Geology Test 4
Moderator
a substance, such as water, graphite, or beryllium, used in a nuclear reactor to slow down fast neutrons
Carbon Tax
a tax levied on fossil fuels in proportion to the amount of carbon emitted during combustion
Hot Dry Rock Technology
a technology that is used to literally "mine" the heat coming off rocks buried beneath the surface of earth; through this process, water is injected and pumped through rock and then circulated back up; the water hitting the rock creates steam as it flows through the rock, which can then be used for energy
Passive Solar design
a type of architecture that uses the inherent characteristics of a building to capture heat and light from the sun
Wind Farms
a vast tract of land covered with wind-powered turbines that are used to drive generators that produce electricity
Rubbish
a very genral term that includes trash, garbage, and other items such as construction and demolition debris
Atomic Chlorine
chlorine atoms influence cycles that are linked to ozone destruction; this greenhouse gas is potentially toxic to plant and animal life
Independent Power Producers
companies that construct electricity-generating plants and then sell the electricity to the large utilities
General Circulation Models (GCM)
complex mathematical models that, with the help of supercomputers, simulate the Earth's climatic patterns
Reactor Vessel
in a nuclear power plant, a thick steel tank that usually contains the reactor core and primary water loop
Fusion
the combining of isotopes of light elements to form a heavier element; in the process, energy may be released
Superfund
the common name for the federal Hazardous Substance Response Fund that is used for cleanup and related expenses associated with hazardous waste sites on the EPA's National Priorities List
Garbage
wet and generally edible discarded matter, such as old food remains, yard clippings, dead animals, and leftovers from meatpacking operations and butcher shops
Commercial Extinction
when a species becomes so rare that harvesting it is no longer economically viable
Sea Level Rise
worldwide rises in sea level ( relative to the elevations of the continents) such as has been predicted as a result of global warming
Nimbus 7
A NASA satellite that confirmed the depletion of the ozone layer over the south pole in the 1980s
Light-Water Reactor (LWR)
A common type of commercial reactor that uses ordinary (light) water as the moderator.
Waste-to-Energy
the burning of municipal solid waste to produce energy
"Big Five" Energy Sources
Coal oil, natural gas, large-scale hydroelectric, and nuclear power
Tokamak
a large machine that uses magnetic fields to confine and promote controlled fusion reactions
Herbicides
a chemical substance used to kill plant weeds
Cataracts
a condition in which the lens of the eye becomes opqaue
Melanoma
a condition of malignant skin cancer
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC)
a convention agreed to by many nations at the 1992 Earth Summit; although the convention does not establish legal obligations or specific target dates, it requires signing countries to use their best efforts to control emissions of greenhouse gases
Flat-Plate Collector
a device that usually consists of a black metal plate that absorbs heat from the sun; the heat can be transferred to a liquid and then used as desired
Batteries
a device that when charged with electricity stores the energy in the form of chemical energy; when it is discharged, the energy is converted back into electrical energy
Reprocessing Facility
a facility designed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel in order to recover fissionable materials
Energy Farms
a farm that produces biomass to be used as an energy source
Monoculture
a form of agriculture in which only a single species is grown in a particular field, such as a field devoted entirely to wheat
Global Dimming
a gradual reduction in the amount of solar radiation that penetrates earth's surface due to the increased reflectivity of clouds and pollution that results from fossil fuel emissions; global dimming may create a global cooling effect that has partially offset the effects of greenhouse gases on global warming
Dioxins
a group of more than 75 related compounds that are extremely toxic, artificially produced chemicals; can be inadvertently synthesized in incinerators when trash and garbage are burned
Uranium
a heavy element that contains 92 protons; fissionable isotopes of this element can be used as fuel in nuclear reactors and can also be manufactured into bombs
Plutonium
a heavy element that contains 94 protons; fissionable isotopes of this element can be used as fuel in nuclear reactors and can also be manufactured into bombs
Sanitary Landfill
a hole in the ground where solid waste is deposited; the hole is lined that materials will not escape, and it is covered with layers of dirt as it is progressively filled; when completely filled, it is capped, sealed with more dirt and topsoil
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
a large, international group of officials, scientists, and other researchers who, under the auspices of the UN, have been investigating the issue of global climate change, particularly potential future global warming
Ozone Layer
a layer of O3 in the stratosphere; most concentrated at an altitude of 20 to 25 km (12 to 16 mi)
Leachate
