one place to another by their own movement or when carried by wind, water, animals or machines.
wave trough	Area in between wave crests.
nuclear energy	Energy released when the nucleus of an atom experiences a nuclear reaction like the spontaneous emission of radioactivity, nuclear fission, or nuclear fusion.
particulate matter	"Particles" or "particulate matter" are terms used to describe the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the atmosphere
sinkhole	A pit like hole in found in areas of karst
monsoonal	adj
work	Any activity, physical or mental, carried out in the course of a business, occupation or a profession.
adenosine triphosphate	A common form in which energy is stored in living systems; consists of a nucleotide (with ribose sugar) with three
discodactylous	DISK-oh-DAK-təl-əs/ adj
depilate	DEP-ə-late/ v
headgate	the gate that controls water flow into irrigation canals and ditches
emissivity	The ratio of total radiative output from a body per unit time per unit area at a specific temperature and wavelength to that of a black body under the same environmental conditions.
gneiss	A metamorphosed coarse grained igneous rock
biodiversity	The variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.
coal	A dark-colored solid fossil fuel that can be mined from the Earth
amphibian	a cold-blooded vertebrate that spends some time on land but must breed and develop into an adult in water
navier-stokes equations	a set of equations that describe the physics governing the motion of a fluid
siphonostele	When a plant's vascular tissue develops as a central cylinder, it is said to have a siphonostele
hydrological systems	The systems involved in movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, including both the hydrologic cycle and water resources.
seed bank	Collection of seeds available for germination in the soil.
dependent variable	Variable in a statistical test whose observation's values are thought to be controlled through cause and effect by another independent variable modeled in the test.
wet deposition	The process by which chemicals are removed from the atmosphere and deposited on the Earth's surface via rain, sleet, snow, cloudwater, and fog.
notochord	Characteristic of chordates, the notochord is a stiff rod of tissue along the back of the body
gravity	Is the process where any body of mass found in the universe attracts other bodies with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance that separates them
consumer	Any organism which must consume other organisms (living or dead) to satisfy its energy needs
density dependence	Indicates that the intensity of a process depends on the density of a population
operable unit	a term used by the Superfund program to describe a discrete action that comprises an incremental step toward comprehensively addressing site problems
tidal period	Time it takes for one tidal cycle.
lophophore	Complex ring of hollow tentacles used as a feeding organ
dissect	də-SECT or DIE-sect/ v
sessile	Immobile because of an attachment to a substrate (i.e
mastigoneme	Small hair-like filaments found on the "hairy" flagellum of the Chromista.
inversely proportional	Cause and effect relationship between two variables where a positive or negative change in the quantity of one causes a predictable opposite change in quantity in the other.
outwash plain	A flat or gentle sloping surface of glaciofluvial sediments deposited by meltwater streams at the edge of a glacier
solar panel	A device that can convert energy from the sun into energy for people to use
fujita tornado intensity scale	Tornado classification system developed by T
dorsal	anatomy of or on the back: relating to or situated on the back of the body.
pressure melting point	Temperature at which minerals deep within the Earth and ice below the surface of a glacier are caused to melt because of the introduction of pressure.
milankovitch theory	Theory proposed by Milutin Milankovitch that suggests that changes in the Earth's climate are cause by variations in solar radiation received at the Earth's surface
bar	measurement of pressure
hydrostatic pressure	Force caused by water under pressure.
finite volume	a method of solving the governing equations of a numerical model by dividing the spatial domain into a mesh of nodes and corresponding volumes around each node
atom	The smallest indivisible particle of
continental ice sheet	See continental glacier.
natural resource	any form of matter or energy obtained from the environment that meets human needs.
salt marsh	A coastal habitat consisting of salt-resistant plants residing in an organic-rich sediment accreting toward sea level.
oxisol	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
non-ionizing radiation	A form of electromagnetic radiation that does not have enough energy to cause ionization of atoms in living tissue
proboscis	Elongated organ, usually associated with the mouth
gasoline	petroleum fuel, used to power cars, trucks, lawn mowers, etc.
volcanic	adj
mollusk	The invertebrate phylum which contains bivalves (i.e
copper sulphate	the product used for treating wines with hydrogen sulphide odour or the smell of rotten eggs
obligation limitation	An annual Congressional restriction or ceiling on the amount of Federal assistance that may be obligated during a specific period of time
haze	When particles of dust, pollen, or pollution make the air less clear, and limit visibility.
fecundity	The number of eggs produced per female per unit time (often: per spawning season)
high seas	international ocean water under no single country's legal jurisdiction.
threshold velocity	Velocity required to cause entrainment in the erosional agents of wind, water or ice
insect	Relatively small and simple animals that have a rigid external skeleton, three body sections, three pairs of legs, and antennae
native species	Species that normally exists and reproduces in a specific region of the Earth
data limitations	Specific information related to the quality or completeness of the data that will helps in understanding it correctly.
hydrocarbon	Any of a large number of compounds containing various combinations of hydrogen and carbon atoms
urban runoff	storm water from city streets and adjacent domestic or commercial properties that carries pollutants of various kinds into the sewer systems and receiving waters.
hydrology	Field of physical geography that studies the hydrosphere.
decomposition	The breakdown of matter by bacteria and fungi
radionuclide	Radioactive particle, man-made or natural
squall line	A band of thunderstorm development found ahead of a cold front.
plastics	durable and flexible synthetic-based products, some of which are difficult to recycle and pose problems with toxic properties, especially PVC plastic.
inversion	A meteorological condition in which the temperature of the atmosphere rises with increased elevation instead of falling, creating a stagnant layer of air near the ground.
fecal coliform	the portion of the coliform bacteria group which is present in the intestinal tracts and feces of warm-blooded animals
glacial polish	The abrasion of bedrock surfaces by materials carried on the bottom of a glacier
precipitable water	The total amount of atmospheric water vapor in a vertical column of unit cross-sectional area
oligotrophic lake	Lake with a low supply of nutrients in its waters
mass	Refers to the amount of material found in an object (usually of unit volume).
protostele	When a plant's vascular tissue develops in a solid central bundle, it is said to have a protostele
crustaceans	The class of aquatic Arthropods including copepods, isopods, amphipods, barnacles, shrimp, and crabs which are characterized by having jointed appendage and gills.
paleosol	A soil exhibiting features that are the result of some past conditions and processes.
population	A group or number of people living within a specified area or sharing similar characteristics (such as occupation or age).
diplophase	DIP-low-faze/ n
diurnal temperature range	The difference between the maximum and minimum temperature during a 24-hour period.
temperate	Region in which the climate undergoes seasonal change in temperature and moisture
pedology	The scientific study of soils.
santa ana wind	A warm, dry chinook like wind that occurs in southern California
kingdom protoctista	protozoa and algae
rhizome	n
specific gravity	The ratio of the mass of a body to the mass of an identical volume of water at a specific temperature.
representative fraction	The expression of map scale as a mathematical ratio.
cirrus clouds	High altitude cloud composed of ice crystals
zooplankton	Animal component of the plankton that feed on phytoplankton and other zooplankton (primary consumers)
anther	The pollen producing tip of a stamen; part of a flower
jetty	a structure (as a pier or mole of wood or stone) extending into a sea, lake, or river to influence the current or tide or to protect a harbor.
ultraviolet radiation	Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.1 and 0.4 micrometers (µm).
ozone layer	A layer of ozone high up in the atmosphere, which shields us from the harmful rays of the Sun.
community	Refers to all the populations of interacting species found in a specific area or region at a certain time.
genetic variation	Degree to which members of a population differ at certain loci.
facilitation	Modification of a system that makes subsequent modifications easier.
precession of the equinox	Wobble in the Earth's polar axis
photochemical smog	A combination of fog and chemicals that come from automobile and factory emissions and is acted upon by the action of the sun
groundwater recharge	the inflow to a ground water reservoir.
spatial isolation	Reproductive isolation of two or more populations of a species by distance or physical barriers
habitat	The immediate space where an animal or plant lives and has food, water and protection
sustainable development	Doing things in a way that does not reduce the opportunities of future generations to meet their needs
respirable asbestos fibre	Asbestos fibres able to reach the gas exchange regions of the lungs
rhizoid	n
motile	Able to move oneself about, capable of self-locomotion.
reproduction	Process by which new organisms are generated
intestine	The portion of the digestive tract between the stomach and anus; it is the region where most of the nutrients and absorbed.
isotope	One of two or more variations of the same chemical element, differing in the number of neutrons not the number of protons.
anti-degradation clause	part of federal and water quality requirements prohibiting deterioration where pollution levels are above the legal limit.
front	Transition zone between air masses with different weather characteristics.
geographic cycle	Theory developed by William Morris Davis that models the formation of river-eroded landscapes
ice pellets	A type of precipitation
syncytic	see Hexactinellida
deflation hollow	A surface depression or hollow commonly found in arid and semiarid regions caused by wind erosion
sublimation	Process where ice changes into water vapor without first becoming liquid
closed talik	Is a form of localized unfrozen ground (talik) in an area of permafrost
fuel switching	In general this is substituting fuel A for fuel B
stipules	Paired appendages found at the base of the leaves of many flowering plants.
archegonium	The organ on a gametophyte plant which produces the egg cell, and nurtures the young sporophyte.
leeward	Downwind side of an elevated area like a mountain
central vent	The main passage way by which volcanic magma travels to the Earth's surface.
remote sensing	The collection and interpretation of information about an object without physical contact with the object; e.g., satellite imaging, aerial photography, and open path measurements.
agro-ecology	an ecological approach to agriculture that views agricultural areas as ecosystems and is concerned with the ecological impact of agricultural practices; the application of ecological principles to the production of food, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals
test	n
reach	An expanse of a stream channel.
crater	Circular depression in the ground surface created by volcanic activity or asteroid impact.
dimethylformamide	DIE-meth-əl-FORM-ə-mide/ A common solvent; a colorless liquid, miscible with water and most organic liquids.
avalonia	n
discoplacental	DISK-oh-plu-SENT-əl/ adj
utilities	companies (usually power distributors) permitted by a government agency to provide important public services (such as energy or water) to a region; as utilities are provided with a local monopoly, their prices are regulated by the permitting government agency.
traction	Erosional movement of particles by rolling, sliding and shuffling along the eroded surface
banded iron formation	n
synoptic scale	Scale of geographic coverage used on daily weather maps to describe large scale atmospheric phenomenon (for example, mid-latitude cyclone, air masses, fronts, and hurricanes).
gill arches	Stiffenings which support the flesh between the gill slits of chordates
prokaryote	Organisms whose cells have their genetic material in the form of loose strands of DNA found in the cytoplasm
organic soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
sunspot	Dark colored region on the Sun that represents an area of cooler temperatures and extremely high magnetic fields.
demoid	DEM-oid/ adj
flagellin	protein which is the primary component of prokaryotic flagella.
evergreen vegetation	Vegetation that keeps a majority of their leaves or needles throughout the year
climate system	A primary process causes changes in a second process which in turn influences the primary process
riparian	located alongside a watercourse, typically a river.
backshore	Area behind the shore
luvisol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
phosphoresence	see Bioluminescence.
