| A | B |
|---|
| aquafer | underground rock formation |
| recharge zone | area of land on the Warth's surface from which groundwater originates |
| eutrophication | process that increases the amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, in a marine or aquatic ecosystem |
| water pollution | chemicals and etc. that don't belong in water but are present |
| surface water | fresh water that is above ground in lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams |
| watershed | entire area of land that is drained by a river |
| groundwater | water found underground |
| thermal pollution | massive heat that causes things to die |
| nonpoint pollution | pollution from no particular source |
| point pollution | pollution from a specific source |
| pathogens | disease-causing organisms such as bacteria |
| organic matter | biodegradable remains of animals and plants, including feces |
| organic chemicals | pesticides, fertilizers, plastics, detergents, gasoline and oil, and other materials made from fossil fuels such as petroleum. |
| inorganic chemicals | acids, salts, toxic metal; from both point and nonpoint sources |
| toxic chemicals | chemicals that are poisonous to living things, including heavy metals, and many industrial, and some household, chemicals |
| physical agents | heat and suspended solids such as soil |
| radioactive waste | from power plants or nuclear processing and defense facilities |
| bioaccumulation | accumulation of larger and larger amounts of a toxin within the tissues of organisms at each successive trophic level |
| phthlate | a chemical found in bottle water that is known to cause cancer |
| desalinization | by removing the salt from salt water |
| watercycle | the continual process in which water circulates between the atmosphere and the Earth |
| wastewater treatment plant | structure that filters out contaminants from waste water |
| wetland | area of land covered by water for at least part of the year |
| Clean Water Act | act passed by U.S. Congress to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's water |
| benthic zone | bottom of a body of water, inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams |
| Environment | the surroundings of an organism that affect its' life and developement |
| Environmental Science | the studies of how humans interact with the environment |
| Natural Resources | Any natural sustance that living things use such as sunlight, soil, water, plants and animals |
| Resource Depletion | Exhuastion of natural resources such as extraction of oil. |
| Renewable Resource | Resources in great abundance that are continually produced such as wind and sunlight. |
| Non-Renewable Resource | Resources that can be used up faster then they can be replenished naturally such as coal, oil and natural gas |
| Pollution | the contamination of the air, water and/or soil |
| Extinction | the irreversable disappearance of a population or species |
| Biosphere | layer around earth in which life occurs naturally which extends 8 km up and down |
| Developed Countries | Highly indusrtialized coutries with high incomes and high standards of living. |
| Developing Countries | Less industrilaized countries with low income and standard of living |
| Population Crisis | Situation in which population is so large, the economy and country cannot support it |
| Consumption Crisis | Situation in which natural resources are being used up, wasted or polluted faster then they can be renewed, replaced or cleaned up |
| Sustainable World | World in which human populations can continue to exist indefinately with hich standards of living and health |
| Pure Science | Study and activity that seeks answers to questions about how the world works |
| Applied Science | Study and activity that uses informaiton provided by pure science to solve problems |
| Ecology | the study of how living things are related to eachother in certain areas as well as theri environment |
| Extrapolate | To take the findings and research on one thing and apply it to everything in that field |
| Theory | An idea gotten from a tested hypothesis |
| Fact | The truth |
| Opinion | one person's point of view |
| Aesthetic | what is pleasing or beautiful |
| Economic | Gain or loss of money or jobs |
| Health | maintenence of the body |
| Scientific | knowledge gained by research |
| Adaptation | An inherited trait that increases an organisms chances of survival in a certain environment |
| Evolution | Change in genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next |
| Natural Selection | Term used tp describe the unequal survival and reproduction that results from the presence of a particular inherited traits |
| Carnivore | Animal that eats meat |
| Herbavore | Animal that eats plants |
