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Conservation_of_mass
The law of conservation of mass or principle of mass conservation states that for any system closed to all transfers of matter and energy , the mass of the system must remain constant over time , as system mass can not change quantity if it is not added or removed . Hence , the quantity of mass is `` conserved '' over ...
Comparison_(grammar)
Comparison is a feature in the morphology or syntax of some languages , whereby adjectives and adverbs are inflected or modified to indicate the relative degree of the property defined by the adjective or adverb . The comparative expresses a comparison between two ( or more ) entities or groups of entities in quality ,...
Climate_risk
Climate risk means a risk resulting from climate change and affecting natural and human systems and regions . In the course of increasing global temperature and extreme weather phenomena the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) has been founded by the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) and t...
Climate
Climate is the statistics of weather , usually over a 30-year interval . It is measured by assessing the patterns of variation in temperature , humidity , atmospheric pressure , wind , precipitation , atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables in a given region over long periods of time . Climate dif...
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams . The harder forms , such as anthracite coal , can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure . Coal is composed primarily...
Concentrated_solar_power
Concentrated solar power ( also called concentrating solar power , concentrated solar thermal , and CSP ) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight , or solar thermal energy , onto a small area . Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to h...
Climate_change_in_the_United_States
Because of global warming , there has been concern in the United States and internationally , that the country should reduce total greenhouse gas which is relatively high per capita . In 2012 , the United States experienced its warmest year on record . , the thirteen warmest years for the entire planet have all occur...
Cockenzie_power_station
Cockenzie power station was a coal-fired power station in East Lothian , Scotland . It was situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth , near the town of Cockenzie and Port Seton , 8 mi east of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh . The station dominated the local coastline with its distinctive twin chimneys from 19...
Climate_change_in_Europe
Climate change in Europe describes the climate change related issues in Europe . This includes the climate politics , contribution in the global warming and the influence of the global warming in Europe . According to international climate experts global temperature rise should not exceed 2 ° C to prevent the most dan...
Cold_drop
The cold drop ( gota fría ) is a weather phenomenon often occurring in the Spanish autumn . It is experienced particularly along the western Mediterranean and as such , most frequently affects the east coast of Spain . It is a closed upper-level low which has become completely displaced ( cut off ) from basic westerly ...
Climate_inertia
Climate inertia describes the widespread inherent characteristic of the climate , ecological , and socio-economic systems . Inertia from anthropogenic impacts may be slow to become apparent , or could be irreversible if climate change crosses associated thresholds . Melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica take t...
Climate_pattern
A climate pattern is any recurring characteristic of the climate . Climate patterns can last tens of thousands of years , like the glacial and interglacial periods within ice ages , or repeat each year , like monsoons . A climate pattern may come in the form of a regular cycle , like the diurnal cycle or the seasonal...
Committee_on_Climate_Change_Science_and_Technology_Integration
The Committee on Climate Change Science and Technology Integration was created as part of the Clear Skies Initiative in February 2002 by George W. Bush , as a Cabinet-level effort to coordinate climate change science and technology research . The White House says : `` The Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Energ...
Clean_Air_Act_(United_States)
The Clean Air Act is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level . It is one of the United States ' first and most influential modern environmental laws , and one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world . As with many other major U.S. federal environmental statutes ...
Climate_change_in_Texas
Over the next century , climate in Texas could experience additional changes . For example , based on projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and results from the United Kingdom Hadley Centre 's climate model ( HadCM2 ) , a model that accounts for both greenhouse gases and aerosols , by 2100 t...
Circumstellar_habitable_zone
In astronomy and astrobiology , the circumstellar habitable zone ( CHZ ) , or simply the habitable zone , is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure . The bounds of the CHZ are based on Earth 's position in the Solar System and th...
Concrete_slab
A concrete slab is a common structural element of modern buildings . Horizontal slabs of steel reinforced concrete , typically between 4 and 20 inches ( 100 and 500 millimeters ) thick , are most often used to construct floors and ceilings , while thinner slabs are also used for exterior paving . Sometimes these thinne...
Climate_of_Chile
The climate of Chile comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large geographic scale , extending across 38 degrees in latitude , making generalizations difficult . According to the Köppen system , Chile within its borders hosts at least seven major climatic subtypes , ranging from low desert in the north ,...