a liquid solution that forms as water percolates through waste, such as refuse in a landfill or old mining tailings; may contain chemicals that can be dissolved, particles, and live microorganisms
Meltdown
a major accident at a nuclear power plant in which the fuel assembly (core) is heated beyond its melting point
Energy Intensity
a measure of the amount of energy required to create a good or service (a car, an acre of agricultural land, etc)
Deep Well Injection
a method of disposing liquid wastes, such as industrial or hazardous wastes, wherein they are pumped or injected down wells deep below the Earth's surface
Dilute and Disperse
a method of handling waste whereby the substance is watered down and then released into the environment; this is a difficult method to justify in more modern times because of the sheer amount and toxicity level of much of the waste generated by industry and commercial sectors
Concentrate and Contain
a method of waste disposal that concentrates waste solids and liquids and then contains them, such as in a storage facility, so as to reduce exposure to humans and the environment
Soil
a mixture of weathered rocks and minerals, decayed organic matter, living organisms, air and water
Breeder Reactors
a nuclear reactor that is especially designed to actively convert nonfissionable isotopes into fissionable isotopes that can then be used as fuel
Little Ice Age
a period in Earth history, beginning in late medieval/early renaissance times (ca. AD 1300) and ending only 200-300 years ago, during which average global temperatures were slightly lower than immediately before or after
Biodegradable Plastics
a plastic that can be degraded, decomposed, or broken down by microorganisms into simple compounds such as water and carbon dioxide
Cogeneration
a power plant that produces several types of energy simultaneously, such as electricity and heat, that can be used locally
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
a report compiled annually by the EPA on toxics released by US industries based on data reported to the EPA by those industries under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986
Swidden Techniques
a shifting method of agriculture by which vegetation is cut down, allowed to dry, and burnt as a way to enrich the soil; after a few years the land must be allowed to lay fallow for a period before being cultivated again; the purpose is the allow the soil to regenerate between cultivations; synonymous with slash and burn agriculture
Love Canal
a site in the town of Niagra Falls, NY, that gained national attention in the late 1970s when hazardous chemicals that were buried in the area began to adversely affect the residents; spurred Congress to pass the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
Open Loop Recycling
a situation in which a material or substance can be recycled once or a few times, but not indefinitely because the material is damaged or degraded each time it is recycled
Biogas Disasters
a special chamber or reactor used to promote the biochemical conversion of biomass
Genetically Modified Crops
a specific type of technology that is used to alter the genetic makeup of living organisms; this process involves combining genes from various organisms to gather the best traits and create a more commercially desirable organism; the technology is subject to debate, although often used on agricultural products
Neutron
a subatomic particle that has approximately the same mass as a proton, but does not bear an electric charge
Fertilizers
a substance, often an artificial chemical mixture, that is spread on or through the soil to promote plant growth
Ozone
an O3 molecule; contributes to air pollution in the troposphere but is an important natural component of the stratosphere; the layer in the stratosphere protects the Earth's surface from excessive levels of UV radiation
Montreal Protocol
an agreement reached in 1987 at a meeting in Montreal, Canada, whereby a number of industrialized countries pledged to freeze CFC production at 1986 levels and then gradually decrease CFC production to 50% of 2986 levels by 1999
Kyoto Protocol
an amendment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which brings together industrial and developing countries to lower their greenhouse gas emissions in a unified fashion; the US and Australia are the only developed countries that have refused to sign the agreement; the protocol opened for signatories in 1997 and was implemented in 2005
Hydrothermal Fluid Reservoirs
an area where hot rock occurs at relatively shallow depth and natural groundwater is heated, sometimes to extremely high temperatures
Solar-Hydrogen Economy
an economy based primarily on solar power (in all its forms, including wind power and hydroelectric power) and using hydrogen as a convenient way to store and transport energy
Fuel Cells
an electrochemical cell in which electrons are removed from hydrogen atoms to form an electric current; the hydrogen ions combine with oxygen to form water
Thorium
an element that contains 90 protons; an isotope of this element can be used in a breeder reactor to produce fissionable U-233
Salinization
an increase in soil salt content that sometimes occurs due to prolonged irrigation, especially in poorly drained arid regions
Industrial Ecosystem
an industrial situation that mimics the principles of ecosystems in nature; no "waste" is produced; rather, the effluents of one industrial process form the raw materials for another industrial process
