GEOGRAPHY
"If it's about Earth's land, water, air, or living things-- particularly people-- it's geography. The word comes from the Greek "geo," which means "earth," and "graphy," which means "writing or description." Physical geographers study landforms, water, soil, climate, and the distribution of living things.

TORNADOES
"They've been called winds of death and nature's most terrifying spectacles. They've been labeled random killers and the most violent creatures of the atmosphere. They've been described as a huge elephant trunk searching for food . . . a delicate dance of ghosts . . . a monstrous, writhing snake biting the ground . . . the snapping of a bull whip . . . a giant column surrounded by silvery ribbons .. . . "

WATER
“All animals and plants need water to survive. The human body is more than three-fourths water. Life-forms use water to transport nutrients around the body and to carry off waste. Water also helps break down food and keep organisms cool, among other vital jobs.”

WEATHER
"You may have heard the expression, 'Everyone talks about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it.' Well, we do talk about weather all the time, because this powerful force of nature affects everything we do. As sophisticated as the modern world is, we are still pretty much at the mercy of the weather. We cancel picnics when it rains and sometimes get a day off from school when it snows. . . "

CLIMATE
"If you are suffering through a hot, humid summer day, blame the weather. But, if year after year, most summer days where you live are hot and humid, blame the climate. Climate refers to the average weather conditions in a region over a long period of time. For example, near the equator, some hot, steamy tropical rain forests are drenched by about 160 inches of rain per year-every year. . . . "

ECOLOGY
"That's the first step in ecology-- looking around. Your house, for instance, is an ideal place to start. It's perfect for a big mammal like you. Yet, it's also home to spiders, insects, and maybe the occasional mouse. Just outside are birds, squirrels, frogs, grasses, trees, flowering plants, rocks, dirt, and even more insects. When you look around at living things and their environment, you are. . . "

SPACE
"Human beings are explorers. Throughout history, the impulse to venture into the unknown has been strong. What will I find over the hill? What's on the other side of the immense sea? Will I find something wonderful - or terrifying? The vast reaches of space represent the newest challenge for explorers. On Columbus Day, 1992 - 500 years after Columbus landed in the Americas -- a $100 billion. . . "

SUN
"In the grand scheme of things, the Sun is no big deal. It's just another medium-size star in a remote corner of the Milky Way galaxy. There are billions of others in the universe just like it. But to us here on Earth, the Sun is hugely important. Without it, our world would be a frozen rock wandering in space. Among other things, the Sun gives us food, energy, seasons, weather, calendars, flowers,. . . "

EARTHQUAKES
"Anchorage, Alaska, March 27, 1964: Eight-year-old Anne Thomas was watching TV with her six-year-old brother, David, and their mother when they heard a strange rumbling from outside. The house trembled. The family ran out the door. The ground shook violently. There was an incredible roaring. The Thomases slid down into a chasm in the earth. Then there was silence, and stillness. "I felt like we we. . . "

VOLCANOES
"Volcanoes are like sleeping giants. After years, even centuries, of rest, they awake. They erupt. Some powerful eruptions blow tops off mountains, flatten forests, and dam up rivers. Some eruptions have killed tens of thousands of people. A few have buried cities, while others have buried mountains. Some big eruptions have even changed the world's weather for years. Volcanoes also shape the earth.. . . "

MOUNTAINS
"Awesome. Majestic. Cool. These words and many more have been used to describe the natural wonder of mountains. For thousands of years, they have inspired stories and poetry, paintings and music, religious devotions, amazing athletic feats, and silent appreciation. Mountains cover nearly one-quarter of Earth's land surface. They are home to some people and a travel destination for others. They are a refuge for plants and animals. They affect weather and climate."

SOLAR SYSTEM
"In the solar system, nothing stands still-- not even you. You and everything else on Earth are traveling up to one thousand miles per hour right now! That's how fast the planet's surface is spinning at the equator. Other planets, moons, and even the Sun itself, spin, too. While they spin, they circle. The Moon circles Earth. Earth circles the Sun. So do other planets, their moons, and asteroids. Some. . . "

ROCKS
"Rocks are famous for staying put. If something is as "solid as a rock," you assume that it's not going to change or go anywhere. However, in reality, rocks are always changing and on the move. Nature's constant recycling of them can be seen in mountains, rivers, oceans, volcanoes, canyons, and earthquakes. Rocks come in about one hundred varieties. There are also approximately 3,500 minerals. . . "

PLANETS
"Our solar system consists of a star (the Sun) and the group of planets orbiting it. The planets closest to Earth can be seen in the nighttime sky without a telescope. No two planets are alike, although some share similarities. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth are all rocky planets. Much farther from the Sun are the gaseous giants-- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune."

ISLANDS
"An island is a body of land surrounded by water. Some islands are found in rivers, lakes, and ponds. But most islands are in the ocean. Some islands, like Madagascar off the east coast of Africa, are nations. Others are made up of two nations."

STARS & NEBULAE
"On a clear night, it is possible to see more than three thousand stars with the naked eye. There are billions of other stars, which we cannot see. The nighttime sky holds clues about the life and death of stars. These clues are found in fuzzy-looking clouds of glowing gas sprinkled with black dust."

CONSERVATION
"Only we can take care of our planet. Taking care of Earth means taking care of its land, water, plants, animals, and air. Everyone-- including you-- has a part to play. That's where conservation comes in. Conservation is defined as protecting and managing Earth's natural resources."

GORILLAS
"Because these largest of all primates are shy and live in the dense tropical forests of central Africa, gorillas are hard to study. Knowledge about them is still evolving. Scientists organize gorillas into species and subspecies according to where they live. As research continues, scientists may find and identify more subspecies than are described here."

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

• Earth:  Our Planet in Space. By Seymour Simon, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2003.
• From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth's Story (Sharing Nature With Children Book). By Jennifer Morgan, Dawn Publications (CA), 2003.
• The Island That Moved: How Shifting Forces Shape Our Earth. By Meredith Hooper, Viking Books, 2001.
• Amazing Planet Earth: The Illustrated Science Encyclopedia (Illustrated Science Encyclopedia). By John Farndon, Southwater Publishing, 2001.
• Planet Earth. By Mark Pettigrew, Stargazer Publishing Company, 2004.

ADULT BOOKS

• Physical Geography: The Global Environment. By Harm J. De Blij, et al, Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet. By Daniel B. Botkin, Wiley, 2002.
• Earth: Portrait of a Planet. By Stephen Marshak, W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.

WEBSITES

• NASA Earth Observatory: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

• Hayden Planetarium & Rose Center for Earth and Space, American Museum of Natural History (NY): www.amnh.org