| A | B |
|---|
| acid deposition | sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, emitted by burning fossil fuels, enter the atmosphere-where they combine with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acide and nitric acid-and return to Earth's surface |
| acid precipitation | conversion of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides to acids that return to Earth as rain, snow, or fog |
| active solar energy systems | solar energy system that collects energy through the use of mechanical devices like photovoltaic cells or flat-plate colelctors |
| air pollution | concentration of trace substances, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and solid particulates, at a greater level than occurs in average air |
| animate power | power supplied by people or animals |
| biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) | amount of oxygen required by aquatic bacteria to decompose a given load of organic waste; a measure of water pollution |
| biodiversity | the number of species within a specific habitat |
| biomass fuel | fuel that derives from plant material and animal waste |
| breeder reactor | a nuclear power plant that creates its own fuel from plutonium |
| chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) | a gas used as a solvent, a propellant in aerosols, a refrigerant, and in plastic foams and fire extinguishers |
| conservation | the sustainable use and management of a natural resource, through consuming at a less rapid rate than it can be replaced |
| ferrous | metals, including iron ore, that are utilized in the production of iron and steel |
| fission | the splitting of an atomic nucleus to release energy |
| fossil fuel | energy source formed from the residue of plants and animals buried millions of years ago |
| fusion | creation of energy by joining the nuclei of two hydrogen atoms to form helium |
| geothermal energy | energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks |
| greenhouse effect | anticipated increase in earth's temperature, caused by carbon dioxide (emitted by burning fossil fuels) trapping some of the radiation emitted by the surface |
| hydroelectric power | power generated from moving water |
| inanimate power | power supplied by machines |
| nonferrous | metals utilized to make products other than iron and steel |
| nonrenewable energy | a source of energy that is a finite supply capable of being exhausted |
| ozone | a gas that absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation, found in the stratosphere, a zone between 15 adn 50 kilometers abover Earth's surface |
| passive solar energy systems | solar energy system that collects energy without the use of mechanical devices |
| photochemical smog | an atmospheric condition formed through a combination of weather conditions and pollution , especially from motor vehicle emissions |
| photovoltaic cell | solar energy cells, usually made from silicon, that collect solar rays to generate electricity |
| pollution | addition of more waste than a resource can accommodate |
| potential reserve | the amount of energy in deposits not yet identified but thought to exist |
| preservation | maintenance of a resource in its present condition, with as little human impact as possible |
| proven reserve | the amount of a resource remaining in discovered deposits |
| radioactive waste | particles from a nuclear reaction that emit radiation; contact with such particles may be harmful or lethal to people and must therefore be safely stored for thousands of years |
| recycling | the separation, collection, processing, marketing, and reuse of unwanted material |
| renewable energy | a resource that has a theoretically unlimited supply and is not depleted when used by humnas |
| resource | a substance in the environment that is useful to ppl, is economically and technologically unilimited supply and is not depleted when used by humans |
| sanitary landfill | a place to deposit solid waste, where a layer of earth is bulldozed over garbage each day to reduce emissions of gases and odors from the decaying trash, to minimize fires, and to discourage vermin |
| sustainable development | the level of development that can be maintained in a country without depleting resources to the extent that future generations will be unable to achieve a comparable level of development |