Topsoil
an upper layer in the soil, composed primarily of a mixture of organic matter and mineral matter; it is alive with microscopic and small macroscopic organisms
Irrigation
artificial watering of land
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
artificially produced compounds composed primarily of carbon, fluorine, and chlorine that have been implicated in the deterioration of the ozone layer
Source Reduction
as applied to solid waste, reducing the generation of waste in the first place, as opposed to later reusing or recycling waste
Control Rods
device composed of a substance that has the ability to absorb neutrons, such a cadmium or born, that is used in a nuclear reactor to control or even halt the nuclear chain reaction
Radiation
electromagnetic radiation; includes visible light, heat, UV, gamma rays, x-rays, etc; term is also used to refer to the emission of particles from a radioactive atom
Geothermal Energy
energy (heat) originating from deep within the earth
Solar Energy
energy derived from the sun
Biomass Energy
energy produced by the burning of such biomass as organic wastes, standing forests, and energy crops
Alternative Energy
energy sources such as solar power or wind power hat can be used instead of fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydroelectric
Light Pollution
excess "waste" light given off by outside sources (or sources visible from the outside) at night
Greenhouse Gases
gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons, that are relatively transparent to the higher energy sunlight, but trap lower-energy infrared radiation; the gases that accumulate in the atmosphere promote global warming
Bioengineering
genetic manipulations and engineering to produce new varieties and types of organisms
Transgenic Crops
genetically transformed crops; crops that have been artificially engineered using bioengineering
Nitrogen Oxides
important components of both lower atmospheric pollution and the upper atmospheric greenhouse gases that promote global warming
Daughter Products
the atoms resulting from the splitting, or fission, of a large atom such as uranium or plutonium
Containment Structure
in a nuclear reactor, a housing around the reactor vessel designed to protect the outside environment from major radioactive contamination if an accident should occur
Chain Reaction
in a nuclear reactor, when the fissioning of one atom releases neutrons that induce the fissioning of other atoms and so forth
Heat
infrared radiation
Ice Ages
intervals in the history of the earth, especially during the last 2.5 million years, when average global surface temperatures were lower than they are currently and continental ice sheets were much more extensive than they are today
Soil Horizons
layers of soil that form approximately parallel to the surface of the land; may include the topsoil, subsoil, a layer of partially disintegrated rock, and the underlying bedrock
Infrared radiation
low energy, long wavelength electromagnetic radiation that humans perceive as heat
Active Solar Techniques
mechanisms, such as flat-plate collectors, that are designed to actively collect the energy of sunlight and us it (i.e. to heat a building or heat water)
Green Revolution
modern, chemically based, usually mechanized agriculture that was used on a large scale in the industrialized countries after WWII
Yellowcake
name for uranium oxide (U3O8) or "natural uranium"
Methane
natural gas CH4; a fossil fuel and potent greenhouse gas
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
philosophy that farmers should not try to totally eliminate pests, but should simply attempt to control them so that they do not cause serious damage; often involves the use of "natural" controls such as pests' natural biological predators; seeks to reduce the use of artificial chemical pesticides
Crop Rotation
planting different crops on a particular field in different years - the same crop is not planted on the same field year after year
Bioplastics
plastics produced from organic and generally biodegradable compounds (such as vegetable polymers) and containing little to no petroleum products; in proper compost setting, most will break down
Aerosol Spray
products that are sprayed as a fine mist during use, such as canned spray paints and deodorants; for many years such products used ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons as propellants
Refuse
refers to both trash and garbage
Aquaculture
refers to farming of aquatic organism in general and sometimes freshwater organisms in particular
Carbon Emissions
release of carbon into the atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels and other organic matter and similar activities
Mariculture
saltwater seafood farming
Industrial Solid Waste
solid wastes produced by industries, including wastes from larger-scale manufacturing, mining, resource processing and so forth
Pioneer Stage of Succession
stage of succession where an initial set of organisms colonize an area and begin the process of succession; organisms in this stage are often well evolved to deal with harsher climates, such as greater exposure to elements like wind and solar raditation
Carryover Grain Stocks
stocks of grain that are saved from one harvest year and remain at the beginning of the next harvest year
Energy Storage
storing energy in a form that is readily accessible to humans