Climate_change_opinion_by_country
Climate change opinion is the aggregate of public opinion held by the adult population . Cost constraints often restrict surveys to sample only one or two countries from each continent or focus on only one region . Because of differences among questions , wording , and methods -- it is difficult to reliably compare res...
Colorado_Springs,_Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of El Paso County , Colorado , United States . Colorado Springs is located in the east central portion of the state . It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located 60 mi south of the Colorado State Capitol in Denve...
Climate_of_Argentina
The climate of Argentina is a complex subject : the vast size of the country and considerable variation in altitude make for a wide range of climate types . Argentina has four seasons : winter ( June -- August ) , spring ( September -- November ) , summer ( December -- February ) and autumn ( March -- May ) , all featu...
Climate_state
Climate state describes a state of climate on Earth and similar terrestrial planets based on a thermal energy budget , such as the greenhouse or icehouse climate state . The main climate state change is between periodical glacial and interglacial cycles in Earth history , studied from climate proxies . The climate sy...
Climate_of_India
The climate of India comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a vast geographic scale and varied topography , making generalisations difficult . Based on the Köppen system , India hosts six major climatic subtypes , ranging from arid desert in the west , alpine tundra and glaciers in the north , and humid tr...
Climate_of_Australia
Australia 's climate is governed largely by its size and by the hot , sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt . This moves north and south with the seasons , so that the rainfall pattern over Australia is highly seasonal . Australia 's rainfall is the lowest of all continents except Antarctica . But it is var...
Collider_Detector_at_Fermilab
The Collider Detector at Fermilab ( CDF ) experimental collaboration studies high energy particle collisions at the Tevatron , the world 's former highest-energy particle accelerator . The goal is to discover the identity and properties of the particles that make up the universe and to understand the forces and interac...
Cliché
A cliché or cliche ( -LSB- ˈkliːʃeɪ -RSB- or -LSB- klɪˈʃeɪ -RSB- ) is an expression , idea , or element of an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect , even to the point of being trite or irritating , especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful...
Conservation_agriculture
Conservation agriculture ( CA ) can be defined by a statement given by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations as `` a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while concurrently conserving...
Circular_economy
A circular economy is a regenerative system in which resource input and waste , emission , and energy leakage are minimised by slowing , closing , and narrowing material and energy loops . This can be achieved through long-lasting design , maintenance , repair , reuse , remanufacturing , refurbishing , and recycling . ...
Cognition
Cognition is `` the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought , experience , and the senses . '' It encompasses processes such as knowledge , attention , memory and working memory , judgment and evaluation , reasoning and `` computation '' , problem solving and decision making , ...
Climatology
Climatology ( from Greek κλίμα , klima , `` place , zone '' ; and - λογία , - logia ) or climate science is the study of climate , scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time . This modern field of study is regarded as a branch of the atmospheric sciences and a subfield of physical geogr...
Convention_on_Early_Notification_of_a_Nuclear_Accident
The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident is a 1986 International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) treaty whereby states have agreed to provide notification of any nuclear accident that occur within its jurisdiction that could affect other states . It , along with the Convention on Assistance in the Case ...
Cross-State_Air_Pollution_Rule
The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule ( CSAPR ) is a ruling by the United States Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) that requires member states of the United States to reduce power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states . The EPA describes this rule as one that `` prot...
Culture_of_California
The culture of California is tied to the culture of the United States as a whole . However , there are features that are unique to California . With roots in the cultures of Spain , Asia , Mexico , and the eastern United States , California integrates foods , languages and traditions from all over the world . Spain h...
Crop
A crop is any plant , macroscopic fungus , or alga cultivated in agriculture or aquaculture ( algaculture ) . Most crops are harvested as food for humans or livestock ( fodder crops ) . Important non-food crops ( industrial crops ) are produced for clothing ( fiber crops ) , biofuel ( energy crops , algae fuel ) , or m...
Coupled_model_intercomparison_project
In climatology , the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project ( CMIP ) is a framework and the analog of the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project ( AMIP ) for global coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models ( GCMs ) . CMIP began in 1995 under the auspices of the Working Group on Coupled Modeling ( WGCM ) , ...
Convective_instability
In meteorology , convective instability or stability of an air mass refers to its ability to resist vertical motion . A stable atmosphere makes vertical movement difficult , and small vertical disturbances dampen out and disappear . In an unstable atmosphere , vertical air movements ( such as in orographic lifting , wh...