food security	A situation that exists when people have secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth, development and an active and healthy life
true south	Direction of the South Pole from an observer on the Earth.
classification	Process of grouping things into categories.
game fish	a species such as trout, salmon, or bass, caught for sport.
thermosphere	Atmospheric layer above the mesosphere (above 80 kilometers) characterized by air temperatures rising rapidly with height
character	Heritable trait possessed by an organism; characters are usually described in terms of their states, for example: "hair present" vs
frost wedging	A process of physical weathering in which water freezes in a crack and exerts force on the rock causing further rupture.
pathogenic	Capable of causing disease.
mosses	the simplest of all land plants. They are usually very small and do not have true roots, stems or leaves. They must leave near water.
proportional	Cause and effect relationship between two variables where a positive or negative change in the quantity of one causes a predictable similar quantity change in the other.
photon	A discrete unit of radiant energy.
benthic macroinvertebrates	Macroinvertebrates are large, generally soft-bodied organisms that lack backbones
coalescence	Process where two or more falling raindrops join together into a single larger drop because of a midair collision.
transparency	The ability of a medium to allow light to pass through it.
conservation biology	Multidisciplinary science that deals with the conservation of genes, species, communities, and ecosystems that make up Earth's biodiversity
neurodiversity	a movement in support of civil rights of people with atypical neurological characteristics
environmental protection agency	EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts
wet-bulb thermometer	Thermometer on a psychrometer that has a moisten wick on its reservoir bulb
tolerance range	Limits of tolerance a species has to an abiotic factor or condition in the environment.
littoral transport	The process of sediment moving along a coastline
mafic magma	Magma that is relative poor in silica but rich in calcium, magnesium, and iron content
pluton	Any mass of intrusive igneous rock.
blueschist	Metamorphic rock formed under great pressures, but not so great temperatures.
glacial lake	A natural impoundment of meltwater at the front of a glacier.
revenue	Income, especially of large amount from any source.
maritime effect	The effect that large ocean bodies have on the climate of locations or regions
salt lick	n
family planning	a system of limiting family size and the frequency of childbearing by the appropriate use of contraceptive techniques.
intermediate disturbance hypothesis	a theory in ecology which states that the highest levels of diversity are supported at intermediate levels of disturbance (frequency or intensity).
rosette	A series of whorls of leaves or leaf-like structure produced at the base of the stem, just above the ground.
public water system	a system for the provision to the public of water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances. In Texas, a public water system is one that serves at least 15 service connections or serve at least 25 individuals at least 60 days out of the year.
cell	A cell is the smallest self-functioning unit found in living organisms
littoral zone	The zone along a coastline that is between the high and low-water spring tide marks.
bisporangiate	When a flower or cone produces both megaspores and microspores, it is said to be bisporangiate
photosynthesis	A chemical process whereby plants and algae use a sun's energy to make sugars (organic compounds) from carbon dioxide and water (inorganic compounds)
local adaptation	Genetic differentiation attributable to selective forces specific to the local environment
continental plate	A rigid, independent segment of the lithosphere composed of mainly granite that floats on the viscous plastic asthenosphere and moves over the surface of the Earth
myotome	Segment of the body formed by a region of muscle
north magnetic pole	Location in the Northern Hemisphere where the lines of force from Earth's magnetic field are vertical
chemical energy	Energy consumed or produced in chemical reactions.
evaporation	the change by which any substance is converted from a liquid state and carried of in vapor
nematocyst	Older name for a cnidocyst.
heat wave	A long period of abnormally hot weather, typically lasting for several days.
tides	A variation in the surface level of the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun
adjournment	the end of a legislative day or session.
photosynthesis	biochemical process in which light energy is absorbed by chlorophyll, and is used to fuel the building of sugar molecules.
waterfowl	Any of various birds that swim on water, such as ducks, geese and swan or any bird species that is ecologically dependent on aquatic environments such as wetlands.
lung diseases	any disease or damaging conditions in the lung or bronchia such as cancer or emphysema.
compact fluorescents	florescent light bulbs small enough to fit into standard light sockets, which are much more energy-efficient than standard incandescent bulbs.
chrysotile asbestos	This is the type of asbestos used in Fibrous Asbestos Cement materials
endangered species	species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its range.
diffused solar radiation	Solar radiation received by the Earth's atmosphere or surface that has been modified by atmospheric scattering.
wind turbine	A machine that converts energy from the wind into electricity
epifaunal	Plants, animals and bacteria that are attached to the hard bottom or substrate (for example, to rocks or debris); are capable of movement; or that live on the sediment surface.
radiospermic	Having seeds which are round or ovoid
deciduous	də-SID-joo-əs/ adj
thalweg	Line of deepest water in a stream channel as seen from above
pollinia	A mass of fused pollen produced by many orchids.
pediplain	An arid landscape of little relief that is occasionally interrupted by the presence of scattered inselbergs
orographic uplift	Uplift of an air mass because of a topographic obstruction
stratification	The formation, accumulation, or deposition of materials in layers, such as layers of fresh water overlying higher salinity water (salt water) in estuaries.
kelp forest	Marine ecosystem dominated by large kelps
ontogeny	n
tertiary	Geologic period that occurred roughly 1.6 to 65 million years ago
revolution	See Earth revolution.
surface tension	Tension of a liquid's surface
hemoglobin	protein complex found in the blood of most chordates and the roots of certain legumes
seed	Fertilized ovule of a plant that contains an embryo and food products for germination
snow line	The lower limit of permanent snow cover, below which snow does not accumulate.
compound eye	Found in many but not all arthropods, a compound eye is composed of a large number of small, closely packed simple eyes (ommatidia), each with its own lens and nerve receptors.
data quality objectives	Qualitative and quantitative statements of the overall level of uncertainty that a decision-maker will accept in results or decisions based on environmental data
transportation management organization	A voluntary association of public and private agencies and firms joined to cooperatively develop transportation-enhancing programs in a given area
moist adiabatic lapse rate	See saturated adiabatic lapse rate.
dicot	A dicot (Class Magnoliopsida) is a type of flowering plant (an angiosperm) whose seed has two embryonic leaves (cotyledons)
infrastructure	the physical systems and that support community function (roads, sewers, water lines)
tree	Any tall plant, including many conifers and flowering plants, as well as extinct lycophytes and sphenophytes.
social institutions	An established pattern of behaviour or relationships accepted as a fundamental part of a culture.
stereoscope	Low power binoculars with a 3D viewing device.
baseline	The numeric level of nutrient load at a particular point in time that serves to establish nurtient reduction goals and allowances.
recurrent costs	The costs incurred in operating MSWM services
isostatic rebound	The upward movement of the Earth's crust following isostatic depression.
erosion	The removal of weathered sediment or rocks by the forces of wind, water, and ice.
active transport	Transport of molecules against a concentration gradient (from regions of low concentration to regions of high concentration) with the aid of proteins in the cell membrane and energy from
clast	n
endocrine disruptors	substances that stop the production or block the transmission of hormones in the body.
fruit	In flowering plants, the structure which encloses the seeds
particle pollution	A complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets
cancer	A group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled invasive growth of body cells leading to the formation of malignant tumors that tend to grow rapidly and spread (i.e., metastasize).
interbedded	adj
glass	A non-crystaline rock that results from very rapid cooling of magma.
micron	A unit of measure equal to one thousandth of a millimeter
uniformitarianism	Is a theory that rejects the idea that catastrophic forces were responsible for the current conditions on the Earth
race	The classification of humans into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of characteristics
anus	End of the digestive tract, or gut, through which waste products of digestion are excreted, as distinct from the mouth.
diversity	An ecological measure of the variety of organisms present in a habitat.
migratory	Describing groups of organisms which move from one habitat to another on a regular or seasonal basis.
thermohaline circulation	Large-scale circulation in the ocean that transforms low-density upper ocean waters to higher-density intermediate and deep waters and returns those waters back to the upper ocean
drainage pattern	Geometric pattern that a stream's channels take in the landscape
erosional landform	Is a landform formed from the removal of weathered and eroded surface materials by wind, water, glaciers, and gravity
fissure	Opening or crack in the Earth's crust.
volcanic pipe	A dyke reaches the surface of the Earth
cotyledon	n
mesokaryotic	Nuclear condition unique to the dinoflagellates in which the chromosomes remain permanently condensed.
environmental data	any measurements or information that describe environmental processes, location, or conditions; ecological or health effects and consequences; or the performance of environmental technology
zone of saturation	Groundwater zone within the Earth's bedrock where all available pores spaces are filled by water
noctilucent clouds	High altitude clouds composed of ice crystals that appear to glow silver or bright blue shortly after sunset.
gelatin	protein
anaerobic	A living system or process that occurs in or is not destroyed by the absence of oxygen.
land use	The way land is developed and used in terms of the kinds of anthropogenic activities that occur (e.g
wetlands	Arrowhead Regional Development Commission ARDC
nitrogen fixation	Biological or chemical process where gaseous nitrogen is converted into solid forms of nitrogen
water column	an imaginary column extending through a water body from its floor to its surface
dyspepsia	dis-PEP-see-yə/ n
groundwater	water below the earth's surface; the source of water for wells and springs.
positive feedback	Change in the state of a system that enhances the measured effect of the initial alteration.
lee	Side of a slope that is opposite to the direction of flow of ice, wind, or water
sugar	any of several small carbohydrates, such as glucose, which are "sweet" to the taste.
fossil record	All of the fossils that have existed throughout life's history, whether they have been found or not.
erratic	A large rock boulder that has been transported by glaciers away from its origin and deposited in a region of dissimilar rock.
genome	the whole of the genetic information of an organis
piedmont glacier	A large glacier formed from the merger of several alpine glaciers.
coral	An invertebrate animal with a calcium carbonate skeleton; related to the jellyfish and the sea anemone; as corals grow and die, they continue to overgrow their skeletons forming reefs.
discount rate	Used in discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis
body wave	Type of seismic wave that travels through the interior of Earth.
giardia lamblia	a protozoa found in the feces of infected humans and animals that can cause severe gastrointestinal ailments
long wave	A large wave in the polar jet stream and the westerlies that extends from the middle to the upper troposphere
canopy drip	Redirection of a proportion of the rain or snow falling on a plant to the edge of its canopy.
recharge	refers to water entering an underground aquifer through faults, fractures, or direct absorption.
stoss	Side of a slope that faces the direction of flow of ice, wind, or water
blizzard	Winter severe weather condition characterized by strong wind, blowing snow, and cold temperatures.
dermo	Oyster disease caused by the protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus.
magnetic declination	The horizontal angle between true north and magnetic north or true south and magnetic south.
tnt equivalent	a measure of the energy released in the detonation of a nuclear weapon, expressed in terms of the quantity of TNT which would release the same amount of energy.
köppen climate classification	System that uses monthly precipitation and temperature data and total annual precipitation data to classify a location's climate into one of five main categories: Tropical Moist Climates; Dry Climates; Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters; Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters; and Polar Climates
rill	A very small steep sided channel carrying water
ultisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
intermittent stream	A stream that flows only for short periods over a year
rotation	See Earth rotation.
