The process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.
Photosynthesis
The flow of water, from rain or melted snow, over land surface, which can eventually reach rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Runoff
What two spheres are involved in the process of Condensation
The atmosphere (formation of clouds) and the hydrosphere (returning water to the ground).
The movement of animals from one region to another, often seasonally, for breeding, feeding, or climate reasons.
Migration
What spheres are involved in the process of photosynthesis
Occurs in the biosphere (plants) and affects the atmosphere (oxygen production).
The process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapour and is released to the atmosphere.
Transpiration
The process by which different kinds of living organisms have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
Evolution
The end of an organism or a group of organisms, typically a species. This occurs when species are unable to adapt to environmental changes or compete with other species.
Extinction
The process by which water vapour in the air is changed into liquid water, forming clouds or dew.
Condensation
The series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.
Carbon Cycle
The movement of oxygen within and between its three main reservoirs: the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the lithosphere. Plants release oxygen during photosynthesis, and animals consume it for respiration.
Oxygen Cycle
A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food. It starts with producers like plants and moves up to herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers.
Food Chains
The process by which natural forces like water, wind, or ice wear away rocks and soil.
Erosion
The process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapour, usually from the surface of oceans, lakes, and rivers
Evaporation
The breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, waters, and biological organisms.
Weathering
The movement of the Earth's lithosphere that creates earthquakes, volcanic activity, and the formation of mountains.
Tectonic Processes
The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.
Infiltration
Any form of water, liquid or solid, that falls from clouds and reaches the ground, including rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
Precipitation
These cycles describe how nitrogen and phosphorus move through the environment, from the atmosphere to the soil, into living organisms, and back again.
Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycle
The movement of sediment or soil particles from one place to another by wind, water, or ice.
Transportation
The geological process in which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass.
Deposition
The process by which light is absorbed by an object and converted to energy, often heating the object.
Absorption
The process by which light bounces off an object. Reflective surfaces like mirrors and calm water are examples of this.
Reflection
The process by which small particles or molecules deflect light in different directions, causing phenomena such as the blue colour of the sky.
Scattering
The process by which the wind transports and deposits particles, forming features like sand dunes and loess deposits
Aeolian (wind) Transportation