B2 Energy and Matter Glossary

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Fires that burn slowly underground in organic materials, persisting through winter or rainy seasons, and can reignite on the surface long after the main fire seems extinguished.

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Zombie Fire

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Matter derived from living organisms, consisting of carbon-based compounds like plant and animal matter, essential for nutrient cycling and energy flow in ecosystems.

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Organic Material

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The area of land that has been damaged or changed by a fire, leaving visible marks or scars.

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Burn Scar

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Ground that stays frozen for two or more years, often found in polar or high-altitude regions, playing a role in storing carbon and affecting climate change when it thaws.

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Permafrost

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Relating to the interaction between social (human) and ecological (environmental and non-human) factors.

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Socio-Ecological

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Distinct parts of a system that interact and work together, affecting the flow of energy and matter to maintain or change the system’s behavior.

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Components

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Processes through which components of a system influence one another, leading to the transfer or transformation of energy and matter.

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Interactions

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A chemical reaction between a fuel and oxygen that releases energy as heat and light, often resulting in the production of gases like carbon dioxide and water.

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Combustion

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The physical substance that makes up everything in the universe, consisting of particles like atoms and molecules, and can exist in different forms such as solid, liquid, and gas.

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Matter

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The ability to do work or cause change. It exists in various forms, such as kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical, and light energy, and can be transferred or transformed within a system. Energy is conserved, meaning it cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

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Energy