Ecology is a science that looks at the relationship between living things and their environments.
Geography is a science that studies the earth’s physical features as well as the life forms on it.
The outdoor conditions at a certain place and time are called weather. Weather elements
include temperature, wind, cloud cover, and rainfall.
The average weather conditions in an area over a period of years is called climate.
A cool temperate climate has rainfall throughout the year, warm summers, and cold winters (often below freezing). Jean-Charles Cazin’s Quarry of Monsieur Pascal, Edouard Vuillard’s Place Vintimille, and George Inness’ The Lackawanna Valley illustrate cool temperate climates.
A warm temperate climate has mild, wet winters and hot summers with little rain. Joan Miró’s The Farm is an illustration of a warm temperate climate.
A tropical climate has high temperatures all year, high humidity, and heavy rain. Winslow Homer’s Native Huts, Nassau and Henri Rousseau’s Tropical Forest with Monkeys illustrate tropical climates.
There are two kinds of tropical forests—rain forests and deciduous forests.
Rain forests are tropical areas, most near the equator that get at least one hundred inches of rain throughout the year and have high, broad-leaved trees that form canopies. Henri Rousseau’s Tropical Forest with Monkeys is an imaginative depiction of a rain forest.
Deciduous forests are located in mountains farther from the equator. Rain occurs mostly in one season, and trees and bushes shed their leaves once a year.
Natural resources are materials supplied by nature, such as forests, minerals, soil, water, and wildlife.
Our environment is what surrounds us: people and animals, climate, geography, and natural resources.
An ecosystem is a community of living things that relate to each other. An ecosystem may be a lake, a desert, a forest, and so on.
A quarry is a place where people get stone, such as limestone, granite, and marble.
Pollution is waste that makes an environment unclean.
Stewardship for nature means caring for it in a responsible way.
To conserve means to protect from loss or waste.
A landscape is a painting of the outdoors.
