Glossary

Aerosols
Fine particles of liquid, which together act more like a gas.

Agriculture
Growing of crops on land.

Appliance
Electrical machine or device.

Aquifer
An underground body of water.

Atmosphere
An envelope of gases around the Earth.

Biomass Burning
The burning of organic material for energy.

Carbon
A non-metal element found in all living things.

Catalytic Converter
A device fitted to the exhaust of a car to remove some harmful gases.

Chlorine
An element that is poisonous in large amounts, and usually found as a greenish-yellow gas.

Chlorofluorocarbons
Also known as CFCs, these man-made chemicals contain carbon, fluorine and chlorine and were used to cool fridges.

Circulation
The movement of air or water around the world.

Climate Model
A programme on a computer that allows us to predict what may happen to the climate in the future.

Cultivation
The planting, tending and harvesting of crops and plants.

Dam
A barrier of concrete or earth built across a river to create a body of water.

Deforestation
The removal of forests, often by burning.

Degree (Celsius)
A unit used to measure temperature.

Delta
A flat piece of land at the mouth of a river that is sometimes covered by water.

Dendroclimatology
The study of tree rings, and how they are linked to the climate.

Drought
A time when there is very little rainfall.

Ecosystem
A network of living plants and animals that interacts with the non-living environment.

Emit
Release to the atmosphere.

Evaporation
The change from liquid to vapour.

Fluorine
A gaseous element that can be poisonous.

Fossil Fuels
Sources of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas.

Geothermal
Relating to the heat inside the earth.

Greenhouse Effect
The process by which greenhouse gases naturally in the atmosphere keep the Earth warmer than it would otherwise be without them.

Hydroelectric Power
Energy made from flowing water.

Industrial Revolution
A time around 200 years ago when many factories were built and powered using coal.

Insulate
To keep warm by preventing energy loss.

Landfill Site
Places where waste materials are buried under the ground.

Nitric Acid
A colourless or yellowish fuming corrosive liquid.

Nylon
A man-made material used for clothes and other items.

Ozone Layer
A layer of ozone high up in the atmosphere, which shields us from the harmful rays of the Sun.

Photosynthesis
The use of light, carbon dioxide and water by plants to grow.

Poles
The two extreme points at the ends of the Earth in the North and South.

Precipitation
Rain, snow, hail, etc.

Renewable Energy
Energy from sources that can never be used up, like wind and solar power.

Resources
A supply of something - land, minerals or wealth.

Respiration
The process of living organisms taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.

Scatter
To disperse in different directions.

Species
A particular group of plant or animal that can only reproduce with others of the same kind.

Stratosphere
An upper layer of the atmosphere.

Sulphur Dioxide
A colourless gas produced by burning sulphur.

Sulphuric Acid
A strong acid containing sulphur.

Sustainable Development
Growth today that will not have harmful impacts on either the environment or on future generations.

Temperature
The measurement of cold and heat.

Termites
A whitish ant-like insect that lives in warm countries. Some species feed on wood and produce methane.

Troposphere
The lowest layer of the atmosphere.

Wetlands
Areas of marshy or swampy ground.