| A | B |
|---|
| development | The construction of buildings, roads, dams, and other structures. |
| litter | Layer of dead leaves and grass on top of the soil. |
| topsoil | An upper layer of soil consisting of rock fragments, organisms, nutrients, water, air, and decaying matter. |
| subsoil | Layer of soil below topsoil. |
| bedrock | Rock that makes up Earth's crust. |
| erosion | The process by which water, wind, or ice moves particles of rock or soil. |
| nutrient depletion | The situation that arises when more soil nutrients are used than the decomposers can replace. |
| fallow | Left unplanted with crops. |
| crop rotation | The planting of different crops in a field each year. |
| desertification | The advance of desertlike conditions into areas that were previously fertile. |
| land reclamation | The process of restoring land to a more natural state. |
| municipal solid waste | Waste produced in homes, businesses, and schools. |
| leachate | Water that has passed through buried wastes in a landfill. |
| sanitary landfill | A landfill that holds nonhazardous waste such as municipal solid waste and construction debris. |
| incineration | The burning of solid waste. |
| recycling | The process of reclaiming and reusing raw materials. |
| biodegradable | Capable of being broken down by bacteria and other natural decomposers. |
| resins | Solid materials produced during oil refining that can be used to make plastics. |
| composting | Helping the natural decomposition process to break down certain wastes. |
| hazardous waste | A material that can be harmful if it is not properly disposed of. |
| toxic | Damaging to the health of humans or other organisms; poisonous. |
| explosive | Capable of reacting very quickly when exposed to air or water or of exploding when dropped. |
| flammable | Capable of catching fire easily and burning at low temperatures. |
| corrosive | Able to dissolve or break down many other substances, such as an acid. |
| radioactive | Containing unstable atoms. |
