The states of water

Water is known to exist in three different states:

• solid, 
• liquid or 
• gas.

Clouds, snow, and rain are all made of up of some form of water. A cloud is comprised of tiny water droplets and/or ice crystals, a snowflake is an aggregate of many ice crystals, and rain is just liquid water.

Water existing as a gas is called water vapour. When referring to the amount of moisture in the air, we are actually referring to the amount of water vapour. If the air is described as "moist", that means the air contains large amounts of water vapour. 

VIDEO - The states of water

Carbon dioxide

Colourless gas
At normal temperatures carbon dioxide is a colourless gas that exists naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere. The air that we breathe has about 0.03% of carbon dioxide in it. 
Carbon dioxide is an important part of the carbon cycle and essential for life on Earth. Without it temperatures on our planet would be very low.

Photosynthesis
Plants use the sunlight and take up the CO2 in the atmosphere to produce energy and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis.

Production
The gas is also produced when fossil fuels are burned. Carbon dioxide that has been stored for millions of years in coal, oil and natural gas is set free. Living creatures produce carbon dioxide when they breathe out. It is emitted from volcanoes and hot springs. Deforestation sets carbon that is stored in trees free.

Greenhouse gas
Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas. Light that enters the atmosphere it is converted to heat. Higher amounts of CO2 make the atmosphere denser and keep it from getting out. CO2 is a gas that is highly responsible for global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere has risen by 40%.

Absorption by nature
Throughout the centuries carbon dioxide has been in balance. Now more carbon dioxide is being produced than can be absorbed by nature.

What's the difference between weathering and erosion?

Weathering 

Weathering refers to the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed rock to decompose. Weathering involves two processes: 

• chemical weathering and 
• mechanical weathering 

Both processes occur in place. No movement is involved in weathering. 

Chemical weathering 

Chemical weathering involves a chemical change in at least some of the minerals within a rock. 

Mechanical weathering

Mechanical weathering involves physically breaking rocks into fragments without changing the chemical make-up of the minerals within it. 

Erosion

As soon as a rock particle (loosened by one of the two weathering processes) moves, we call it erosion. We call it erosion if the rock particle is moved by some flowing agent such as air, water or ice.

wind erosion

water erosion

ice erosion

World map of countries by trading status

A world map of countries by trading status, late 20th century, using the world system differentiation into core countries (blue), semi-periphery countries (yellow) and periphery countries (red).

European Distribution Center

A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products (goods) to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to consumers.

Goods arrive and are stored in a distribution center in varying types of storage locations and containers suited to the product characteristics and the amount of product to be transported or stored. 

Another way to look at a distribution center is to see it as a production or manufacturing operation. Goods arrive in bulk, they are stored until needed, retrieved, and assembled into shipments. 

The following is a list of some of the names and characteristics of common storage containers:

• Shipping containers are used for the efficient transportation of goods. Standards specify the volume and dimensions of containers to facilitate efficient handling.

• Pallets are one of the most commonly used means to store and move product in a distribution center. There are many specialized devices used to handle pallets (forklift truck, pallet jack, and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS). Pallets are stored on the floor, may be stacked, and may be stored in pallet racking.

• Cases and Cartons are boxes usually containing many items. In distribution centers there is a generally accepted distinction made between the terms "carton" and "case", although both are boxes. Goods are received and stored in cartons, while goods are shipped in cases. 

• Totes are reusable containers used to hold and transport goods.

The difference between deciduous and coniferous

Deciduous woodland
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off". Deciduous plants lose their leaves for part of the year. In colder lands, leaf loss coincides with winter. In warmer lands, such as tropical, subtropical and arid lands, deciduous plants may lose their leaves during dry seasons or during times when there are changes in rainfall. 

Coniferous woodland
Coniferous woodland, coniferous plants keep their leaves year round. Most plants in tropical rain forests keep their leaves all year, gradually replacing them as they fall with age. Fewer plants are green year-round in cooler climates, but conifers are dominant when the climate becomes too cold for broad-leafed plants. 

Whereas deciduous plants lose their leaves as an adaptation to cold or dry seasons, coniferous plants keep their leaves year round as an adaptation to low nutrient levels (so that they don't have to expend nutrients in the creation of new leaves). 

Mainport Rotterdam

Vessel arrivals (ships visiting the harbour of Rotterdam) 34.404 in 2010.

Annual cargo tonnage 429,9 million tons in 2010.


Wet bulk 209,4 million tons in 2010.

• crude oil and
• chemicals.

Dry bulk 84,6 million tons in 2010.

• coal and 
• ores.

Containers 112,3 million tons in 2010.