100 Words Related to Earth & Environment

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Acid rain	Rain made acidic by air pollution.
2.	Adaptation	Adjusting to environmental change.
3.	Aerosol	Tiny particles suspended in air.
4.	Afforestation	Planting trees on bare land.
5.	Agriculture	Farming crops and raising animals.
6.	Air quality	How clean or polluted the air is.
7.	Albedo	Surface reflectivity of sunlight.
8.	Algae bloom	Rapid algae growth in water.
9.	Aquifer	Underground layer storing groundwater.
10.	Arid	Very dry; little rainfall.
11.	Biodiversity	Variety of life in an area.
12.	Biofuel	Fuel made from living matter.
13.	Biomass	Total mass of living material.
14.	Biome	Large region with similar ecosystems.
15.	Biosphere	All Earth’s living systems.
16.	Carbon cycle	Movement of carbon through Earth systems.
17.	Carbon dioxide	Greenhouse gas from respiration, burning.
18.	Carbon footprint	Total greenhouse gases from activities.
19.	Carbon sink	System that absorbs more carbon.
20.	Chlorophyll	Green pigment for photosynthesis.
21.	Climate	Long-term weather patterns of a place.
22.	Climate change	Long-term shifts in climate patterns.
23.	Compost	Decayed organic matter used as fertilizer.
24.	Conservation	Protecting natural resources and habitats.
25.	Deforestation	Clearing forests for other land uses.
26.	Desertification	Land becoming desert-like and degraded.
27.	Drought	Long period of low rainfall.
28.	Ecosystem	Living things interacting with environment.
29.	Ecotourism	Nature travel supporting conservation.
30.	El Niño	Pacific warming affecting global weather.
31.	Emission	Release of gases or particles.
32.	Endangered species	Species at high risk of extinction.
33.	Energy efficiency	Using less energy for same output.
34.	Erosion	Soil or rock worn away.
35.	Estuary	River meets sea; brackish water.
36.	Evaporation	Liquid water turning into vapor.
37.	Fertilizer	Nutrients added to help plants grow.
38.	Floodplain	Flat land beside a river.
39.	Food chain	Who eats whom in an ecosystem.
40.	Forest	Large area dominated by trees.
41.	Fossil fuel	Coal, oil, gas from ancient life.
42.	Fracking	Extracting gas using high-pressure fluids.
43.	Geothermal energy	Energy from Earth’s internal heat.
44.	Glacier	Slow-moving mass of ice.
45.	Global warming	Rising average global temperatures.
46.	Grassland	Ecosystem dominated by grasses.
47.	Greenhouse effect	Atmosphere trapping heat near Earth.
48.	Greenhouse gas	Heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere.
49.	Groundwater	Water stored underground in soil, rock.
50.	Habitat	Natural home of an organism.
51.	Heatwave	Prolonged period of extreme heat.
52.	Humus	Dark organic material in soil.
53.	Hurricane	Powerful tropical cyclone with strong winds.
54.	Hydroelectric power	Electricity generated from moving water.
55.	Ice cap	Large ice mass covering land.
56.	Invasive species	Non-native species that spreads rapidly.
57.	Irrigation	Supplying water to crops artificially.
58.	Jet stream	Fast high-altitude wind current.
59.	Keystone species	Species crucial to ecosystem balance.
60.	Landfill	Site where waste is buried.
61.	Latitude	Distance north or south of equator.
62.	Leaching	Nutrients washed from soil by water.
63.	Litter	Trash left in the environment.
64.	Mangrove	Coastal tree adapted to salty water.
65.	Methane	Potent greenhouse gas from decay, livestock.
66.	Microplastic	Tiny plastic particles in environment.
67.	Mitigation	Reducing causes of climate change.
68.	Monsoon	Seasonal wind bringing heavy rains.
69.	National park	Protected area for nature and wildlife.
70.	Natural resource	Useful material from nature.
71.	Nutrient runoff	Fertilizer washed into waterways.
72.	Ocean acidification	Ocean pH dropping from absorbed CO2.
73.	Ozone layer	Stratospheric layer blocking harmful UV.
74.	Particulate matter	Microscopic airborne solid or liquid particles.
75.	Permafrost	Ground frozen for at least two years.
76.	Photosynthesis	Plants making sugar using sunlight.
77.	Pollination	Transfer of pollen enabling plant seeds.
78.	Pollution	Harmful contamination of environment.
79.	Protected area	Land or sea set aside for nature.
80.	Recycling	Processing waste into new materials.
81.	Reforestation	Replanting trees in cleared areas.
82.	Renewable energy	Energy from naturally replenished sources.
83.	Restoration	Repairing damaged ecosystems or habitats.
84.	River basin	Land area draining into a river.
85.	Sea level rise	Long-term increase in ocean height.
86.	Smog	Hazy air pollution, often urban.
87.	Soil	Top layer supporting plant life.
88.	Soil fertility	Soil’s ability to support plant growth.
89.	Solar power	Energy from sunlight converted to electricity.
90.	Species	Group that can breed and reproduce.
91.	Sustainability	Meeting needs without harming future resources.
92.	Taiga	Cold coniferous forest biome.
93.	Tectonic plates	Large moving slabs of Earth’s crust.
94.	Tide	Regular rise and fall of sea.
95.	Tornado	Violent rotating column of air.
96.	Toxic waste	Hazardous discarded chemicals or materials.
97.	Tundra	Treeless cold biome with permafrost.
98.	Urban heat island	Cities warmer than surrounding areas.
99.	Vapor	Gas form of a substance.
100.	Volcano	Opening that erupts lava and ash.