pteridophyte	Plant in which the sporophyte generation is the larger phase and in which the gametophyte lives an existence independent of its parent sporophyte
dextrorotatory	decks-troh-ROTE-tə-tore-ee/ adj
dominant	the tree species that takes up the most total area in a community.
cap	The total nutrient load that is allowed to be discharged into a given water body
integrin	adhesive protein of the extracellular matrix in animals.
aquifer	a geologic formation that will yield water to a well in sufficient quantities to make the production of water from this formation feasible for beneficial use; permeable layers of underground rock or sand that hold or transmit groundwater below the water table.
upwelling region	A region of an ocean where cold, typically nutrient-rich waters from the bottom of the ocean surface.
ice shelf	Large flat layer of ice that extends from the edge of the Antarctic ice cap into the Antarctic Ocean
cold glacier	Glacier in which the ice found from the its surface to base has a temperature as cold as -30° Celsius throughout the year
additive genetic variance	Part of the phenotypic variance of quantitative traits, such as body size or age at maturity
community-based organisation	Community based interest groups formed by the members of a local community to take charge of their interests or to influence events.
instar	Discrete stages of development in insects and crustaceans, whose growth is accomplished by molting.
day length	Period of time for a location on the Earth when insolation from the Sun is being received.
net primary productivity	Total amount of chemical energy fixed by the processes of photosynthesis minus the chemical energy lost through respiration.
soil horizon	Layer within a soil profile that differs physically, biologically or chemically from layers above and/or below it.
immediate improvements	Defined as a number of actions which could improve MSWM services in a city with little effort and at little or no cost
absorption coefficient	a number that is proportional to the "amount" of light removed from a sight path by absorption per unit distance.
panthalassic ocean	n
dyne	DINE/ n
photosphere	Visible surface of Sun from which radiant energy is release.
radiation	The emission of energy from an object in the form of electromagnetic waves and photons.
dacryelcosis	dack-ree-el-KOH-səs/ n
berm	Low hill of sand that forms along coastal beaches.
range	A statistical measure of the dispersion of observation values in a data set
rectangular coordinate system	System that measures the location of points on the Earth on a two-dimensional coordinate plane
earth sciences tradition	Academic tradition in modern Geography that investigates natural phenomena from a spatial perspective.
subtidal	Submerged, not exposed at the lowest tide.
wilting point	The point at which the rate of water leaving a plant's leaves is greater than the water uptake by the roots
peristome	A set of cells or cell parts which surround the opening of a moss sporangium
moribund	death bound, as in the agonal state
logarithmic scale	Measurement scale based on logarithms
stream flow	The flow of water in a river or stream channel.
imbibition	a physical change in which moisture within the body is transferred from one body tissue to another
syngamy	The process of union of two gametes; sometimes called fertilization
cycle	A sequence of repeating events.
catastrophism	General theory that suggests that certain phenomena on the Earth are the result of catastrophic events
paleo-tethys ocean	n
ice shelf	A floating slab of ice of considerable thickness extending from the coast (usually of great horizontal extent with a level or gently sloping surface), often filling embayments in the coastline of the ice sheets
test cross	testing a suspected heterozygote by crossing it with a known homozygous recessiv
bioassay	a test to determine the relative strength of a substance by comparing its effect on a test organism with that of a standard preparation.
rime	Deposit of ice crystals that occurs when fog or super cooled water droplets comes in contact with an object with a temperature below freezing (0° Celsius)
fermentation	A class of biochemical reactions that break down complex organic molecules (such as carbohydrates) into simpler materials (such as ethanol, carbon dioxide, and water)
intertidal	The coastal zone measuring from the lowest to the highest tide mark
cephalon	In trilobites, the head shield bearing the eyes, antennae, and mouth
bipinnate	Describing a pinnate leaf in which the leaflets themselves are further subdivided in a pinnate fashion.
metadata	Documenting data is critical to preserving its usefulness throughout time
magma plume	A rising vertical mass of magma originating from the mantle.
membrane filter	very fine form of sieve filter
brackish	somewhat salty usually the area of water between fresh and salt water.
transgression	(n) A rise in sea level relative to the land.
carbon dioxide	argon and other gases; and, varying amounts of water vapor
gabbro	An intrusive igneous rock that develops from mafic magma and whose mineral crystals are coarse
water consumption	Amount of extracted water irretrievably lost during its use (by evaporation and goods production)
data	Data are recorded observations made on people, objects, or other things that can be counted, measured, or quantified in some way.
alternation of generations	A life cycle in which a multicellular
proboscis	long or tubular mouthparts of certain insects, worms, and spiders, used for feeding, sucking, and other purposes
free ground water	water in interconnected pore spaces in the zone of saturation down to the first impervious barrier, moving under the control of the water table slope.
geomorphology	The field of knowledge that investigates the origin of landforms on the Earth and other planets.
price elasticity of demand	The ratio of the percentage change in the quantity of demand for a good or service to one percentage change in the price of that good or service
contour interval	Difference in elevation between two successive contour lines
erosion	natural movement of the soil affected by weather conditions
frontal lifting	Lifting of a warmer or less dense air mass by a colder or more dense air mass at a frontal transitional zone.
stratosphere	Highly stratified region of atmosphere above the troposphere extending from about 10 km (ranging from 9 km in high latitudes to 16 km in the tropics on average) to about 50 km.
biodiversity	The diversity of different species (species diversity), genetic variability among individuals within each species (genetic diversity), and variety of ecosystems (ecosystem diversity)
alveoli	Tiny, thin-walled, inflatable sacs in the
moratorium	legislative action which prevents a federal agency from taking a specific action or implementing a specific law.
ionosphere	A region in the atmosphere above 50 kilometers from the surface where relatively large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist
filament	Long chain of proteins, such as found in hair, muscle, or in flagella.
caucus	a meeting of a political party, usually to appoint representatives to party positions.
social system	Everything about human society, including its organization and structure, knowledge and technology, language, culture, perceptions and values.
thrust fault	A geologic fault where the hanging wall is forced over the foot wall.
shortwave radiation	Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.1 and 0.7 micrometers (µm)
upwelling	The raising of benthic nutrients to the surface waters
ozone action plan	A State plan proposed to the AQCC reduce ozone levels in the Denver/North Front Range area by 2010.
oxygen	A gas that has no colour or smell
groundwater recharge	The replenishment of groundwater with surface water.
cytoplasm	All the contents of a cell, including the plasma membrane,but not including the nucleus.
ichnology	The study of trace fossils.
brackish water	A mixture of fresh water and salt water.
specialist	A species with a very narrow range in habitat or food requirements
haploid life cycle	Occurs when the only multicellular stage in an organism's life cycle is haploid.
baghouse filter	Large fabric bag, usually made of glass fibers, used to eliminate intermediate and large (greater than PM20 in diameter) particles
erg desert	A region in a desert where sand is very abundant.
diapsid	Diapsids include all the reptiles (except turtles) and birds
wetland	A lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture.
low impact development	A comprehensive land planning and engineering design approach with a goal of maintaining and enhancing the pre-development hydrologic regime of urban and developing watersheds
metamorphic rock	A rock that forms from the recrystallization of igneous, sedimentary or other metamorphic rocks through pressure increase, temperature rise, or chemical alteration.
greenhouse effect	The greenhouse effect causes the atmosphere to trap more heat energy at the Earth's surface and within the atmosphere by absorbing and re-emitting longwave energy
pedon	A basic soil sampling unit
downdraft	Downward movement of air in the atmosphere.
soil moisture	Water stored in or at the land surface and available for evaporation.
dissolved oxygen	amount of oxygen gas dissolved in a given quantity of water at a given temperature and atmospheric pressure
angiosperm	n
alternative foam expansionagent	Alternative foam expansion agent (FEA)refers to FEAs that meet the EPA SNAP rule.
phototactic behavior	Behavior that is expressed in the presence of light stimuli.
chloroplast	Organelle in a cell that contains chlorophyll and produces organic energy through photosynthesis.
clone	Group of organisms that have arisen from a single female by asexual reproduction and are therefore genetically identical
firn	Névé on a glacier that survives the year's ablation season
climate change	Climate change refers to a change in the state of the - climate that can be identified (e.g., by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer
fold	Wavelike layers in rock strata that are the result of compression.
biennial plant	Plant species that completes its life in two growing seasons.
foliar leaching	Process in which water from precipitation removes plant nutrients from the surface of leaves.
backscattering	Portion of solar radiation directed back into space as a result of particle scattering in the atmosphere.
grain	(1) The texture of wood, produced by the kinds of xylem cells present
groundwater	Water that occupies the pore spaces found in some types of bedrock.
interstitial	Space between
upper mantle	Layer of the Earth's interior extending from the base of the crust to 670 kilometers below the surface
light year	Distance that light travels in the vacuum of space in one year
pollination	Pollination is the process in which the male plant's pollen fertilizes the female plant's ovule and creates a seed
seawater	The mixture of water and various dissolved salts found in the world's oceans and seas.
lamina	Any broad and flattened region of a plant or alga, which allows for increased photosynthetic surface area.
revenue recycling	If permits are auctioned, this gives considerable sums of money to be recycled back into the economy, either through a lump sum payment of offsetting other taxes
mw	Megawatt; a unit for describing how much electricity a power plant can generate
trophic level	Layer in the food chain in where one group of organisms serves as the source of nutrition of another group of animals.
input	Addition of matter, energy, or information to a system
specialist	Organism which has adopted a lifestyle specific to a particular set of conditions
unstable atmosphere	Condition in the atmosphere where isolated air parcels have a tendency to rise
headwaters	Upper portion of stream's drainage system.
directed mutagenesis	myoot-ə-JEN-ə-səs/ Alteration of DNA at a specific site in order to study the change's effects.
dissolved load	Portion of the stream load that is in solution in the flowing water.
cellulose	carbohydrate polymer of the simple sugar glucose
fungi	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
subsidence	n
dogger epoch	The Dogger epoch was the middle part of the Jurassic period, about 180 to 159 million years ago.
fish	Group of vertebrate animals that inhabit aquatic habitats.
baltica	n
decimorgan	DES-ə-MORE-gən/ See: Morgan unit.
epiphyte	Type of vegetation that gets its physical support from the branches of other plants
phenotypic plasticity	Phenotypic variation expressed by a single genotype in different environments.
element	A molecule composed of one type of atom
hydrocarbons	compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon
gamete	Reproductive cells which fuse to form a zygote
mesophyte	Plants that have moderate water requirements.
cap and trade	An environmental policy tool that controls large amounts of emissions from a group of sources
nucleotide	unit from which nucleic acids are constructed by polymerization
right of capture	the idea that the water under a person's land belongs to that person and they are free to capture and use as much as they want
abyssal plain	The ocean floor offshore from the continental margin, usually very flat with a slight slope.
cave	A natural cavity or recess that is roughly positioned horizontally to the surface of the Earth.
new crossing	the result of crossing two varieties, with the aim of creating a vine that has improvements upons its parents.
sleet	precipitation which is a mixture of rain and ice.
