Water Cycle
The evaporation of water into a gas in the atmosphere and the precipitation of water in the air as it falls back to Earth in the form or rain or snow
Water Cycle
The temperature at which a substance solidifies
Freezing Point
A large compressed mass of ice and snow that does not melt away in the summer
Glacier
Tiny animals that eat other types of plankton for food; also a food source for larger marine animals
Zooplankton
The solid rocky ground of Earth’s crust
Lithosphere
The increase in the average temperatures of Earth’s oceans and air near Earth’s surface
Global Warming
A low area in the land where vegetation is saturated with water all or much of the time
Wetland
Organisms that are sensitive to pollution or other environmental changes; monitoring the numbers of these organisms helps scientists to gather information about the health of an ecosystem
Bioindicator Species
All of the water on Earth including that in the atmosphere and lithosphere
Hydrosphere
The amount of mass in a certain volume; how tightly packed together the material is in a substance
Density
The area of land from which water drains into a certain body of water
Drainage Basin
Light produced by chemical reactions in the bodies of some living marine organisms
Bioluminescence
The air surrounding the planet
Atmosphere
An area of wetlands that builds up where a river meets the ocean
Estuary
Precipitation that carries chemicals formed by nitrogen and sulfur oxides, produced by burning coal and gasoline, that have combined with water in the air
Acid Precipitation
Microscopic plant-like organisms that are a major source of food for many species of fish
Phytoplankton
Precipitation that falls to land and flows into creeks, streams, and rivers and eventually into the ocean
Run-off
The amount of salt dissolved in a specific amount of water
Salinity
Precipitation that falls on land and sinks out of sight and remains in cracks underground
Ground Water
A new or foreign lifeform that is introduced into a food web
Invasive Species