Natural IQ Climate Change – Vol. 1 No. 1

• agriculture

  (a gri kəl chər): The science or practice of preparing the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.

• analyze

  (a nǝ līz): To study or find out the nature and relationship of the parts of something.

• assume

  (ə süm): To take information as granted or true.

• assumption

  (ǝ sǝm(p) shǝn): A fact or statement taken for granted (that it is true).

• atmospheric

  (at mə sfēr ik): Of, relating to, or occurring in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is the whole mass of air surrounding Earth.

• atmospheric

  (at mə sfēr ik): Of, relating to, or occurring in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is the whole mass of air surrounding Earth.

• bicarbonate

  (bī kär bə nāt): A type of acid that is developed from carbon.

• biomass

  (bī ō mas): The amount of living matter (in a unit area or volume of habitat).

• clear-cut

  (klēr kət): A forestry procedure that removes all of the trees in a stand of timber.

• constrain

  (kǝn strān): To hold back by or as if by force.

• consumer

  (kän sum ür): A person or thing that consumes or uses something.

• control

  (kǝn trōl): A variable factor that has been kept constant and which is used as a standard of comparison to the experimental component in a controlled experiment.

• coppice

  (kä pəs): Forest originating mainly from shoots or root suckers rather than seed.

• cultivate

  (kəl tə vāt): To prepare and use for the raising of crops; also, to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants).

• deciduous

  (di si jǝ wǝs): Having parts, like leaves, that fall off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle.

• dissipate

  (di sə pāt): To break up and scatter or vanish.

• drought

  (drau̇t): A long period of dry weather.

• economic

  (ek ǝ nä mik): Of, relating to, or based on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

• ecosystem

  (ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.

• elevation

  (e lǝ vā shǝn): The height above sea level.

• evaporation

  (i va p(ə-) rā shən): The process of converting water into vapor or fumes.

• evapotranspiration

  (i va pō tran spə rā shən): Loss of water from Earth by evaporation from Earth’s surface and by transpiration from the leaves of plants.

• evident

  (ev ə dent): Clear to the sight or the mind.

• excessive

  (ik se siv): Going beyond what is usual, proper, necessary, or normal.

• extinguish

  (ik stiŋ gwish): (1) To cause to stop burning; (2) to bring to an end.

• fossil fuel

  (fä sǝl fyü(ǝ)l): A fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the Earth from plant or animal remains.

• groundwater

  (grau̇nd wȯ tǝr): Water within the earth, especially that which supplies wells and springs.

• habitat

  (ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

• habitat

  (ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

• hypothesis

  (hī pä thǝ sǝs): An assumption or idea that is proposed for the sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true.

• hypothesize

  (hī pä thǝ sīz): To make an assumption or idea that is proposed for the sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true.

• ignite

  (ig nīt): To cause to burn.

• indirect

  (in də rekt): (1) Not straight or direct; (2) not having a plainly seen connection.

• intercept

  (in tǝr sept): To take or seize on the way to or before arrival.

• invasive species

  (in vā siv spē sēz): An organism that is not native to the place where it is found and tends to grow and spread easily usually to the detriment (harm) of native species and ecosystems.

• land cover

  (land kə vər): Data that documents how much of a region is covered by forests, wetlands, impervious surfaces, agriculture, and other land and water types, like wetlands or open water.  Definition from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

• leaf litter

  (lēf li tər): Dead plant material, like leaves and twigs.

• mean

  (meen): The average in a set of numbers.

• mitigation

  (mit ə gā shən): The act of making (something) less severe.

• mitigation

  (mit ə gā shən): The act of making (something) less severe.

• nutrient

  (nü trē ǝnt): A substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life.

• offset

  (of set): To serve as a counterbalance for or to compensate for.

• photosynthesis

  (fō tō sin thǝ sǝs): The process by which plants (and some bacteria and protists) that contain chlorophyll make carbohydrates from water and from carbon dioxide in the air in the presence of light.

• precipitation

  (pri si pə tā shən): A deposit on the Earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow.

• precipitation

  (pri si pə tā shən): A deposit on the Earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow.

• prescribed burn

  (pri skrībed bərn): Controlled fires used to improve forest habitat.

• producer

  (prō dü sər): An organism (such as a green plant) viewed as a source of living matter that can be consumed by other organisms.

• project

  (prə jekt): (verb) To plan, figure, or estimate for the future.

• rural

  (rûr әl): Of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture.

• rural

  (rûr әl): Of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture.

• simulate

  (sim yǝ lāt): To make an imitation (or copy or model) by one system or process of the way in which another system or process works.

• species

  (spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.

• stimulate

  (stīm ü lāt): To excite to activity, greater activity, or growth.

• streamflow

  (strēm flō): The movement of water in streams, rivers, and other channels.

• successional vegetation

  (sək se shən əl ve jə tā shən): Plants, trees, and shrubs that naturally replace other plant life over time.

• terrestrial

  (tə re st(r)ē əl): Of or relating to land as distinct from air or water.

• topographic

  (tō pə gra fik): Of, related to, or concerned with the physical features that make up the topography (tə pä grə fē) of an area, such as mountains, valleys, plains, and bodies of water.

• transpiration

  (tran(t)s pə rā shən): The process by which plants give off water vapor through the stomata in their leaves.

• tropospheric

  (trō pə sfēr ik): Of or relating to the part of the atmosphere, measured from the surface of the planet to about 6 miles.

• ultraviolet radiation

  (ǝl trǝ vī lǝt rā dē ā shǝn): Radiation that has a wavelength shorter than wavelengths of visible light (situated beyond the visible spectrum at its violet end) and longer than those of X-rays.

• variable

  (ver ē ə bəl): (1) A factor, trait, or condition that can be changed or controlled; (2) a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.

• volume

  (väl yüm): The amount of a substance.

• watershed

  (wȯ tǝr shed): A region or area bounded on the edge by a dividing ridge and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water.

• wildland

  (wī(ǝ)l(d) land): An area in which few or no people live that is not used for farming and is more or less in its natural state.

Editorial Review Board Comments

• “I think you should put different colors in the magazine other than blue and white. I also like how you put Web sites on the back of the magazine.”

• “I learned that there is a lot more rural area than nonrural.”

• “I learned that climate changes may affect human health.”

• “The most important thing I learned was that we can manage trees and how much water they are taking in from streams. I think it is a really good magazine. It has a lot of different information and I like the way it is set up.”

• “When we see bolded words we should be able to know what the definition is by giving us a definition down below so we don’t have to use the glossary as much and lose our place.”

• “I learned how carbon is deposited through the Earth.”

• “The most important thing I learned was take care of your environment while you still have it, and many things affect the environment. I like how it talks about the scientists and their experiences.”

• “Explain what carbon dioxide does to our bodies.”

• “You could make it a little more fun and not so boring.”

Additional Resources