diploblastic	DIP-loe-BLAST-ik/ adj
selection pressure	A measure of the effectiveness of natural selection in altering the genetic composition of a population
south magnetic pole	Location in the Southern Hemisphere where the lines of force from Earth's magnetic field are vertical
synapsid	n
drumlin	A hill shaped deposit of till
fertilization	The process by which an egg is made capable of generating offspring
cost-benefit analysis	Monetary measurement of all negative and positive impacts associated with a given action
wavelength	Distance between two successive wave crests or troughs.
phytoplankton	Tiny, free-floating, photosynthetic organisms in aquatic systems
thalloid	Plants which have no roots, stems, or leaves are called thalloid, such as liverworts and hornworts.
nuclear energy	energy or power produced by nuclear reactions (fusion or fission).
impressions	Prints or marks made when an organism's body has been compressed (flattened)
seamount	A volcanic mountain found on an ocean basin that has an origin not related to a mid-oceanic ridge or a tectonic subduction zone.
zoonoses	Diseases and infections which are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and people.
coniferous vegetation	Cone-bearing vegetation of middle and high latitudes that are mostly evergreen and that have needle-shaped or scale like leaves
decomposer	A type of detritivore
biochemistry	the study of those molecules used and manufactured by living things.
lotic-adapted species	species for which all or part of their life history is dependent on flowing water.
protein	class of biochemical compounds constructed from amino acids
elastic rebound theory	Theory that describes how earthquakes arise from the horizontal movement of adjacent tectonic plates along a linear strike-slip fault
seaweed	Any large photosynthetic protist, including rhodophytes and kelps
salt marsh	Coastal wetland ecosystem that is inundated for some period of time by seawater
ovary	In flowering plants, the part of the flower which encloses the ovules
roll cloud	A dense, cigar shaped cloud found above the gust front of a thunderstorm
classification	classification or system of designation for the origin with hierachical structure
scavenger	An organism that feeds upon dead and dying organisms.
international date line	A line drawn almost parallel to the 180 degree longitude meridian that marks the location where each day officially begins
brunisol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
talus	An accumulation of angular rock debris from rockfalls.
chronic health effect	A health effect that occurs over a relatively long period of time (e.g., months or years)
mollweide projection	Map projection system that tries to present more accurate representations of area
respiration	Metabolic function consuming oxygen.
style	The narrow stalk of the pistil, located above the ovary but below the stigma.
coastline	The line that separates a land surface from an ocean or sea.
third law of thermodynamics	This law states if all the thermal motion of molecules (kinetic energy) could be removed, a state called absolute zero would result and all energy would be randomly distributed.
state parks	parks and recreation areas owned and administered by the state in which they are located.
wave	A moving swell or ridge on the surface of a solid or liquid or within the medium of a gas
barrage	any artificial obstruction placed in water to increase water level or divert it
ozone layer	The layer of ozone that shields the Earth from the sun's harmful rays.
hygroscopic water	Water held within 0.0002 millimeters of the surface of a soil particle
mantle	That portion of the interior of the Earth that lies between the crust and the core.
endangered species	one having so few individual survivors that the species could soon become extinct in all or part of its region.
hail	Hail is a solid form of precipitation that has a diameter greater than 5 millimeters
ebb tide	Time during the tidal period when the tide is falling
piezometer	a nonpumping well, generally of small diameter, for measuring the elevation of a water table.
species diversity	A measure of both species abundance and species richness
divergent evolution	The evolution of one species to a number of different forms
mass number	Total number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of an atom
zooxanthellae	Symbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium that live in the tissues of a number of marine invertebrates and protists, notably in many foraminiferans, cnidarians, and some mollusks.
open system	system in which energy and matter are exchanged between the system and its environment, for example, a living organism.
scanning electron microscope	n
ovule	In seed plants, the structure which gives rise to the seed.
taxon	n
glucose	a simple sugar, the most common type of carbohydrate, that is produced by plants
community	a group of populations living and interacting with each other in an area
dissection	die-SEX-shən, də-/ n
convection	Convection involves the transfer of heat energy by means of vertical mass motions through a medium.
dewclaw	A dewclaw is a functionless claw that doesn't hit the ground
plate tectonics	Plate tectonics is the theory that chunks of the Earth's crust (plates) float on the surface and change both position and size over time.
nuclear tests	government tests carried out to supply information required for the design and improvement of nuclear weapons, and to study the phenomena and effects associated with nuclear explosions.
rain gage	any instrument used for recording and measuring time, distribution, and the amount of rainfall.
tropical	Region in which the climate undergoes little seasonal change in either temperature or rainfall
colonial	Condition in which many unicellular organisms live together in a somewhat coordinated group
unstable equilibrium	In an unstable equilibrium the system returns to a new equilibrium after disturbance.
pteridosperm	An extinct group of seed plants which bore fern-like leaves.
precambrian	Span of geologic time that dates from 4.6 billion to 570 million years ago
cardiovascular diseases	A group of diseases of the blood vessels that includes coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension.
stream	a general term for a body of flowing water.
carrier	an individual that has one copy of a recessive allele that causes a genetic disease in individuals that are homozygous for this allele
condensation	the process by which molecules in the atmosphere collide and adhere to small particles.
aerobic	life or processes that require, or are not destroyed by, the presence of oxygen.
range	To vary within specified limits.
ecotone	a transition zone between two distinctly different ecosystems or communities.
epa	The United States agency charged with setting policy and guidelines, and carrying out legal mandates for the protection of national interests in environmental resources.
precipitation	Water falling to the Earth
absorption	the process by which incident light is removed from the atmosphere and retained by a particle.
ethanol	alcohol in wine
caldera volcano	Explosive type of volcano that leaves a large circular depression
sunrise	Moment of time when the Sun's edge first appears above the Earth's horizon.
arterioles	The smallest arteries; usually branch into a
undulipodium	Another term for a eukaryotic flagellum.
canopy	Layer of vegetation elevated above the ground, usually of tree braches and epiphytes
grassland	Ecosystem whose dominant species are various types of grass
congressional record	a document published by the government printing office recording all debates, votes and discussions taking place in the Congress; available for free inspection at all government document repositories, as well as in some major libraries.
membrane	In biology, a boundary layer inside or around a living cell or tissue.
spermatophyte	A seed plant.
organic	Containing carbon-to-carbon bonds.
competitive exclusion	Situation where no two competitively interacting species can occupy exactly the same fundamental niche indefinitely because of resource limitations
embryophyte	Synonym for the Plantae, as here defined
geothermal energy	Heat from inside the Earth
tsunami	Large ocean wave created from an earthquake or volcanic eruption
monera	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
cryosol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
moho discontinuity	The lower boundary of the crust
completion	sealing off access of undesireable water to the well bore by proper casing and/or cementing procedures.
endangered	A species or ecosystem that is so reduced or delicate that it is threatened with or on the verge of extinction
coral	The term "coral" has several meanings, but is usually the common name for the Order Scleractinia, all members of which have hard limestone skeletons, and which are divided into reef-building and non-reef-building, or cold- and warm-water corals.
sea-floor spreading	The process of oceanic crust creation and sea-floor movement that occurs at the mid-oceanic ridge.
landward	Positioned or located away from a water body but towards the land.
plate tectonics	refers to the folding and faulting of rock and flow of molten lava involving lithospheric plates in the earth's crust and upper mantle.
reproduction	The manufacture of offspring as part of an organism's life cycle
soil	Unconsolidated materials above bedrock.
kame	A steep conical hill composed of glaciofluvial sediments
whorl	An arrangement of appendages, such as branches or leaves, such that all are equally spaced around the stem at the same point, much like the spokes of a wheel or the ribs of an umbrella
steady state equilibrium	In this type of equilibrium the average condition of the system remains unchanged over time.
glacial milk	Term used to describe glacial meltwater which has a light colored or cloudy appearance because of clay-sized sediment held in suspension.
carapace	Hard shell of crustaceans.
drainage wind	A wind common to mountainous regions that involves heavy cold air flowing along the ground from high to low elevations because of gravity
uncertainty	An expression of the degree to which a value (e.g., the future state of the climate system) is unknown
gps	Global Positioning System; a navigational system using satellite signals to fix the location of a radio receiver on or above the earth's surface; a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on or near the Earth
allele	one specific form of a gene, differing from other alleles by one or a few bases only and occupying the same gene locus as other alleles of the gene
haploid	Cell that contains only one set of chromosomes
monophyletic	Term applied to a group of organisms which includes the most recent common ancestor of all of its members and all of the descendants of that most recent common ancestor
mouth	End of a stream
perched water table	Water table that is positioned above the normal water table for an area because of the presence of a impermeable rock layer.
turbidity flow	n
pycnocline	The zone between waters with different densities
unconformity	Any interruption of the continuity of a depositional sequence.
muscle	Bundle of contractile cells which allow animals to move
estuary	Somewhat enclosed coastal area at the mouth of a river where nutrient rich fresh water meets with salty ocean water.
inceptisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
neap tide	Tide that occurs every 14 to 15 days and coincides with the first and last quarter of the moon
divergence	Horizontal outflow of wind from an area
dextrocardia	decks-troh-KARD-ee-yə/ n
glacial ice	A very dense form frozen water that is much harder than snow, névé, or firn.
asthma	A disease that affects a person’s lungs and can make it difficult to breathe
plankton	Small or microscopic algae and organisms associated with surface water and the water column.
morphotype	n
cataphyll	In cycads, a scale-like modified leaf which protects the developing true leaves.
extinct	no longer existing
haze	an atmospheric condition marked by a slight reduction in atmospheric visibility, resulting from the formation of photochemical smog, radiation of heat from the ground surface on hot days, or the development of a thin mist.
cold front	A transition zone in the atmosphere where an advancing cold air mass displaces a warm air mass.
magnetosphere	Zone that surrounds the Earth that is influenced by the Earth's magnetic field.
core	That portion of the interior of the Earth that lies beneath the mantle, and goes all of the way to the center
glacial valley	Valley that was influenced by the presence of glaciers
tube feet	Extensions of the water-vascular system of echinoderms, protruding from the body and often ending in suckers
kame terrace	A long flat ridge composed of glaciofluvial sediment
current	the portion of a stream or body of water which is moving with a velocity much greater than the average of the rest of the water
symbiosis	n
snow melt	Conversion of snow into runoff and groundwater flow with the onset of warmer temperatures.
invertebrate	Animal that does not have a backbone
flood tide	Time during the tidal period when the tide is rising
cyclical parthenogenesis	Mode of reproduction in which phases of parthenogenetic (asexual) and sexual reproduction alternate
tmdls	"Total Maximum Daily Load" or TMDL
andesite	Igneous volcanic rock, less mafic than basalt, but more mafic than dacite; rough volcanic equivalent of diorite.
brood chamber	Space between the thorax and the dorsal carapace of Cladocera in which the oviduct ends and the eggs develop
commensialism	Biological interaction between tospecies where one species benefits in terms of fitness while they other experiences no effect on its fitness.
tropic of capricorn	Latitude of 23.5° South
nivation hollow	Ground depression found in periglacial areas that is created by nivation.
comet	A large mass of ice and dust that has an orbit around a star.
autotroph	Any organism that is able to manufacture its own food
drinking water violations	A failure to meet any state or federal drinking water regulation.