Cryoseism
A cryoseism , also known as an ice quake or a frost quake , is a seismic event that may be caused by a sudden cracking action in frozen soil or rock saturated with water or ice . As water drains into the ground , it may eventually freeze and expand under colder temperatures , putting stress on its surroundings . This s...
Cryogenian
The Cryogenian ( -LSB- pronkraɪoʊˈdʒɛniən -RSB- , from Greek cryos `` cold '' and genesis `` birth '' ) is a geologic period that lasted from . It forms the second geologic period of the Neoproterozoic Era , preceded by the Tonian Period and followed by the Ediacaran . The Sturtian and Marinoan glaciations during the...
Contiguous_United_States
The contiguous United States consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states plus Washington , D.C. ( federal district ) , on the continent of North America . The term excludes the non-contiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii and all off-shore United States territories and possessions , which include American Samoa , Guam , the...
Damper_(flow)
A damper is a valve or plate that stops or regulates the flow of air inside a duct , chimney , VAV box , air handler , or other air handling equipment . A damper may be used to cut off central air conditioning ( heating or cooling ) to an unused room , or to regulate it for room-by-room temperature and climate control ...
Costa_Ricans
Costa Ricans ( Spanish : Costarricenses ) , also called Ticos , are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in Central America called Costa Rica . Costa Ricans are predominantly mestizos , whites and castizos ( halfway between white and mestizo ) , but their country is considered a multiethnic society , which means ...
Cosmic-ray_observatory
A cosmic-ray observatory is a scientific installation built to detect high-energy-particles coming from space called cosmic rays . This typically includes photons ( high-energy light ) , electrons , protons , and some heavier nuclei , as well as antimatter particles . About 90 % of cosmic rays are protons , 9 % are alp...
Dakota_Access_Pipeline
The Dakota Access Pipeline ( DAPL ) or Bakken pipeline is a 1172 mi underground oil pipeline project in the United States . The route begins in the Bakken shale oil fields in northwest North Dakota and continues in a straight line south-east , through South Dakota and Iowa , terminating at the oil tank farm near Patoka...
Cryovolcano
A cryovolcano ( colloquially known as an ice volcano ) is a theoretical type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water , ammonia or methane , instead of molten rock . Collectively referred to as cryomagma or ice-volcanic melt , these substances are usually liquids and can form plumes , but can also be in vapour fo...
Convective_heat_transfer
Convective heat transfer , often referred to simply as convection , is the transfer of heat from one place to another by the movement of fluids . Convection is usually the dominant form of heat transfer in liquids and gases . Although often discussed as a distinct method of heat transfer , convective heat transfer invo...
Creation–evolution_controversy
The creation -- evolution controversy ( also termed the creation vs. evolution debate or the origins debate ) involves an ongoing , recurring cultural , political , and theological dispute about the origins of the Earth , of humanity , and of other life . Within the Christian world creationism was once widely believed ...
Convection
Convection is the movement of groups of molecules within fluids such as gases and liquids , including molten rock ( rheid ) . Convection takes place through advection , diffusion or both . Convection can not take place in most solids because neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion of matter can take plac...
Cordilleran_Ice_Sheet
The Cordilleran ice sheet was a major ice sheet that periodically covered large parts of North America during glacial periods over the last ~ 2.6 million years . This included the following areas : Western Montana The Idaho Panhandle Northern Washington state down to about Olympia and Spokane All of British Columb...
Crane_(bird)
Cranes are a family , Gruidae , of large , long-legged and long-necked birds in the group Gruiformes . There are fifteen species of crane in four genera . Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons , cranes fly with necks outstretched , not pulled back . Cranes live on all continents except Antarctica and South Am...
Cougar
The cougar ( Puma concolor ) , also commonly known as the mountain lion , puma , panther , or catamount , is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae native to the Americas . Its range , from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes of South America , is the greatest of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western He...
Counterfactual_thinking
Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human tendency to create possible alternatives to life events that have already occurred ; something that is contrary to what actually happened . Counterfactual thinking is , as it states : `` counter to the facts . '' These thoughts consist of the ``...
