The Biosphere

nonliving thing, such as water, temperature, and minerals, that affects an ecosystem

the surface of the floor, including some subsurface region, at the bottom of a body of water

number and variety of species in a given area

cyclic transfer of a chemical, such as carbon, between organisms and the environment

type of ecosystem defined by climatic, physical, and biotic characteristics

all living things and their ecosystems on Earth

a living thing that influences an ecosystem, such as prey, predators, and pathogens

storage of carbon dioxide or organic carbon to remediate climate change

long-term, wide-range weather patterns

long-term change in weather patterns

all organisms living in a given area

the study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environments

all organisms living in one geographic region and all the environmental factors that affect those organisms

the location where a river meets the ocean; place where fresh and salt water mix tidally

algal bloom caused by excessive nutrients, leading to a drop in dissolved oxygen

atmospheric gas that reflects the Sun's rays back to Earth, trapping heat

deep-sea fissure releasing extremely hot fluid that contains hydrogen sulfide

the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, a form that is more usable by plants

upper portion of an aquatic environment where light can penetrate

an interbreeding group of individuals of the same species

effect of air movement over a mountain range that causes wet conditions on one side of the mountain range and dry conditions on the other side

seasonal mixing that redistributes oxygen and nutrients in a body of water