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8.19 Mrs Jensen
Resources and the Environment
22
Science
8th Grade
12/29/2011

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Term
natural resource
Definition
material found in nature that is useful or necessary for living organisms
Term
renewable resource
Definition
natural resource, such as water, that is recycled or replaced by ongoing natural processes
Term
nonrenewable resource
Definition
natural resource, such as petroleum, that is available in limited amounts and cannot be replaced or is only replaced slowly
Term
fossil fuel
Definition
nonrenewable energy source, such as natural gas, that formed from the bodies of organisms that died hundreds of millions of years ago
Term
photovoltaic (PV) cell
Definition
device made of silicon that turns sunlight directly into electric current
Term
hydroelectric power
Definition
electricity produced by the energy of flowing water
Term
geothermal energy
Definition
heat energy from below the surface of Earth
Term
nuclear energy
Definition
energy produced when the nuclei of uranium atoms split apart in a nuclear fission reaction
Term
soil depletion
Definition
removal of soil nutrients from land used for agriculture due to the replacement of native plants with crops that do not decay and replenish the soil
Term
erosion
Definition
wearing away of soil by wind and water
Term
soil management
Definition
use of plowing methods to prevent or reduce soil depletion and erosion
Term
extinction
Definition
dying out of an entire species either naturally or through the actions of humans
Term
endangered species
Definition
species that is in danger of becoming extinct unless action is taken to protect it
Term
recycling
Definition
process that reduces the use of natural resources by reusing an item after it has been changed or reprocessed
Term
pollutant
Definition
any substance that contaminates the environment and causes pollution
Term
smog
Definition
air pollution that forms when sunlight reacts with pollutant chemicals produced by burning fossil fuels
Term
acid rain
Definition
rain or snow with a pH below 5.6 that results from the mixture of water vapor and air pollutants in the atmosphere
Term
ozone depletion
Definition
thinning of Earth's protective ozone layer, primarily from chlorofluorocarbons reacting with and destroying ozone molecules
Term
greenhouse effect
Definition
warming of Earth due to a blanket of gases in the atmosphere that prevents heat from radiating back into space
Term
global warming
Definition
increase in the average yearly temperature of Earth
Term
hazardous waste
Definition
waste materials, such as pesticides and nuclear waste, that are harmful to human health or poisonous to living organisms and that must be properly disposed of
Term
groundwater
Definition
water contained in the soil or trapped in underground pockets formed by nonporous rock that comes from rainfall and runoff that soaks through the soil
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