Contrail
Contrails ( -LSB- ˈkɒntreɪlz -RSB- short for `` condensation trails '' ) are line-shaped clouds sometimes produced by aircraft engine exhaust , typically at aircraft cruise altitudes several miles above the Earth 's surface . Contrails are composed primarily of water , in the form of ice crystals . The combination of w...
Cretaceous–Paleogene_extinction_event
The Cretaceous -- Paleogene ( K -- Pg ) extinction event , also known as the Cretaceous -- Tertiary ( K -- T ) extinction , was a mass extinction of some three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth that occurred over a geologically short period of time approximately 65 million years ago . With the exception...
Crown_corporations_of_Canada
Canadian Crown corporations are state-owned enterprises owned by the Sovereign of Canada ( ie . the Crown ) . They are established by an Act of Parliament or Act of a provincial legislature and report to that body via a minister of the Crown in the relevant cabinet , though they are `` shielded from constant government...
Contraction_and_Convergence
Contraction and Convergence ( C&C ) is a proposed global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change . Conceived by the Global Commons Institute -LSB- GCI -RSB- in the early 1990s , the Contraction and Convergence strategy consists of reducing overall emissions of greenhouse gases to a safe...
Cooling_center
A cooling center is a air-conditioned public space set up by local authorities to temporarily deal with the health effects of a heat wave . Cooling centers are meant to prevent hyperthermia caused by heat , humidity , and poor air quality . Cooling centers provide shade , water , and restrooms ; medical attention and r...
County_(United_States)
In the United States , an administrative or political sub-division of a state is a county , which is a region having specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority . The term `` county '' is used in 48 U.S. states , while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parish...
Corruption_Perceptions_Index
Transparency International ( TI ) has published the Corruption Perceptions Index ( CPI ) since 1996 , annually ranking countries `` by their perceived levels of corruption , as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys . '' The CPI generally defines corruption as `` the misuse of public power for private ben...
Copenhagen_Diagnosis
The Copenhagen Diagnosis is a report written by twenty-six climate scientists from eight countries . It was published in 2009 and was a summary of the peer-reviewed literature to date . The Copenhagen Diagnosis is a follow-up of the previous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's Working Group 1 Report . The st...
DICE_model
The Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy model , referred to as the DICE model or Dice model , is a computer-based integrated assessment model developed by William Nordhaus that `` integrates in an end-to-end fashion the economics , carbon cycle , climate science , and impacts in a highly aggregated model that allows a w...
Cosmology
Cosmology ( from the Greek κόσμος , kosmos `` world '' and - λογία , - logia `` study of '' ) is the study of the origin , evolution , and eventual fate of the universe . Physical cosmology is the scholarly and scientific study of the origin , large-scale structures and dynamics , and ultimate fate of the universe , as...
Cyclic_succession
Cyclic succession is a pattern of vegetation change in which in a small number of species tend to replace each other over time in the absence of large-scale disturbance . Observations of cyclic replacement have provided evidence against traditional Clementsian views of an end-state climax community with stable species ...
Credibility
Credibility comprises the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message . Credibility has two key components : trustworthiness and expertise , which both have objective and subjective components . Trustworthiness is based more on subjective factors , but can include objective measure...
Cool_tropics_paradox
The cool tropics paradox refers to an apparent difference between modeled estimates of tropical temperatures during warm , ice-free periods of the Cretaceous and Eocene , and the colder temperatures which proxies suggested were present . The long-standing paradox was resolved when novel proxy derived temperatures showe...
Crater_Lake_National_Park
Crater Lake National Park is a United States National Park located in southern Oregon . Established in 1902 , Crater Lake National Park is the fifth-oldest national park in the U.S. and the only national park in Oregon . The park encompasses the caldera of Crater Lake , a remnant of a destroyed volcano , Mount Mazama ,...
Copernicus_Climate_Change_Service_(C3S)
The Copernicus Climate Change Service ( C3S ) is one of the six thematic services provided by the European Union 's Copernicus Programme . The Copernicus Programme is managed by the European Commission and the C3S is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ( ECMWF ) and is expected to beco...
Cynicism_(contemporary)
Cynicism is an attitude or state of mind characterized by a general distrust of others ' motives . A cynic may have a general lack of faith or hope in the human species or people motivated by ambition , desire , greed , gratification , materialism , goals , and opinions that a cynic perceives as vain , unobtainable , o...
