Natural Resources/Climate

Limited Resource

the reality or perception that sufficient resources don't exist for all parties to achieve their goals or fulfill their interests

Coal

to grow together to form a single whole

Ground Water

underground water that is held in the soil and in pervious rocks

Water Vapor

water in the form of a gas

Global Warming

An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes)

Petroleum

An oily, dark-colored, flammable liquid found in the earth, consisting mainly of a mixture of various hydrocarbons. Gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, paraffin, and lubricants are made from petroleum.

Renewable Resource

Any natural resource (as wood or solar energy) that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time

Sea Level Rise

Causes erosion of shorelines and rainforests, flooding of wetlands that house freshwater ecosystems. Caused by global climate changes that is melting sea ice.

Fossil Fuel

Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals.

Recycling

Convert waste into reusable material.

Deforestation

Destruction of forests

Alternative Energy

energy that does not come from fossil fuels and that is still in development

Indirect Evidence

evidence that does not involve direct observation

Wind Turbines

large windmills that produce electricity

Nonrenewable Resource

materials found in nature that CANNOT be renewed or replaced

Carbon Footprint

measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide

Carbon footprint

measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide

Bacteria

(microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission

Pollutant

A substance that causes pollution.

Infiltration

Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface.

Soil Erosion

Movement of soil components, especially topsoil, from one place to another, usually by wind, flowing water, or both. This natural process can be greatly accelerated by human activities that remove vegetation from soil.

Reservoir

a lake that stores water for human use

Ice Cores

pieces of ice used to track earths past weather

Nonpoint Source Pollution

pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single, specific site

Glaciers

huge, slow moving sheets of ice

Direct Evidence

information about a crime provided by a witness who saw the crime, or by a video or audio recording of the crime

Non-Renewable

Energy formed so slowly that for practical purposes it cannot be renewed. The three main fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal) plus nuclear energy are the most widely used, mostly because they are more cost efficient.

Geothermal Energy

Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.

Nuclear Energy

Energy stored in the nucleus of an atom

Distribution Systems

Failure of these leads to malnourishment because they cannot distribute food equally to everyone in the world

Greenhouse Effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases

Natural Resource

Naturally occurring materials, such as oil and fertile land, which can be used by humans

Climate

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

Photovoltaic Technology

PV cells are made primarily of silicon. When sunlight hits a PV cell, the energy knocks electrons free of their atoms, allowing them to flow through the material and create an electrical current. Type of Solar Energy.

Point Source Pollution

Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of various types).

Algae Bloom

Rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system usually due to an abundance of nutrients

Carbon Source

Releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it takes in

Reserve

Reticent

Microcystin

Also concern about low level, chronic exposure

Nuclear Fusion

2 isotopes of light elements (H) forced together at high temperatures till they fuse to form a heavier nucleus. Expensive, break even point not reached yet

Aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.

Pesticide

A chemical intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops.

Fuel Cell

A device that converts hydrogen or another fuel into electricity

Ozone

A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two.

Natural Gas

A fossil fuel in the gaseous state

Ethanol

A fuel that can be made from sugar cane

Climate Graph

A graph that indicates the rainfall, mean maximum temperature and mean minimum temperature in a particular area.

Hydroelectric Power

Electricity produced by the kinetic energy of water moving over a waterfall or dam.

Oil

A liquid fossil fuel formed from marine organisms that is burned to obtain energy and used in the manufacture of plastics.

Turbidity

A measure of how clear water is.

Carbon Sink

A natural environment that absorbs and stores more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases, which offsets greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable

A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed

Nuclear Fission

A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

Nuclear Fusion

A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy

Active solar heating

A system in which a series of collection devices mounted on a roof or in a field are used to absorb solar energy. Pumps or fans distribute the collected heat.

Passive Solar heating

A system that uses the sun's energy without requiring mechanical devices (pumps or fans) to distribute the collected heat.

Positive Feedback

A type of regulation that responds to a change in conditions by initiating responses that will amplify the change. Takes organism away from a steady state.

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

Coal

Access to rivers, iron ore, timber, and _____ was a major determining factor in which countries were able to industrialize during this period.

Best Management Practices

Agreed upon the EPA, actions that minimize pollution problems caused by industrial or land use impacts

Earth's Energy Budget

Amount of solar energy coming in is equal to amount leaving earth

Photovoltaic array

An energy system that collects and stores heat energy from the sun

Photovoltaic Array

An energy system that collects and stores heat energy from the sun is a

Reserve

An extra supply of a material or substance

Sediment Pollution

By volume and mass, sediment is our greatest water pollutant. It can choke streams, fill reservoir`s, bury vegetation. A nuisance.

Methane

CH4

Carbon Dioxide

CO2

Mineral Resource

Concentration of naturally occurring solid, liquid, or gaseous material in or on the earth's crust in a form and amount such that extracting and converting it into useful materials or items is currently or potentially profitable. Mineral resources are classified as metallic (such as iron and tin ores) or nonmetallic (such as fossil fuels, sand, and salt).

Fuel cell

Device that combines hydrogen, or other fuels, and oxygen and produces electricity in the process.

Hydroelectric Power

Electricity generated by flowing water

Biofuels

Fuels, such as ethanol or methanol, that are created from the fermentation of plants or plant products.

Infrastructure

Fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or area, as transportation and communication systems, power plants, and schools

Greenhouse Gases

Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect.

Ocean Currents

Global patterns created from the movement of the oceans; such as the Gulf Stream

Wind Farms

Large arrays of wind turbines

Wind farms

Large numbers of windmills concentrated in a single area; usually owned by a utility or large-scale energy producer.

Icecaps

Mars has polar regions with _____ composed of water and two satelittes.

Natural Resource

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

Carbon Cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Land Use

Various ways humans use the land such as agricultural, industrial, residential, or recreational

Surface Water

Water above the surface of the land, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, floodwater, and runoff.

Thermal Expansion (Of Ocean Water)

Where sea level rises because it warms and particles move further apart

Nutrient Pollution

Which of the following types of water pollution causes eutrophication?

Fertilizer

a chemical that provides nutrients to help crops grow better.

Amoebas

a group of protozoans that move by means of pseudopods

Wind Turbine

a machine that converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy.

Toxin

a poison that can harm an organism

Nonrenewable Resource

a resource that cannot be replaced

Ore

a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine

Mineral Resource

all discovered and undiscovered deposits of a useful mineral that can be extracted now or at some time in the future

Ocean Acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels

Fresh Water

defined as having a low salt concentration (less than 1%). Plants and animals are adjusted to the low salt content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration (i.e., ocean). There are different types of freshwater regions: ponds and lakes, streams and rivers, and estuaries.

Limited Resource

scarcity

Contaminant

something that causes impurity; something that defiles or pollutes

Land Reclamation

the process of restoring land to a more natural state

Tides

the regular rise and fall of the ocean's surface influenced by the moon's gravity pulling on earth

Recycling

the separation, collection, processing, marketing, and reuse of unwanted material

Inexhaustible

unlimited; unable to be used up or tired out

Photovoltaic technology

using sunlight to generate electricity

Salt Water

water that contains dissolved salts and other minerals

Run-Off

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground