Spheres
the whole mass of air surrounding the earth
What is ... Atmosphere
the part of the world in which life can exist
What is... Biosphere
describes the circulation of water from the ocean and other watery surfaces to the atmosphere and to the land
What is... Hydro-logic/Water Cycle
water within the earth especially that supplies wells and springs
What is... Groundwater
Gross Primary Productivity
What is... GPP
the lowest densest part of the earth's atmosphere in which most weather changes occur
What is... Troposphere
the cycle of carbon in the earth's ecosystems in which carbon dioxide is fixed by photosynthetic organisms to form organic nutrients
What is... Carbon Cycle
describes the movement of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus
What is... Nutrient Cycles/Biogeochemical Cycles
a water-bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or gravel
What is... Aquifers
net primary productivity
What is... NPP
the part of the earth's atmosphere which extends from the top of the troposphere to about 30 miles
What is... Stratosphere
a continuous series of natural processes by which nitrogen passes successively from air to soil to organisms and back to air
What is... Nitrogen Cycle
the chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds
What is... Nitrogen Fixation
water, from rain, snow-melt, or other sources, that flows over the land surface, and is a major component of the water-cycle
What is... Surface Runoff
a linear network of links in a food web starting from producer organisms and ending at apex predator species, detritivores, or decomposer species
What is ... Food Chain
the aqueous envelope of the earth including bodies of water and aqueous vapor in the atmosphere
What is... Hydrosphere
the process by which phosphorus moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere
What is... Phosphorus Cycle
the oxidation of ammonium salts to nitrites and the further oxidation of nitrites to nitrates
What is... Nitrification
each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy
What is... Trophic Level
the totality of interacting food chains in an ecological community
What is... Food Web
one of the shells or spherical layers within the earth delimited above and below by discontinuities
What is... Geo-sphere
the collection of processes by which sulfur moves between rocks, waterways and living systems.
What is... Sulfur Cycle
the loss or removal of nitrogen or nitrogen compounds
What is... Denitrification
refers to the flow of energy through a food chain, and is the focus of study in ecological energetics
What is... Energy Flow
the amount of living matter
What is... Biomass