Corona
A corona ( Latin , ` crown ' ) is an aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and other stars . The Sun 's corona extends millions of kilometres into space and is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse , but it is also observable with a coronagraph . The word `` corona '' is a Latin word meaning `` crown '' , from ...
Dairy_farming_in_Canada
Dairy farming is one of the largest agricultural sectors in Canada . Dairy has a significant presence in all of the provinces and is one of the top two agricultural commodities in seven out of ten provinces . In 2016 , there were 959,600 dairy cows on 11,683 farms across the country . Quebec and Ontario are the major...
Coral_bleaching
Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel algae that lives inside their tissues . Normally , coral polyps live in an endosymbiotic relationship with the algae and that relationship is crucial for the coral and hence for the health of the whole reef . Bleached corals continue to live . But as the algae provide the ...
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate , usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view . The word was coined from the Latin controversia , as a composite of controversus -- `` turned in an opposite direction , '' from contra -- `` against '' -- and vertere -- to turn , or ver...
Coyote
The coyote ( k ) is a canid native to North America . It is smaller than its close relative , the gray wolf , and slightly smaller than its other close relatives , the eastern wolf and the red wolf . It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia , though it is larger and more predatory...
Coriolis_force
In physics , the Coriolis force is an inertial force that acts on objects that are in motion relative to a rotating reference frame . In a reference frame with clockwise rotation , the force acts to the left of the motion of the object . In one with anticlockwise rotation , the force acts to the right . Deflection of a...
Copenhagen_Consensus_Center
The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a US non-profit think tank , founded and headed by Bjørn Lomborg ( best known for his controversial 2001 book , The Skeptical Environmentalist ) . The Center organizes the Copenhagen Consensus , a conference of prominent economists held every four years , where potential solutions to ...
Contribution_to_global_warming_by_Australia
Australia has one of the highest per capita emissions of carbon dioxide in the world , with 0.3 % of the world 's population it produces 1.8 % of the world 's greenhouse gasses . It was 18.3 tonnes per year per person and the 11th highest in the world per capita in 2009 . Australia uses principally coal power ( 70 % ) ...
Corporate_farming
Corporate farming is a term used to describe companies that own or influence farms and agricultural practices on a large scale . This includes not only corporate ownership of farms and selling of agricultural products , but also the roles of these companies in influencing agricultural education , research , and public ...
Cumulonimbus_capillatus
A Cumulonimbus capillatus ( Latin Capillatus , `` hair '' ) is a sub-form of cumulonimbus incus . It is a cumulonimbus cloud which has reached the level of stratospheric stability and has formed the characteristic flat , anvil shaped top with dense cirrus clouds which design the cloud 's top appearance containing hair-...
Cross-sectional_data
Cross-sectional data , or a cross section of a study population , in statistics and econometrics is a type of data collected by observing many subjects ( such as individuals , firms , countries , or regions ) at the same point of time , or without regard to differences in time . Analysis of cross-sectional data usually...
Credible_witness
In the law of evidence , a credible witness is a person making testimony in a court or other tribunal , or acting otherwise as a witness , whose credibility is unimpeachable . A witness may have more or less credibility , or no credibility at all . In the common law system , the term ` credible witness ' may be used ge...
Culex
Culex is a genus of mosquitoes , several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds , humans and other animals . The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus , Japanese encephalitis , or St. Louis encephalitis , but also filariasis , and avian malaria ....
Coral
Corals are marine invertebrates in the class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria . They typically live in compact colonies of many identical individual polyps . The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton . A coral `` group '' is a colony o...
Continental_margin
The continental margin is one of the three major zones of the ocean floor , the other two being deep-ocean basins , and mid-ocean ridges . The continental margin is the shallow water area found in proximity to continent . The continental margin consists of three different features : the continental rise , the continent...
Coral_Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia , and classified as an interim Australian bioregion . The Coral Sea extends 2,000 km down the Australian northeast coast . It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland , thereby including the Great Barrier Reef , in...
Cosmic_ray
Cosmic rays are high-energy radiation , mainly originating outside the Solar System . Upon impact with the Earth 's atmosphere , cosmic rays can produce showers of secondary particles that sometimes reach the surface . Composed primarily of high-energy protons and atomic nuclei , they are of mysterious origin . Data fr...