neuron	A specialized cell that can react to stimuli and transmit impulses
ion	An atom, molecule or compound that carries either a positive (cation) or negative (anion) electrical charge.
suspension	Erosional movement of sediment continually held in the transport medium of air, water or ice.
prevailing wind	Dominant direction that a wind blows from for a location or region.
dr. william harvey	an influential person in medical embalming who discovered the circulation of blood in 1628
reticulation	Joining of separate lineages on a phylogenetic tree, generally through hybridization or through lateral gene transfer
compass	Navigation instrument that uses the Earth's magnetic field to determine direction.
economies in transition	Countries with their economies changing from a planned economic system to a market economy.
magnetic reversal	A change in the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field
adaptation	Any change in the structure or function of an organism which makes it better suited to its environment
species abundance	The total number of individual of a species within a given area or community
mean solar day	Time it takes to complete one Earth rotation relative to the position of the Sun (for example, from midnight to midnight)
microspore	In plants which are heterosporous, the smaller kind of spore is called a microspore; it usually germinates into a male (sperm-producing) gametophyte
ice	Frozen form of the water molecule
one-tailed statistical test	Is an inferential statistical test where the values for which one can reject the null hypothesis are located entirely in one side of the center of the probability distribution.
stream load	Refers to the material or sediment carried by a stream
cloud radiative forcing	The impact of clouds on the irradiance at the top of the atmosphere.
quadrat	An ecological sampling unit that consists of a square frame of known area
nesting	To build a nest: to make or live in a nest, especially in preparation for giving birth to young.
mycorrhizae	Symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots or rhizoids of a plant
distributary	A smaller branching stream channel that flows away from a main stream channel
vertebra	A component of the vertebral column, or backbone, found in vertebrates.
storm track	The path taken by a storm (thunderstorm, mid-latitude cyclone or hurricane) or the average path taken by storms.
geomorphologic change	changes in the folds, faults, structural shapes and effects of the earth's surface and the processes that create them.
species richness	The number of different species that exist within a given area or community
armoring	the formation of an erosion-resistant layer of relatively large particles on a streambed or bank resulting from removal of finer particles by erosion.
chordate	n
holdfast	Anchoring base of an alga.
hydrolysis	the decomposition of organic compounds by interaction with water.
toxic release inventory	Database of toxic releases in the U
iceberg	A mass of ice found floating in the ocean or a lake
client function	Refers to distinct roles inherent to MSWM services
great circle	An imaginary circle drawn on the Earth's surface that has its center synchronize to the center of the planet
vertical migration	See Diel vertical migration.
glacial uplift	Upward movement of the Earth's crust following isostatic depression from the weight of the continental glaciers.
bathymetric	related to the measurement of water depth within a water body.
progradation	The natural extension of a shoreline seaward.
diagenesis	n
sepal	The outermost structures of a flower
kettle lakes	n
solonetzic soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
gigantism	Phenomenon describing increased growth (or large body size) of certain members of a population
thermodynamic equilibrium	This type of equilibrium describes a condition in a system where the distribution of mass and energy moves towards maximum entropy.
experiment	A controlled investigation designed to evaluate the outcomes of causal manipulations on some system of interest.
head	That part of the body at the "front" end, where the brain, mouth, and most sensory organs are located.
population	(1) the whole number of inhabitants in a country, region or area; (2) a set of individuals having a quality or characteristic in common.
uniramious	Among arthropods, uniramous refers to appendages that have only one branch
fabric filter	A cloth device that catches dust particles from industrial emissions.
biodiversity	The total diversity of all organisms and ecosystems at various spatial scales (from genes to entire biomes).
fermented dry	the sugars in the must have (virtually) all been converted into alcohol
craton	Stable foundation core of the Earth's various plates of continental crust
aerobic	Pertaining to the presence of free oxygen
rain shadow	n
spore	n
diorite	Igneous plutonic rock, less mafic than gabbro, but more mafic than granite and granodiorite; rough plutonic equivalent of andesite.
orogenic belt	A major range of mountains on the continents.
gnathobase	The expanded and hardened base of the appendage of many arthropods, notably trilobites, crustaceans, and marine cheliceramorphs
bivalve	Mollusk with two shells connected by a hinge (i.e
isotherm	Lines on a map joining points of equal temperature.
trichocyst	Organelle in ciliates and dinoflagellates which releases long filamentous proteins when the cell is disturbed
isostatic depression	Large scale sinking of the crust into the asthenosphere because of an increase in weight on the crustal surface
microvilli	Thin fingerlike protrusions from the surface of a cell, often used to increase absorptive capacity or to trap food particles
full-cost pricing	Setting the final prices of goods and services to include both the private costs of inputs and the external costs created by their production and use.
food web	a diagram of a community showing how the organisms are connected based on predator prey relationships Fungus: a single-celled or multi-celled organism in the scientific group Fungi, such as mushrooms, molds, mildews, and yeasts, that live primarily by decomposing and digesting organic material
diastole	die-AST-ə-LEE/ n
tropical disturbance	An organized group of thunderstorms often found over a tropical ocean that generates a slight cyclonic flow of less than 37 kilometers per hour
meander	Sinuous shaped stream channel
primary stakeholders	Those p ersons, groups or institutions directly affected, either positively (beneficiaries) or negatively (for example, those involuntarily resettled) by a proposed action or plan.
condensation nuclei	Microscopic particle of dust, smoke or salt that allows for condensation of water vapor to water droplets in the atmosphere
global warming	He proposed a relation between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature
thermokarst	Landscape dominated by depressions, pits, and caves that is created by the thawing of ground ice in high latitude locations
atmosphere	The envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth; consists largely of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%).
bifurcation ratio	Quantitative ratio determined between the parts of systems that display branching
gene frequency	Frequency of alleles at an individual or population level.
military grid reference system	A simplified subset of the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid System
ice fall	An area of crevassed ice on a glacier
proxy	A proxy climate indicator is a local record that is interpreted, using physical and biophysical principles, to represent some combination of climate-related variations back in time
collection	The process of picking up wastes from residences, businesses, or a collection point, loading them into a vehicle, and transporting them to a processing site, transfer station or landfill.
robinson projection	Map projection system that tries to present more accurate representations of area
flocculation	Chemical processes where salt causes the aggregation of minute clay particles into larger masses that are too heavy to remain suspended water.
erosion	The wearing away and removal of weathered land surfaces by natural agents such as rain, running water, wind, temperature changes and bacteria.
digit	A digit is a toe or a finger.
phycocyanin	blue, water-soluble pigment found in the cyanobacteria and the red algae.
feedback loop	Process where the output of a system causes positive or negative changes to some measured component of the system.
geothermal energy	Heat energy derived from the Earth's interior.
erosion	The process of removal and transport of soil and rock by weathering, mass wasting, and the action of streams, glaciers, waves, winds and underground water.
ozone	A gas made up of three atoms of oxygen bonded together
credits	The amount of nutrient load reduced below the allowance.
catadromous	Fish that live in freshwater and migrate to saltwater to spawn (i.e
cone of depression	Cone shaped depression occurring horizontally across a water table
nutrient cycle	The cycling of a single element by various abiotic and biotic processes through the various stores found in the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
river	A long narrow channel of water that flows as a function of gravity and elevation across the Earth's surface
plankton	Pelagic organisms that float through the water column, not attached to any substrate and unable to move against the currents and tides
deletion map	də-LEE-shən, dee-/ A description of a chromosome that uses deletions as markers for specific areas of that chromosome.
kingdon fungi	fungi and moulds
decubital	də-KYOOB-ə-təl/ adj
haptonema	Peg-like structure unique to the Prymnesiophyta; its function is not known.
decubation	deck-you-BAY-shən/ n
phylogenetic diversity	a measure of biodiversity which incorporates phylogenetic difference between species
paleobiology	n
continental crust	Granitic portion of the Earth's crust that makes up the continents
carbon-to-nitrogen ratio	(expressed as C:N) -The ratio of the weight of organic carbon (C) to that of total nitrogen (N) in an organic material.
pits	Thin regions of the cell wall in xylem conducting cells
duct	dəkt/ n
plasmogamy	A process of fusion of the cytoplasm of two cells; the first step in syngamy.
heterotroph	A heterotroph (or consumer) is a living thing that eats other living things to survive
till plain	Extensive flat plain of till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of the glacier and melts in place depositing the sediments it carried.
spiracle	In insects and some other terrestrial arthropods, a small opening through which air is taken into the tracheae
forminifera	Microscopic organisms of the group protozoa that are found living mainly in marine environments
denaturation	structural change in a protein that results in the loss (usually permanent) of its biological properties
aromatic	A type of hydrocarbon, such as benzene or toluene
lateral moraine	Moraine that is found along the sides of a glacier
deciduous	Flowering trees that loses their leaves every year
ambulacra	Row of tube feet of an echinoderm.
dry deposition	delivery of air pollutants in the gaseous or particle phase to surfaces.
gynostemium	The central reproductive stalk of an orchid, which consists of a stamen and pistil fused together.
emissions direct / indirect	Direct emissions or "point of emission" are defined at the point in the energy chain where they are released and are attributed to that point in the energy chain, whether a sector, a technology or an activity
dermographia	DERM-ə-GRAF-ee-yə/ n
diel vertical migration	Special case of depth selection behavior in which the preferred depth changes in a diel (daily) pattern.
system	A system is a set of interrelated components working together towards some kind of process.
maunder minimum	Period from 1645 to 1715 during which the Sun had very little sunspot activity.
threshold	The level of magnitude of a system process at which sudden or rapid change occurs.
isotonic	two solutions having the same osmotic pressure (concentration)
gdp	Gross Domestic Product, a measure of overall economic activity.
gamma radiation	A type of ionizing, electromagnetic radiation that readily penetrates the body tissues of organisms
organ	Collection of tissues which performs a particular function or set of functions in an animal or plant's body
intertidal	The area of shore located between high and low tides.
anus	The posterior opening of the digestive tract.
spodosols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
pharynx	Cavity in the digestive tract just past the mouth itself
kilowatt-hour	A unit for measuring the use of electricity
moraine	A hill of glacial till deposited directly by a glacier.
meiosis	A two-stage type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms
diversity university	a virtual reality system for educational use
continental effect	The effect that continental surfaces have on the climate of locations or regions
mycelium	The collective term for fungus filaments or hyphae.
stream bank	Sides of the stream channel.
berlin mandate	Decision of the Parties reached at the first session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP-1) in 1995 in Berlin that the commitments made by Annex I countries were inadequate and thus needed to be strengthened.
lower mantle	Layer of the Earth's interior extending from 670 to 2,900 kilometers below the surface crust
polar stratospheric clouds	High altitude clouds found in the stratosphere where the temperature is less than -85° Celsius
monoecious	Having unisexual cones or flowers with female and male reproductive structures on the same plant.
imperiled species	declining, rare, or uncommon species; species federally listed as threatened or endangered, or candidates for such; and species with limited distributions.
plesiomorphy	Plesiomorphy (meaning "old form") is a primitive character of a group.
