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99 Cards in this Set
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abiotic
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pertaining to factors or things that are separate and independent from living things; nonliving
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abyssal zone
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This is the depest region of the ocean. this zone is marked by extremely cold temperatures and very low levels of dissolved oxygen, but very high levels of nutrients because of the decaying plant and animal matter that falls from the zones above
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acid
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any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. also, a water solution that contains a surplus of hydrogen ions
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active volcano
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a volcano that is currently erupting or has erupted within recorded history
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aggregate
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crowded or massed into a dense cluster
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air mass
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enormous bodies of air that move as a unit
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A layer
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a soil horizon; the layer below the O layer is called the A layer. THe A layer is formed of weathered rock, with some organic material; often referred to as topsoil
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alkaline
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a basic substance; chemically, a substance that absorbs hydrogen ions or releases hydroxyl ions; in reference to natural water, a measure of the base content of the water
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aquifer
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an underground layer of porous rock, san, or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of nonporour rock or clay. Aquifers are fequently tapped for wells.
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arable
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land that's fit to be cultivated
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asthenosphere
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the part of the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere
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atmosphere
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the gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body, espceially the one surrounding the Earth, which is retained by the celestial body's gravitational field
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barrier island
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a long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland, built up by the action of wabes and curents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges
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bathyal zone
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the steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the abyssal zone
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benthic zone
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the deepest layer in a body of water; characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels
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biological weathering
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any weathering that's caused by the activities of living organisms
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biotic
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living or derived from living things
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B layer
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a soil horizon; B receivves the minerals and organic materials that are leached out of the A horizon
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chemical weathering
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the result of chemical interaction with the bedrock that is typical of the action of both water and atmospheric gases
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C layer
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a soil horizon, horizon C is made up of larger pieces of rock that have not undergone much weathering
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clay
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the finest soil, made up of particles that are less than 0.002 mm in diameter
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conduction
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the transmission or conveying of something through a medium or passage, especially the transmission of electric charge or heat through conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself
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convection
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the vertical movement of a mass of matter due to heating and cooling; this can happen in both the atmosphere and Earth's mantle
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convection currents
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air currents caused by the vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling
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convergent boundary
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a plate boundary where two plates are moving toward each other
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coral reef
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an erosion-resistant marine ridge or mound consisting chiefly of compacted coral together with algal materical and biochemically deposited magnesium and calcium carbonates
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Coriolis effect
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the oserved effect of the Coriolis force, espcially the delction of an object moving aboce the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere, and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere
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crop rotation
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the practice of alternating the crops grown on a piece of land - for example corn one year, legumes for two years, and then back to corn
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delta
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a usually triangular aluvial deposit at the mout of a river
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divergent boundary
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a plate boundary at which plates are moving away from each other. This causes an upwelling of magma from the mantle to cool and form new crust
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doldrums
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a region of the ocean near the equator, characteized by calms, light winds, or squalls
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dormant volanoes
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volcanoes that have not been known to erupt
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drip irrigation
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a method of supplying irrigation water through tubes that literally drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant
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earthquake
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the result of vibrations (often due to plate movements) deep in the Earth that release energy. They often occur as two plates slide past one another at a transform boundary.
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El Nino
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a climate variation that takes place in the tropical pacific about every three to seven years, for a duration of about one year
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epilimnion
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the uppermost, and thus the most oxygenated, layer in a fresh body of water
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erosion
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the process of soil particles being carried away by wind or water. Erosion moves the smaller particles first and hence degrades the soil to a coarser, sandier, stonier texture
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estuary
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the party of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides
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euphotic zone
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in aquatic systems, the layer or depth of water through which an adequate amount of light penetrates to support photosynthesis
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fault
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the place where two plates abut each other
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front
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the boundary where different air masses meet
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Greenhouse effect
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the phenomenon whereby the Earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through, but absorb heat radiated back from the Earth's surface
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Green Revolution
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the development and introduction of new varieties of (mainly) wheat and ice that has increased yileds per acre dramatically in countries since the 1960s
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Hadley cell
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a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns
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headwaters
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the water from which a river rises; a source
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horizon
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a layter of soil
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horizontal airflow
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when a warm air mass rises and cool air rushes in to take its place
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Horse latitudes
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either of two belts of latitudes located over the oceans at about 30 degrees to 35 degrees north and south, having high barometric pressure, calms, and light, changeable winds
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humus
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the dark, crubly, nutrient-rich material that results from the decompostition of organic material
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hurricane (typhoon, cyclone)
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a severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or easter regions of the Pacific Ocean, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involving heavy rains
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hypolimnion
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the layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that lies below the thermocline, is noncirculating, and remains perpetually cold
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inner core
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the molten core of the Earth
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insolation
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the rate of delivery of solar radiation per unit of horizontal surface
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interbasin transfer
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a system by which water is transported very long distances from its source through aqueducts of pipelines
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ionosphere
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a region of the Earth's atmosphere where ionization caused by incoming solar radiation affects the transmission of radio waves. It extends from a height of 70 km (43 miles) to 400 km (250 miles) above the surface
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jet stream
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a high-speed, meandering wind current generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400 km (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 15 to 25 km (10 to 15 miles)
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land degradation
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when soil becomes water-logged and then dries out, and salt forms a layer on its surface
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La Nina
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a cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South Ameica, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns
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limnetic zone
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the surface of open water; the region that extends to the depth that sunlight can penetrate. Organisms that are residents in this zone are short-lived and rely on sunlight to carry out photosynthesis
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littoral zone
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begins with the very shallow water at the shorline. Plants and animals that reside in the littoral zone receive abundant sunlight. The end of this zone is defined as the depth at which rooted plants stop growing.
