| A | B |
|---|
| acid precipitation | Rain or snow with a pH of 5.0 or below |
| biodegradable | solid waste that can be broken down by natural processes (decomposers) |
| conservation | planned management of natural areas to prevent exploitation or destruction |
| endangered species | species with numbers of individuals so low that it is close to extinction |
| extinction | occurs when the last members of a species die |
| fossil fuel | coal, oil, natural gas formed from the buried remains of organisms |
| greenhouse effect | a natural phenomenon by which carbon dioxide and other gases prevent heat from escaping into space - keeping earth warm (good) |
| groundwater | fresh water from rain and surface streams that accumulates in underground reservoirs |
| natural resources | renewable or nonrenewable parts of the natural environment such as soil, crops and water that are used by humans |
| nonbiodegradable | types of wastes that are not easily broken down and can exist in the environment for many years (ie: radioactive waste and plastic) |
| nonrenewable resource | resource available in limited amounts and can't be replaced or recycled quickly when used up |
| ozone layer | protective layer of ozone at the top of the stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun's harmful UV rays |
| particulate | made up of little particles |
| pollution | contamination of air, water, or land by wastes produced in such excess that they can't be recycled by natural processes |
| preservation | keeping an organism or an area from harm or destruction by the establishment of parks, wildlife habitats or other refuges |
| renewable resource | a resource that can be used over and over again |
| smog | type of urban air pollution made up of smoke (chemical pollutants and particulate matter) and fog |
| infrared radiation | radiation from the sun that has a very long wavelength and is heating radiation |
| troposphere | a layer of the atmosphere closest to earth - where our weather happens |
| stratosphere | an upper layer of the atmosphere where ozone traps UV rays |
| mesosphere | outer layer of the atmosphere beyond which is outerspace |
| catalytic converter | a device put on cars that chemically changes pollutants before they leave the car's exhaust |
| mitigation | postponment of an event |
| deforestation | removal of trees from a forest |
| emissions | gaseous and particulate matter that results from burning fuels |
| emphysema | disease of the lungs that makes it diffuclt to breath |
| conifers | pine trees with cones |
| leach | filtering of water through a material causing substances to come out |
| biological magnification | the concentration of chemicals as they are stored in the bodies of organisms and passed up the food chain |
| erosion | the movement of soil due to wind, water,or man-made causes |
| buffers | substances that balance changes in pH (limestone balances acid in lakes) |
| scrubbers | a device placed in smokestacks that mixes water with gases to remove the harmful acids and particulates |
| radiant energy | energy from the sun that warms |
| chlorofluorocarbons | CFC's - pollutants with chlorine that destroy ozone in the stratosphere |
| biome | large groups of ecosystems that share the same types of plant life |
| monoculture | farming strategy to obtain highly productive crop yields yearly |
| green revolution | intensive farming practices leading to increased crop yields |
| sustainable use | using natural resources at a rate that doesn't deplete them |
| desertificaiton | process in which productive land turns to desert because of poor farming practice, overgrazing and drought |
| deforestation | destruction of forests |
| aquaculture | farming of aquatic organisms |
| biodiversity | all of the varied species in the biosphere |
| habitat fragmentation | splitting of ecosystems into small fragments |
| invasive species | plants and animals that migrate to areas where they aren't native |