latosol	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
targets and timetables	A target is the reduction of a specific percentage of heat-trapping gas (greenhouse gas) emissions from a baseline date (e.g., below 1990 levels) to be achieved by a set date or timetable (e.g., 2030)
telecommuting	working with others via telecommunications technologies (e.g., telephones, modems, faxes) without physically travelling to an office.
tectonic	adj
sunspot	A dark area that forms and disappears on the surface of the sun over periods of days or weeks
playa	A dry lake bed found in a desert.
anaerobic	Anaerobic organisms do not require oxygen for their life processes, in fact oxygen is toxic to many of them
cross-bedding	n
combustion	The heat-producing reaction of a material with oxygen gas or other oxidant, often producing a flame.
dimeric	die-MARE-ick/ adj
biodiversity	the variety of plant, animal, and microorganism species present in the ecosystem and the community structures the form.
dichotomous venation	Dichotomous venation is a pattern of leaf veins in which the veins branch in two over and over again
thunder	Sound created when lightning causes the rapid expansion of atmospheric gases along its strike path.
turbidite	n
transmission	The process by which a parasite passes from a source of infection to a new host
phytoplankton	Microscopic plants that drift in the water of an aquatic ecosystem.
undifferentiated	adj
elastic deformation	Change in the shape of a material as the result of the force of compression or expansion
cumulus cloud	Puffy clouds with relatively flat bases
integrated pest management	A sustainable pest management approach which combines the use of biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tactics in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks
discharge	the volume of water that passes a given point within a given period of time
blauer burgunder	member of the Pinot varieties
diversity	a measure of how many different species of organisms live in a particular community
regolith	Loose layer of rocky material overlying bedrock.
longshore current	A water current that moves parallel to the shoreline.
metamorphic rock	Any rock derived from other rocks by chemical, mineralogical and structural changes resulting from pressure, temperature or shearing stress.
troposphere	The lowest part of the atmosphere from the surface to about 10 km in altitude in mid-latitudes (ranging from 9 km in high latitudes to 16 km in the tropics on average) where clouds and 'weather' phenomena occur
frictional force	Force acting on wind near the Earth's surface due to frictional roughness
laboratory water	purified water used in the laboratory as a basis for making up solutions or making dilutions
bedrock	n
biramous	Arthropod appendages that are biramous have two branches, an outer branch and an inner branch
surface creep	The sliding and rolling movement of soil particles on the Earth's surface because of wind
water clarity	Measurement of how far you can see through the water
jetteau	a jet of water.
tributary	a stream that contributes its water to another stream or body of water.
birth control	preventing birth or reducing frequency of birth, primarily by preventing conception.
starch	Complex carbohydrate composed of thousands of glucose units
dacryocystitis	dack-ree-oh-sist-TIGHT-əs/ n
pathology	n
rebound	v
dichotomous key	A dichotomous key is a method for determining the identity of sometihing (like a butterfly, a plant, or a rock) by going through a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of the item
mesohaline	Pertaining to moderately brackish water with low range salinities (from 5-18 parts per thousand)
stratosphere	Part of the atmosphere, the gases that encircle the Earth
contractile vacuole	In many protists, a specialized vacuole with associated channels designed to collect excess water in the cell
niche	A general term referring to the range of environmental space occupied by a species.
disease	Organisms suffer from disease when their normal function is impaired by some genetic disorder, or more often from the activity of a parasite or other organism living within them
stationary front	A transition zone in the atmosphere where there is little movement of opposing air masses and winds blow towards the front from opposite directions.
micrometer	a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter; the unit of measure for particle size.
hawaiian high	See Pacific High.
rainshadow effect	Reduction of precipitation commonly found on the leeward side of a mountain
counter-radiation	Redirection of the Earth's longwave radiation back to the surface because of the greenhouse effect.
derived	adj
preservation	treating the body chemically to temporally inhibit decomposition during the interval which elapses between death and final disposition
northern annular mode	A winter fluctuation in the amplitude of a pattern characterized by low surface pressure in the Arctic and strong mid-latitude westerlies
clone	the resulting offspring by asexual reproduction of a living being
texture	a sensory term for a wine that describes a tactile impression on the palate
nuclear power	Energy that comes from breaking apart the center (nucleus) of an atom.
degradation	Readjustment of the stream profile where the stream channel is lowered by the erosion of the stream bed
talik	An unfrozen section of ground found above, below, or within a layer of discontinuous permafrost
typhoon	Another name for hurricane.
camouflage	Physical adaptations that will allow an organism to blend into its surroundings becoming effectively invisible.
pulmonary	Pertaining to the lungs.
flush	to open a cold-water tap to clear out all the water which may have been sitting for a long time in the pipes; to force large amounts of water through a system to clean out piping or tubing and storage or process tanks.
environmental indicator	a measurement, statistic or value that provides evidence of the effects of environmental management programs or of the state or condition of the environment.
freshet	An increase of water flow into an estuary during the late winter or spring, owing to increased precipitation and snow melt in the watershed.
bioassay	A simple biological test that uses an indicator organism to measure the potency of a given substance in a biological system
speciation	The evolution of one or more species from an existing species.
atp	"adenosine triphosphate"
biosphere	Part of the Earth where life is found
phylum	In classification, a phylum is a group of related or similar organisms
earth revolution	Refers to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun
basement rock	Very old granite and metamorphic rocks found in continental crust
pinot varieties	group, or family of grape varieties
plastic deformation	Irreversible change in the shape of a material without fracture as the result of the force of compression or expansion.
diploid	Cell that contains two sets of chromosomes
permeability	A measure of the ability of soil, sediments, and rock to transport water horizontally and vertically
bed forms	three-dimensional configurations of bed material, which are formed in streambeds by the action of flowing water.
equilibrium line	The boundary between the region on a glacier where there is a net annual loss of ice mass (ablation area) and that where there is a net annual gain (accumulation area)
isohyet	A line on a map connecting locations that receive the same amount of rainfall.
density	a measure of how heavy a specific volume of a solid, liquid, or gas is in comparison to water.
cavitation	Process of intense erosion due to the surface collapse of air bubbles found in constricted rapid flows of water
coriolis force	An apparent force due to the Earth's rotation
phylogeny	Phylogeny is the evolutionary relationship between organisms
lead	A heavy metal that is hazardous to health if breathed or swallowed
population crash	Sudden decline in the number of individuals found in a population because of a scarcity of environmental resources that are required for survival, growth, and reproduction.
genetic polymorphism	Occurrence of two or more genotypes in a population.
aquifer	A stratum of permeable rock that bears water
pes	Pes is the scientific term for the foot (or foot-like part) of an animal.
microsatellite locus	Place in the genome where a short string of nucleotides, usually two to five bases long, is repeated in tandem
solar energy	energy derived from sunlight.
native species	A species that occurs naturally in an area (i.e
conduction	Conduction consists of energy transfer directly from atom to atom and represents the flow of energy along a temperature gradient.
climate	It also protects us from high-energy radiation and the frigid vacuum of space.
stable equilibrium	In a stable equilibrium the system displays tendencies to return to the same equilibrium after disturbance.
hygroscopic coefficient	Maximum limit of hygroscopic water around the surface of a soil particle.
vertebrate	Animal that does have a backbone
meguma	n
anticodon	A sequence of three
present value	The value of a money amount differs when the amount is available at different moments in time (years)
leaching	Process by which water removes chemicals from soil through chemical reactions and the downward movement of water.
hanging wall	The topmost surface of an inclined fault.
ectoderm	The outer basic layer of tissue in those animals with true tissues
drosophila	drə-SAWF-ə-lə/ A genus of flies commonly used in genetics and cytology experiments; commonly known as fruit flies
commensal	Having benefit for one member of a two-species association but neither positive nor negative effect on the other.
meridian	A circular arc that meets at the poles and connects all places of the same longitude.
diminishing returns	A benefit that beyond a certain point fails to increase in proportion to additional investments.
brood	one nest of eggs produced by a bird
craton	n
strobilus	A tightly clustered group of sporophylls arranged on a central stalk; commonly termed a "cone" or "flower".
surface water	water that flows in streams and rivers and in natural lakes, in wetlands, and in reservoirs constructed by humans.
purge	to force a gas through a water sample to liberate volatile chemicals or other gases from the water so their level can be measured.
plumage	All of the feathers that cover a birds body.
thermal high	Area of high pressure in the atmosphere caused by the area having warmer temperatures relative to the air around it.
spill-over effect	The effects of domestic or sector mitigation measures on other countries or sectors
facilitation model of succession	This model of succession suggests that the change in plant species dominance over time is caused by modifications in the abiotic environment that are imposed by the developing community
red bed	n
dinosteranes/dinosteroids	chemicals found in dinoflagellates, which have been useful in documenting their existence early in the fossil record.
coevolution	Changes in the genotypes of two or more species that are a direct consequence of the species’ interaction with one another
base cations	Positively charged ions such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, and calcium that increase pH of water (make it less acidic) when released to solution through mineral weathering and exchange reactions.
downwelling current	Ocean current that travels downward into the ocean because of the convergence of opposing horizontal currents or because of an accumulation of seawater.
maxillary gland	See Shell gland.
secondary succession	Succession on a previously vegetated surface
fertilization	The joining or fusion of the male gamete (sperm) and the female gamete (egg) to form a zygote during sexual reproduction
anapsid	n
isohyet	line that connects points of equal rainfall.
groundwater recharge	The process by which external water is added to the zone of saturation of an aquifer, either directly into a formation or indirectly by way of another formation.
river otter	mammals found in aquatic habitats with an elongate body, webbed toes, and a thick coat of brown fur; members of the weasel family Runoff: rainwater that, when it hits the ground, does not soak into the ground or evaporate but instead flows along the surface
selection	Process which favors one feature of organisms in a population over another feature found in the population
wolbachia	Intracellular bacteria that commonly infect a variety of arthropod species and induce various changes in its hosts’ life history, sex allocation, and sex ratio.
topography	The physical features of a surface area including relative elevations and the position of natural and man-made features
invasive species	An introduced species that out-competes native species for space and resources
endoparasite	Symbionts located within the body of the host
ozone	A chemical that is made of three oxygen atoms joined together, and found in the Earth's atmosphere
valley breeze	Local thermal circulation pattern found in areas of topographic relief
maxilliped	Claw-like structures located near the mouth on the heads of crustaceans, which are found in pairs
recessive allele	an allele that only has an effect on the phenotype when present in the homozygous state
noa naturally occurring asbestos	Almost aways in previously mined areas so the danger would be known to local in the area
model	A mathematical and geometric projection of activity and the interactions in the transportation system in an area
sling psychrometer	Psychrometer that uses a rotating handle and a whirling motion to ventilate its wet-bulb thermometer.
taiga	See Boreal Forest.
bog	a poorly drained portion of land that is usually rich in accumulated plant material frequently surrounding a body of open water.
continental shield	See shield.
deme	DEEM/ n
discoid	DISK-oid/ adj
larva	A discrete stage in many species, beginning with zygote formation and ending with metamorphosis.
coprolites	Fossilized feces.
amino acids	An organic compound that is essential as a building block of proteins.