Soil Fertility
the ability of the soil to support plant life and associated fauna
Carbon Efficiency
the amount of economic output per unit of carbon released
Biotechnology
the artificial use and manipulation of organisms toward human ends
Malnutrition
the condition of a human or other organism in which the proper amount of energy and nutrients is not maintained through intake of calories, protein, and various vitamins and minerals; the amount of nutrients required for each person depends on age, sex, body build, and more
Soil Degradation
the damaging or destruction of natural resources, often due to overuse, abuse, and neglect by humans
Composting
the decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms; produces various forms of "soils"
Erosion
the deterioration and weathering away of soil or rock
Tidal Power
the harnessing of the tides to produce energy in a form that humans can readily utilize
Wind Power
the harnessing of wind's energy for human applications
Closed Loop Recycling
the indefinite recycling of a material or substance without degradation or deterioration, such as the recycling of many metals and glasses
Core
the interior of a nuclear reactor containing the fuel, moderator, and control rods
Climax Community
the last, relatively stable and diverse, community in the sequence of community succession
Troposphere
the lowermost thermal layer of the atmosphere, wherein temperatures normally decline with increasing altitude; the layer of the atmosphere in which most weather phenomena take place
Decentralization
the movement away from large, centralized sources of power and production
Crust
the outermost layer of rock that forms the solid surface of our plant Earth; divided into continental and oceanic
Sky Glow
the phenomenon when the sky at night in a certain area is not dark as it would be naturally, but glows due to excess light in the local atmosphere
Carbon Dioxide
the primary greenhouse gas
Methane Gas
the principal component of natural gas, it is a widely distributed chemical in nature that is odorless and colorless; it is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, some of which comes from the flatulence and belching discharge of farm animals
Milling Process
the process, including crushing, grinding, and leaching, curing which a mineral, such as copper or uranium oxide (yellowcake), is removed from the raw ore and concentrated
Deforestation
the removal of forest cover from an area
Waterlogging
the rising of the water table over time, and the soaking of soils, in areas where irrigated land is poorly drained
Municipal Solid Waste
the solid waste produced by the residents and businesses of a city, town, or other municipality; includes old newspapers, packaging materials, empty bottles, leftover foods, leaves and grass clippings, etc
Fission
the splitting of an atom, such as uranium or plutonium, to release energy
Desertification
the spread of desert like conditions due to human exploitation and misuse of land
Ecological Succession
the successive groups of plants and animals that will colonize a newly cleared patch of land or uncolonized body of water
Cosmoclimatology
the theory that variations in the flux of cosmic rays entering Earth's atmosphere can influence cloud formation and Earth's climate (cosmic rays promote cloud formation and cooler temperatures); the intensity of such cosmic rays is, in part, a function of solar activity as strong solar winds can lower the number of cosmic rays entering the Earth system and thus promote global warming
Stratosphere
the thermal layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere in which temperature increases with altitude; this is where the ozone layer occurs
Hybrid Engines
the type of engine that is typically smaller than the traditional internal combustion engine and uses a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to propel the vehicle; these vehicles are lower users of fossil fuels and are much more efficient; usually refers to a hybrid of electric and fossil fuel power
Hydropower
the use of artificial or natural waterfalls to generate electricity
Bioremediation
the use of bacteria and other small organisms to clean up or reduce unwanted concentrations of certain substances; aka biotreatment
Nuclear Power
the use of nuclear fission reactions to generate electricity
Photovoltaics
the use of semiconductor technology to generate electricity directly from the sun
Solar Thermal Technology
the use of the sun's energy to heat substances such as water to produce steam that drives turbine and generates electricity
Greenhouse Effect
the warming up of the lower atmosphere due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases that trap heat near the surface of the earth
Decommissioning
to take out of service, dismantle, and dispose of a nuclear power plant
Biological Control
use of "natural" controls, such as pests' natural biological predators, to control pest populations; seeks to reduce the use of artificial chemical pesticides
Trash
waste that is "dry" and nonedible, such as newspapers, boxes, cans, and containers
Hazardous waste
wastes that are particularly dangerous or destructive; specifically characterized by one or more of the following properties: ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic
Ocean Energy
waves, tides, differential heat layers, and other sources of energy directly related to the world's oceans