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lithosphere
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the outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, approximately 100 km (62 miles) thick
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loamy
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soil composed of a mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter
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mantle
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the layer of the Earth between the crust and the core
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mesosphere
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the portion of the atmosphere from about 30 to 80 km (20 to 50 miles) above the Earth's surface, characterized by temperatures that decrease from 10 degrees C to -90 degrees C (50 degrees F to -130 degrees F)with increasing altitude
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meterorlogist
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scientist who reports and forcasts weather conditions
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monoculture
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the cultivation of a single crop on a farm or in a region or country; a single, homogeneous culture without diversity or dissension
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monsoon
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a wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally
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O layer
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the uppermost horizon of soil. It is primarily made up of organic material, including waste from organisms, the bodies of decomposing organisms, and live organisms
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Physical (mechanical) weathering
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any process that breaks rock down into smaller pieces without changing the chemistry of the rock; typically wind and water.
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plate boundaries
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the edges of tectonic plates
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plow pan
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a pan created by plowing at the depth of tillage, largely the result of the common practice of dropping the tractor wheels of one side of the tractor into the dead furrow for steering while performing the plowing operation
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polar easterly
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when winds between latitudes 60 degrees and the North Pole below from the north and east, and winds between 60 degrees and the SOuth Pole blow from the south and east
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prior appropriation
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when water rights are given to those who have historically used the water in a certain area
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profundal zone
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in freshwater, the layer of water that is too deep for sunlight to penetrate. The profundal zone is an aphotic zone, and thus photosynthesizing plants or animals cannot live in this region
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rain shadow
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the low-rainfall region that exists on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountain range. This rain shadow is the result of the mountain range's causing precipitation on the windward side
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red tide
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a bloom of dinoflagellates that causes reddish discoloration of coastal ocean waters. Certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gonyamlax produce toxins that kill fish and contaminate shellfish.
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R horizon
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The bedrock, which lies below all of the other layers of soil, is referred to as the R horizon
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riparian right
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the process in which soil becomes saltier and saltier until, finally, the salt prevents the growth of plants. Salinization is caused by irrigation because salts brought in with the water remain in the soil as water evapoates
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sand
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the coarsest soil, with particles .05-2.0 mm in diameter
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silt
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soil with particles 0.002-0.05 mm in diameter
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Souther Oscillation
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the atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the periodic warming of El Nino and cooling of La Nina
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subduction zone
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in tectonic plates, the site at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate
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thermocline
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a layer in a lage body of water, such as a lake, that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt
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thermosphere
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the outermost shell of the atmosphere, between the mesophere and outer space, where temperatures increase steadily with altitude
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topsoil
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the A layer of soil is often referred to as topsoil and is most important plant growth
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trade winds
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the more or less constant winds blowing in horizontal directions over the Earth's surface, as part of Hadley cells
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transform boundary
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also known as transform faults, boundaries at which plates are moving past each other, sideways
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tropical storm
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a cyclonic storm having winds ranging from approximately 48 to 121 km (30 to 75 miles) per hour
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troposphere
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the lowest region of the atmosphere between the Earth's suface and the tropopause, characterized by decreasing temperature with increasing altitude
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tropopause
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the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere varying in altitude from approximately 8 km (5 miles) at the poles to approximately 18 km (11 miles) at the equator
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upwelling
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a process in which cold, often nutrient-rich, waters from the ocean depths rise to the surface
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volcanoes
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an opening in the Earth's crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are ejected
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watershed
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the region draining into river system or other body of water
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water-scarce
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countries that have a renewable annual water supply of less than 1,000 m cubed per person
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water stressed
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countires that have a renewable annual water supply of about 1,000 to 2,000 m cubed per person
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weather
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the day-to-day variations in temperatue, air pressure, wind, humidity, and precipitation mediated by the atmosphere in a given region
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weathering
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the gradual breakdown of rock into smaller and smaller partiles, caused by natural chemical, physical, and biological factors
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westerly
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at type of moving air mass that results from air being deflected south and weat in the Northern Hemisphere and north and weat in the Southern Hemisphere near the equator (between 30 degrees and 60 degrees)
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wetlands
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a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife
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