infection intensity	1
top predator	A top predator is an animal at the top of the food chain, like the jaguar or bald eagle
dicot	(dicotyledon) a flowering plant that produces two seed leaves or cotyledons when it germinates
delta	Large deposit of alluvial sediment located at the mouth of a stream where it enters a body of standing water.
protoplasm	All the contents of a cell, including the nucleus
outgroup	In a cladistic analysis, any taxon used to help resolve the polarity of characters, and which is hypothesized to be less closely related to each of the taxa under consideration than any are to each other.
cyst	n
continental slope	Steeply sloping portion of continental crust found between the continental shelf and continental rise.
troposphere	stratosphere, mesosphere and the thermosphere.
red tide	A dense outburst of phytoplankton (usually dinoflagellates) often coloring water red brown.
pillow lava	Lava extruded beneath water characterised by pillow-type shapes.
deoxyriboside	dee-AWKS-ee-RIGH-boh-side/ See: nucleoside.
solstice	Dates when the declination of the Sun is at 23.5° North or South of the equator
asthma	a condition marked by labored breathing, constriction of the chest, coughing and gasping usually brought on by allergies.
porifera	animal phlya consisting of sponges
genotype	The genetic makeup of an organism
vermicomposting	The process by which worms convert organic matter into worm castings.
relief	The range of topographic elevation within a specific area.
hard water	water containing a high level of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals
taxon	A classification category for a group of organisms.
ferrel cell	Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation cell located at roughly 30 to 60° North and South of the equator.
lipid	Is an organic compound composed of carbon atoms that have two hydrogen atoms attached
snowpack	A seasonal accumulation of slow-melting snow.
key species	species that are targeted for instream flow assessment or more generally taxa of interest; may include lotic-adapted species, imperiled species, sport fishes, or other species related to study objectives.
emission factor	The relationship between the amount of pollution produced and the amount of raw material processed
parasite richness	See Richness.
permeability	the ability of a water bearing material to transmit water
breaker	The quick collapse of an overextended water wave as it approaches the shoreline
microscopic	Objects or organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
nitrogen cycle	Model that describes the movement of nitrogen in its many forms between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.
hypoxic events	Events that lead to a deficiency of oxygen.
turbidimeter	a device that measures the cloudiness of suspended solids in a liquid; a measure of the quantity of suspended solids.
caldera	n
heterosporous	Producing two different sizes or kinds of spores
deliquesce	del-lə-KWESS/ v
calorie	Quantity of energy
deciduous	Deciduous plants lose their leaves at the end of each growing season.
reg	A rocky desert landscape
ecosystem services	Ecological processes or functions having monetary or non-monetary value to individuals or society at large
phycoerythrin	red, water-soluble pigment found in the cyanobacteria and red algae.
watt	A measurement of power, usually used when talking about electricity
repeat sequences	The length of a nucleotide sequence that is repeated in a tandem cluster.
thorax	In insects, the second body region, between the head and thorax
sustainable	A sustainable way of life is one in which human needs are met without diminishing the ability of other people, wild species, or future generations to survive.
negative feedback	Change in the state of a system that counteracts the measured effect of the initial alteration.
fuel cells	Similar to batteries, fuel cells store energy that can be used to power all sorts of things
physical weathering	breaking down of parent rock into bits and pieces by exposure to temperature and changes and the physical action of moving ice and water, growing roots, and human activities such as farming and construction
hail	a form of precipitation which forms into balls or lumps of ice over 0.2 inch in diameter
climatology	Scientific study of the Earth's climate over long time spans (greater than several days)
cirrocumulus clouds	Patchy white high altitude cloud composed of ice crystals
microwave sounding units	Sensors carried aboard Earth orbiting satellites that have been used since 1979 to monitor tropospheric temperatures.
static equilibrium	Static equilibrium occurs where force and reaction are balanced and the properties of the system remain unchanged over time.
gross sediment transport	The total amount of sediment transported along a shoreline in a specific time period.
introduced species	Species which have been intentionally or inadventently brought into a region or area
bract	Any reduced leaf-like structure associated with a cone or flower.
asexual reproduction	A method of reproduction in which genetically identical offspring are produced from a single parent; occurs by many mechanisms, including fission, budding, and fragmentation.
chela	The claw of an arthropod.
pith	To severely damage the brain of a frog, also any central region of parenchyma tissue within a plant stem.
freezing rain	A type of precipitation
parasitism	Parasitism is arelationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits at the other organism's expense
antheridium	The organ on a gametophyte plant which produces the sperm cells.
nutrient pump	An ecological process in which trees take up mineral nutrients from soil too deep for crop roots to reach
sexual reproduction	A type of reproduction in which two parents give rise to offspring that have unique combinations of genes inherited through the gametes of the two parents
alginate	component of the cell walls of many rhodophytes and kelps
axil	The angle formed between a leaf stalk and the stem to which it is attached
ground frost	Frost that penetrates the soil surface in response to freezing temperatures.
biological/biotic factors	Living factors such as decomposers, scavengers and predators.
reflected wave	A water wave that reflects off the shore or another obstacle and is redirected towards the sea or lake.
magnetic south	See South Magnetic Pole.
congo craton	n
inflammation	The response of the immune system to irritation or injury of body tissues
system state	Current value of a system's elements, attributes, and/or relationships.
light-emitting diode	A device that uses a material called a semi-conductor to produce light without using a lot of electricity
adaptation	adjustments an organism makes to better fit the conditions of its environment
storm flow	rainfall runoff that reaches a stream channel during, or soon after a rainfall event that causes high rates of discharge.
bacteria	A group of microorganisms having single-celled or noncellular bodies
ecosystem	All the organisms in a particular region and the environment in which they live
prepatent phase	In helminth infections, time period from infection until a female starts to produce eggs
weather map	Map that displays the condition of the physical state of the atmosphere and its circulation at a specific time over a region of the Earth.
division of labour	Diversification of tasks or occupational roles in a society in order to improve working efficiency.
watt	A metric unit of measurement of the intensity of radiation in Watts over a square meter surface (W/m2 or W m-2).
enzyme	Are types of proteins that are used to facilitate and regulate chemical reactions within cells.
microfossil	n
spat	Juvenile, newly attached oysters (i.e
erosion	The wearing down of land by wind or water
dioecious	die-EE-shəs/ adj
plesiomorphy	A primitive character state for the taxa under consideration.
tuff	n
standard solution	any solution in which the concentration is known.
coevolution	Associated changes in two species of living organisms that have a close ecological relationship (eg, predator/prey), acting as agents of natural selection for one another.
genetic diversity	The genetic variation that occurs within a population or species
anthropogenic effects	Anthropogenic effects are those processes, objects, or materials that are derived from human activities, as opposed to those occurring in natural environments without human influences
sediment	Any solid material that has settled out of a state of suspension in liquid.
source region	Area where air masses originate and come to possess their moisture and temperature characteristics.
rayleigh scattering	the scattering of light by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light, e.g., molecular scattering in the natural atmosphere.
reticulate	Interconnecting, like a network.
submerged aquatic vegetation	rooted vegetation that grows under water in shallow zones where light penetrates
vascular	Refers to a network of tubes which distribute nutrients and remove wates from the tissues of the body
bed	The ground under a river, pond or other body of water.
independent variable	Variable in a statistical test that is thought to be controlling through cause and effect the value of observations in another dependent variable modeled in the test.
discounting	The process that reduces future costs and benefits to reflect the time value of money and the common preference of consumption now rather than later.
cyclomorphosis	Seasonal change in phenotype of many plankton species
amphiesma	The outer covering of a dinoflagellate, consisting of several membrane layers.
pine	a tree with thin, needle-like leaves and cones that contain the seeds.
epibiont	Organism that lives attached to the body surface of another organism
resting egg	See Ephippium.
length	The last taste impression of a wine
keystone species	Species that interacts with a large number of other species in a community
ovipositor	A tubular organ at the end of the abdomen of some female fish or animals, especially insects, that is used to deposit eggs.
winter	Season between fall and spring
parallel	A line parallel to the equator and connecting all places of the same latitude.
benthos	A group of organisms, most often invertebrates, that live in or on the bottom in aquatic habitats (such as clams that live in the sediments) which are typically immotile or of limited motility or range.
heterotroph	Organism that must consume energy rich organic molecules for survival
species	A population or group of populations that are in reproductive contact but are reproductively isolated from all other populations.
ground ice	General term used to describe all bodies of ice in the ground surface of the permafrost layer
dynamic metamorphism	Form of metamorphism that causes only the structural alteration of rock through pressure
blood	Fluid which circulates throughout the body of an animal, distributing nutrients, and often oxygen as well.
phloem	Food conducting tissue in vascular plants.
graded stream	A stream that has a long profile that is in equilibrium with the general slope of the landscape
toxic emissions	poisonous chemicals discharged to air, water, or land.
pacific high	High pressure system that develops over the central Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian Islands
extant species	A species which is currently in existence (the opposite of extinct).
valley wall	The side slope of a stream or glacial valley.
dew point	Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor saturates from an air mass into liquid or solid usually forming rain, snow, frost or dew
speed of light	Velocity of light in a vacuum
diploid	DIP-loid/ adj
dacryagogue	DACK-ree-ə-goag/ n
geohydrology	a term which denotes the branch of hydrology relating to subsurface or subterranean waters; that is, to all waters below the surface.
stasis	A period of little or no discernible change in a lineage.
atmosphere	The layer of gases that surround and protects the Earth
eutrophication	a process where water bodies receive excess nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, that stimulate excessive plant growth.
saltation	Transport of sediment initiated by moving air or water where particles move from a resting surface to the transport medium in quick continuous repeated cycles.
air quality	(in context of the national parks:) the properties and degree of purity of air to which people and natural and heritage resources are exposed.
magnetic north	See North Magnetic Pole.
upwelling	The movement of nutrient-rich deep seawater to the ocean's surface.
hot spots	Streams of molten rock arise deep inside the Earth and move upward through the crust to erupt on the surface or seafloor
gross domestic product	Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the monetary value of all goods and services produced within a nation.
polar cell	Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation cell located at roughly 60 to 90° North and South of the equator
speaker	the leader of the House of Representatives, who controls debate and the order of discussion; chosen by vote of the majority party.
mycorrhizae	Mutualistic association of a fungus with the root of higher plant
eutrophication	Physical, chemical and biological changes in a water body as a result of the input nitrogen and phosphorus.
class	Subdivision of a phylum containing a group of related orders.
sial layer	The part of the crust that forms the continents and is composed of relatively light, granitic rocks.
mammals	Warm-blooded animals that bear their young live.
recessional moraine	Moraine that is created during a pause in the retreat of a glacier
potential energy	Is the energy that a body possesses by virtue of its position and that is potentially transformable into another form of energy.
coastal pelagic	fish that live in the open ocean at or near the water's surface but remain relatively close to the coast
dominant	The dominant plant is the most adundant species in an area, for example, pine trees are dominant in a pine forest.
parataxonomy	n
electromagnetic energy	Energy stored in electromagnetic waves or radiation
orographic precipitation	rainfall that occurs as a result of warm, humid air being forced to rise by topographic features such as mountains
public hearing	A formal meeting wherein governmental environmental officials hear the public's views and concerns about an action or proposal.