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth . Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria , up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents . Ordered from largest in size to smallest , they are : Asia , Africa , North America , South America , Antarctica , Europe , and Au...
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows , ravens , rooks , jackdaws , jays , magpies , treepies , choughs , and nutcrackers . In common English , they are known as the crow family , or , more technically , corvids . Over 120 species are described . The genus Corvus , includin...
Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria -LSB- saɪˌænoʊbækˈtɪəriə -RSB- , also known as Cyanophyta , is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis , and are the only photosynthetic prokaryotes able to produce oxygen . The name `` cyanobacteria '' comes from the color of the bacteria ( κυανός ( kyanós ) = blue ) . Cyanob...
Coriolis_frequency
The Coriolis frequency ƒ , also called the Coriolis parameter or Coriolis coefficient , is equal to twice the rotation rate Ω of the Earth multiplied by the sine of the latitude φ . The rotation rate of the Earth ( Ω = 7.2921 × 10 − 5 rad/s ) can be calculated as 2π / T radians per second , where T is the rotation pe...
Correlation_and_dependence
In statistics , dependence or association is any statistical relationship , whether causal or not , between two random variables or bivariate data . Correlation is any of a broad class of statistical relationships involving dependence , though in common usage it most often refers to the extent to which two variables ha...
Cosmic_microwave_background
The cosmic microwave background ( CMB ) is electromagnetic radiation left over from an early stage of the universe in Big Bang cosmology . In older literature , the CMB is also variously known as cosmic microwave background radiation ( CMBR ) or `` relic radiation '' . The CMB is a faint cosmic background radiation fil...
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid ( -LSB- diˈɒksiˌraɪboʊnjʊˌkliːɪk , _ - ˌkleɪɪk -RSB- DNA ) is a molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth , development , functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses . DNA and RNA are nucleic acids ; alongside proteins , lipids and complex ca...
Costa_Rica
Costa Rica ( -LSB- kɒstə_ˈriːkə -RSB- -LSB- ˈkosta ˈrika -RSB- ; literally meaning `` Rich Coast '' ) , officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( República de Costa Rica ) , is a country in Central America , bordered by Nicaragua to the north , Panama to the southeast , the Pacific Ocean to the west , the Caribbean Sea t...
Cotton_gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds , allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation . The fibers are then processed into various cotton goods such as linens , while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing . Seeds may b...
Dam_failure
A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs , directs or slows down the flow , often creating a reservoir , lake or impoundments . Most dams have a section called a spillway or weir over or through which water flows , either intermittently or continuously , and some have hydroelectric power generation system...
Copenhagen_Accord
The Copenhagen Agreement is a document that delegates at the 15th session of the Conference of Parties ( COP 15 ) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to `` take note of '' at the final plenary on 18 December 2009 . The Accord , drafted by , on the one hand , the United States and on th...
Cosmic_background_radiation
Cosmic background radiation is electromagnetic radiation with no discernible source . The origin of this radiation depends on the region of the spectrum that is observed . One component is the cosmic microwave background . This component is redshifted photons that have freely streamed from an epoch when the Universe be...
Cubic_mile_of_oil
The cubic mile of oil ( CMO ) is a unit of energy . It was created by Hew Crane of SRI International to aid in public understanding of global-scale energy consumption and resources . Significant sources of energy include oil , coal , natural gas , nuclear , hydroelectric , and biomass ( primarily the burning of wood ...
Cradle_of_civilization
The cradle of civilization is a term referring to locations where , according to current archaeological data , civilization is understood to have emerged . Current thinking is that there was no single `` cradle '' , but several civilizations that developed independently ; with the Fertile Crescent ( Mesopotamia and Anc...
Continental_climate
Continental climates are defined in the Köppen climate classification as having a coldest month mean temperature below -3 C ( 26.6 F ) or 0 ° C depending on which isotherm used for the coldest month and four months above 10 ° C . In the Köppen climate system , Continental climates are bordered to the south by Temperate...
Craton
A craton ( -LSB- pronˈkreɪtɒn -RSB- , -LSB- ˈkrætɒn -RSB- , or -LSB- ˈkreɪtən -RSB- from κράτος kratos `` strength '' ) is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere , where the lithosphere consists of the Earth 's two topmost layers , the crust and the uppermost mantle . Having often survived cycles of merg...