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Several steps are involved when COSEWIC evaluates the status of species. The committee begins by commissioning status reports on species suspected of being in danger.

During the prolonged darkness of winter, the air over the huge snow- and ice-covered surfaces of Canada may stagnate for weeks, radiating heat to outer space.

Sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata or rugosa) is an annual vegetable of the grass family.

Ozone depletion is a chemical thinning of the OZONE LAYER in the stratosphere or upper atmosphere. Scientists determined in the 1970s that it is caused by ozone depleting substances (ODSs), particularly by the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

A vertebrate is a member of the phylum Chordata.

​The environment is the physical, social and psychological milieu in which humans exist.

Geomorphology is related to GEOLOGY because of the importance of long timescales, tectonic deformation of Earth's crust (seePLATE TECTONICS), and rock and sediment properties; and to physical geography through its association with CLIMATE, BIOGEOGRAPHY, SOIL SCIENCE, and HYDROLOGY.

Lacewing is the common name for small, fragile insects of the 2 most common families (Chrysopidae, green lacewings; Hemerobiidae, brown lacewings) of order Neuroptera.

Many factors are involved in their creation. With most, intense sunlight heats the ocean, which in turn warms the overriding air by convection. The heated air rises, carrying away evaporated water charged with energy and producing an area of low pressure.

Barite (BaSO4) is a white, colourless, gray, brown, yellow, blue or red mineral found in sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is composed of 65.7% barium oxide (BaO) and 34.3% sulphur trioxide (SO3).

La Niña describes an extensive cooling of the waters in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. To qualify as a full-fledged La Niña, the cooling must persist for at least 3 seasons. La Niña events are cyclical, recurring every 3 to 5 years, but the interval can vary from 2 to 10 years.

The sky appears its deepest blue when the air is dry and clean. Water vapour and dust scatter all colours of light, causing the blue to appear washed-out and pale.

​Cranberries are tart, red berries. In Canada, most commercial production is in British Columbia and Québec.

In the Caslake case (1998), a majority of the Supreme Court of Canada held that a search made for purposes of an inventory, conforming to police policy (RCMP) but without a search warrant or permission, constituted an abusive search.

Abalone (Haliotis), genus of primitive marine gastropod molluscs with over 70 species worldwide. There are 2 species in Canada. The pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) also known as the Japanese or northern ear shell, is found along the entire BC coast.

Strategic environmental assessment is the environmental assessment of policy, plan and program initiatives and their alternatives.

The term fiddlehead is used to refer to plants in 3 ways: (1) the young curled leaf of any fern; (2) the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris of the Aspidaceae family); and (3) the young curled leaf of the ostrich fern used as a vegetable (often called fiddlehead greens).

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), fairly large rodent common throughout much of North America

Archaeopteryx, the oldest bird yet discovered, is known from several fossils recovered from fine slate deposits in Germany. This magpie-size animal lived in a tropical environment about 150 million years ago.

CAPE BONAVISTA separates Trinity and Bonavista bays on the eastern coast of Newfoundland. In 1842 it was decided to build a LIGHTHOUSE there as an aid to navigating the dangerous seas off the cape. The lighthouse operated for well over a century before it finally closed in 1962.