double compound leaf	A double compound leaf is a leaf in which each leaflet of a compound leaf is made up of secondary leaflets.
dimorphism	Dimorphism means having two forms
validation	comparison of computer model results with a set of data that were not used for calibration.
greenhouse effect	The warming of the Earth's atmosphere attributed to a buildup of carbon dioxide or other gases
carnivore	Literally, an organism that eats meat
soft water	any water that does not contain a significant amount of dissolved minerals such as salts of calcium or magnesium.
deposition	the laying down of material by erosion or transport by water or air.
storm tracks	Originally, a term referring to the tracks of individual cyclonic weather systems, but now often generalized to refer to the regions where the main tracks of extra-tropical disturbances occur as sequences of low (cyclonic) and high (anti-cyclonic) pressure systems.
plastid	Any of several pigmented cytoplasmic organelles found in plant cells and other organisms, having various physiological functions, such as the synthesis and storage of food.
wave crest	The curved tops or ridges of an oscillating wave.
rodinia	n
boreal forest	High to mid-latitude biome dominated by coniferous forest
hydrocarbons	Chemical compounds that consist entirely of carbon and hydrogen.
asexual reproduction	A type of reproduction involving only one parent that usually produces genetically identical offspring
output	Movement of matter, energy, or information out of a system
eccentricity	Geometric shape of the Earth's orbit
climate action team	The Secretary of Cal/EPA leads the Climate Action Team made up of representatives from state agencies, boards and departments
dehiscent	A dehiscent is a structure on some plants that opens to release seeds or pollen grains.
supply	a schedule that shows the various quantities of things offered for sale at various prices at a point in time
colony	a group of animals that live together in one place.
secondary wave	See S-wave or shear wave.
papilionidae	Papilionidae are a family of butterflies more commonly known as swallowtail butterflies
mode	Statistical measure of central tendency in a set of data
plate	n
small circle	A circle on the globe's surface that does not bisect the center of the Earth
sunset	Moment of time when the Sun's edge completely disappears below the Earth's horizon.
diurnal tide	Tides that have one high and one low water per tidal period.
magnoliid	Any member of the basal assemblage of flowering plants.
segregated ice	A form of periglacial ground ice that consists of almost pure ice that often exists as an extensive horizontal layer
nivation	Process where snow patches initiate erosion through physical weathering, meltwater flow, and gelifluction.
dragonfly	Dragonflies are primitive, flying insects that can hover in the air
signs of death	those manifestations of death by which its presence may be detected in the body
equilibrium	Equilibrium describes the average condition of a system, as measured through one of its elements or attributes, over a specific period of time.
frost point	Is the temperature at which water vapor saturates from an air mass into solid usually forming snow or frost
kinetic energy	The energy due to motion.
critical entrainment velocity	Velocity required to entrain a particular sized particle into the moving medium of air or water.
pressure gradient force	Force due to spatial differences in atmospheric pressure
ion	an atom or small molecule which carries a positive or negative charge.
grid north	The direction north as measured on the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system.
radicle	The end of a plant embryo which gives rise to the first root.
hot air	A situation in which emissions (of a country, sector, company or facility) are well below a target due to the target being above emissions that materialized under the normal course of events (i.e
plasmid	Circular loop of DNA in prokaryotes
autotrophs	Organisms that synthesize their own nutrients; include some bacteria that are able to synthesize organic molecules from simpler inorganic compounds.
heterozygous	having two different alleles of a gene
micron	Also referred to as a micrometer, a micron is a metric unit of measure equal to one millionth of a meter
drainage basin	Land surface region drained by a length of stream channel.
private sector	The part of economy in which economic activity is carried out by private enterprise as distinct from the public sector.
biological diversity	the variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations including ecosystem diversity, species diversity and genetic diversity.
map projection	Cartographic process used to represent the Earth's three-dimensional surface onto a two-dimension map
convergent evolution	The development of similar structures in organisms that do not share recent common ancestor (e.g
cirrostratus clouds	High altitude sheet like clouds composed of ice crystals
continuous permafrost	Form of permafrost that exists across a landscape as an unbroken layer.
adventitious roots	A root that grows from somewhere other than the primary root, for example, roots that arise from stems or leaves.
pseudopodia	Fingerlike extensions from an amoeboid cell; literally "false feet".
flagellum	n
blauburgunder	member of the Pinot varieties
occluded front	A transition zone in the atmosphere where an advancing cold air mass sandwiches a warm air mass between another cold air mass pushing the warm air into the upper atmosphere.
lipids	a class of biochemical compounds which includes fats, oils, and waxes.
amniocentesis	A method of prenatal testing in which amniotic fluid is withdrawn from the uterus through a needle
divide	The topographic ridge that separates drainage basins.
tropical storm	An organized group of thunderstorms often found over a tropical ocean that generates a cyclonic flow of between 64 and 118 kilometers per hour
extinction	complete disappearance of a species because of failure to adapt to environmental change.
stream gradient	The change in elevation from a stream's headwaters to its mouth expressed in degrees, percentage, or as a distance ratio (rise/run).
rain gauge	An instrument that measures the amount of rain that has fallen in a particular place.
dehydrate	To dehydrate is to lose a lot of water
guild	a group of species or organisms that use the same environmental resources (habitat, food source, etc.) or life history strategy (such as reproduction) in the same way.
cnidocyst	The "stinging cell" of a cnidarian.
hydrophilic	"water loving"
radiation fog	A type of fog that is also called ground fog
environmental gradient	Spatial gradient where abiotic and biotic factors vary.
submarine canyon	A steep-sided valley on the seafloor of the continental slope, generally found as extensions to large rivers, and have been found to extend 1 km (3,281 ft) below sea level, and extend for hundreds of kilometers.
species	A group of organisms that differ from all other groups of organisms and that are capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring
adaptation costs	Costs of planning, preparing for, facilitating, and implementing adaptation measures, including transition costs.
dry deposition	The transport of gases and minute liquid and solid particles from the atmosphere to the ground surface without the aid of precipitation or fog
ecosystem	An ecosystem is an interacting group of living organisms in an area.
bacteriophage	Virus which infects and destroys a bacterial host
salinization	Accumulation of toxic concentrations of salts in the soil as a consequence of irrigation
plug	cement, grout, or other material used to fill and seal a hole drilled for a water well.
irrigation water	water which is applied to assist crops in areas or during times where rainfall is inadequate.
symbiont	Organism living together with another organism
shadow pricing	Governmental development policies can sometimes create distortions in market prices to such an extent that they bear little relationship to real economic costs
pangea	n
combined sewer	a sewer system that carries both sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff
threshold	The dose or exposure level below which a significant adverse effect is not expected.
dicotyledon	die-cawt-əl-EE-dən/ n
vulnerable	A species that is at risk because of low or declining numbers.
well	a bored, drilled, or driven shaft or a dug hole whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension and whose purpose is to reach underground water supplies or oil or to store or bury fluids below ground.
plagioclase feldspar	A type of feldspar that is rich in sodium and calcium
wet deposition	Atmospheric deposition that occurs when precipitation (rain and snow) carries gases and particles to the earth's surface.
runoff	Water that flows off land into lakes and streams.
subsistence farming	Farming whose products provide basic family needs with little surplus for marketing.
cell wall	Rigid structure deposited outside the cell membrane
relatedness	Two clades are more closely related when they share a more recent common ancestor between them than they do with any other clade.
eutrophication	A reduction in the amount of oxygen dissolved in water
valley fog	Fog formed by the movement of cooler, more dense air from higher elevations to the warm valley bottom.
pollinator	the biotic agent (vector) that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization of the female gamete of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain
specialist species	Species that have a relatively narrow ecological niche
aluminum	A silvery-white metal; its the most abundant in the Earth's crust.
consumer	Any organism which must consume other organisms (living or dead) to satisfy its energy needs.
plateau basalt	An accumulation of horizontal flows of basaltic lava
ice field	Large level area of glacial ice found covering a large expanse of land
extirpated	destroyed completely; the condition when local extinction occurs (when a species which ceases to exist in the chosen area of study but still exists elsewhere)
disinfection	the destruction or inhibition of most pathogenic bacteria and their products in or on the body
mollisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
segment	a water body or portion of a water body that is individually defined and classified
circulate	to move in a circle, circuit or orbit; to flow without obstruction; to follow a course that returns to the starting point.
sandstone	Sedimentary rock composed of sand-sized clasts.
protein	Organic substances primarily composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and some other minor elements which are arranged in about 20 different compounds known as amino acids
isobar	Lines on a map joining points of equal atmospheric pressure.
lock-in effect	Technologies that cover large market shares continue to be used due to factors such as sunk investment costs, related infrastructure development, use of complementary technologies and associated social and institutional habits and structures.
fen	A habitat composed of woodland and swamp.
post-closure	The time period following the shutdown of a MSWM or manufacturing facility; for monitoring purposes, often considered to be 30 years (also used terms are after care and/or restoration).
arms control	coordinated action based on agreements to limit, regulate, or reduce weapon systems by the parties involved.
dip	One of the directional properties of a geologic structure such as a fold or a fault
economies of scale	The unit cost of an activity declines when the activity is extended (e.g., more units are produced).
cyclone collector	A device that uses centrifugal force to remove large particles from polluted air.
leukemia	a form of bone marrow cancer marked by an increase in white blood cells.
saturation	Atmospheric condition where water is changing its phase to liquid or solid
parasite	An animal that obtains its nutrition by living in close association with another kind of animal (the host) without killing it immediately
ecotone	Boundary zone between two unique community types.
phylogeny	The evolutionary relationships among organisms; the patterns of lineage branching produced by the true evolutionary history of the organisms being considered.
bioluminescence	the production of light by a chemical reaction within an organism
calcareous organisms	A large and diverse group of organisms, many marine, that use calcite or aragonite to form shells or skeletons
phosphorus	(P) A key nutrient in the Bay's ecosystem, phosphorus occurs in dissolved organic and inorganic forms, often attached to particles of sediment
confidentiality	Information, such as medical information or income, which is legally defined as private
langley	Unit of the intensity of radiation measured per minute and equal to one calorie.
theca	General term for any stiff outer covering of a unicellular protist, and usually made up of interlocking plates
shield	A large stable area of exposed very old (more than 600 million years) igneous and metamorphic rock found on continents
flowing artesian well	a special case of an artesian well where a water well drilled into a confined aquifer has enough hydraulic pressure for the water to rise to a height above ground surface and to flow at the surface without pumping.
depth selection behavior	Behavior by which the zooplankton maintains a particular vertical distribution in relation to the stratification of the water (light, temperature, food, predation pressure)
leaf drip	The rain water that fall to the ground surface from plant leaves after it has been intercepted by these structures.
shell gland	Organ found in Daphnia that may have a role in excretion and/or osmoregulation.
wetland	Natural land-use type that is covered by salt water or fresh water for some time period
predation	Biological interaction between species where a predator species consumes a prey species.
hurricane	An intense cyclonic storm consisting of an organized mass of thunderstorms that develops over the warm oceans of the tropics
wind	Air moving horizontally and/or vertically.
zonal	Movement of wind or ocean waters in a direction that is roughly parallel to the lines of latitude.