Alexis Guiang

1. Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure through the process of wet deposition. 2. An anticyclone (that is, opposite to a cyclone) is a weather phenomenon defined by the National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere". 3. An atmosphere (New Latin atmosphaera, created in the 17th century from Greek [atmos] "vapor"[1] and [sphaira] "sphere"[2]) is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass,[3]and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low. Some planets consist mainly of various gases, but only their outer layer is their atmosphere (see gas giants). 4. An atoll (is a coral island (or islands) that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. 5. An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. 6. A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. It can measure the pressure exerted by the atmosphere by using water, air, or mercury. 7. Basalt ( /bslt/, /bslt/, or /beslt/)[1][2] is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey. 8. A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones. 9. Our biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed (apart from solar and cosmic radiation) and self-regulating system. 10. The black smoke, or black powder is a fictional poisonous gas in H. G. Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, used by the Martians to eliminate groups of humans remotely, especially artillery crews, before they could fire. The rockets from which they explode are fired from a "black tube" attached to the Tripod. Any human breathing this deadly smoke is killed almost instantly. The smoke would form a scum on contact with water. 11. A canyon (occasionally spelled caon) or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. 12. Cirrus clouds generally refer to atmospheric clouds that are characterized by thin, wispy strands, often bunched into tufts, leading to their common name of mares' tails.

Alexis Guiang

13. Cleavage, in mineralogy, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite crystallographic structural planes. These planes of relative weakness are a result of the regular locations of atoms and ions in the crystal, which create smooth repeating surfaces that are visible both in the microscope and to the naked eye.[1] 14. Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods. 15. Metamorphism is the solid-state recrystallization of pre-existing rocks due to changes in physical and chemical conditions, primarily heat, pressure, and the introduction of chemically active fluids. 16. Continental drift is the movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other. 17. The core consists of the innermost layer(s) of a planet. 18. The core may be composed of solid and liquid layers,[1] while the cores of Mars and Venus are thought to be completely solid as they lack an internally generated magnetic field.[2] In our solar system, core size can range from about 20% (the Moon) to 75% of a planet's radius (Mercury). 19. In geology, the crust is the outermost solid shell of a rocky planet or natural satellite, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle. The crusts of Earth, our Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Io, and other planetary bodies have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantles. 20. Cumulonimbus (Cb) is a towering vertical cloud (family D2) that is very tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other inclement weather. Cumulonimbus originates from Latin: Cumulus "accumulated" and nimbus "rain". 21. Cumulus clouds are a type of cloud with noticeable vertical development and clearly defined edges. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin. They are often described as "puffy" or "cotton-like" in appearance. 22. In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth.[1][2] This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. 23. Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. 24. Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands.[2] Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems 25. Ecology (from Greek: , "house"; -, "study of") is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment

Alexis Guiang

26. An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving, physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight. 27. Environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. 28. The epicenter or epicentre (pronounced /psntr/) is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates. 29. Erosion is the process of weathering and transport of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles) in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere. 30. An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. 31. A fissure eruption is erosion of volcanic vent. 32. Focus (earthquake), an earthquake's underground point of origin or hypocenter 33. Fossils (from Latin fossus, literally "having been dug up") are the preserved remains or traces of animals (also known as zoolites), plants, and other organisms from the remote past. 34. A fracture is the (local) separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress. 35. Front (military), area where armies are engaged in conflict