general science ch 14
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- acid precipitation
- Has a pH below 5.6; occurs when air pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels react with water to form strong acids; can pollute water, kill fish and plants, and damage soils.
- erosion
- Movement of soil from one place to another.
- fossil fuels
- Nonrenewable energy resources--coal, oil, and natural gas--that have formed in Earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years.
- geothermal energy
- Heat energy within Earth's crust, available only where natural geysers or volcanoes are located.
- greenhouse effect
- Natural heat-trapping feature; occurs when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, trap heat and keep Earth warm enough to support life.
- hazardous wastes
- Waste materials, such as pesticides and leftover paints, that are harmful to human health or poisonous to living organisms.
- hydroelectric power
- Electricity produced when the energy of falling water turns the blades of a generator turbine.
- natural resources
- Parts of Earth's environment that supply materials useful or necessary for the survival of living organisms.
- nonrenewable resources
- Natural resources, such as petroleum, minerals, and metals, that are used more quickly than they can be replaced by natural processes.
- nuclear energy
- Energy produced from the splitting apart of billions of uranium nuclei by a nuclear fission reaction.
- ozone depletion
- Thinning of Earth's ozone layer caused by chlorofluorocarbons leaking into the air and reacting chemically with ozone, breaking the ozone molecules apart.
- petrolium
- Nonrenewable resource formed over hundreds of millions of years mostly from the remains of microscopic marine organisms buried in Earth's crust.
- pollutant
- Substance that contaminates any part of the environment.
- recycling
- Conservation method that is a form of reuse and requires changing or reprocessing an item or natural resource.
- renewable resources
- Natural resources, such as water, sunlight, and crops, that are constantly being recycled or replaced by nature.