Ch 9 Science Vocab

Front 1

subsoil

Back 1

the soil lying immediately under the surface soil.

Front 2

bedrock

Back 2

solid rock underlying loose deposits such as soil or alluvium.

Front 3

erosion

Back 3

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Front 4

nutrient depletion

Back 4

when soil loses nutrient levels

Front 5

fertilizer

Back 5

a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility.

Front 6

desertification

Back 6

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Front 7

drought

Back 7

a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this.

Front 8

land reclamation

Back 8

is the gain of land from the sea, or wetlands, or other water bodies, and restoration of productivity or use to lands that have been degraded by human activities or impaired by natural phenomena.

Front 9

municipal solid waste

Back 9

commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and as refuse or rubbish in Britain, is a wastetype consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public.

Front 10

incineration

Back 10

is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials

Front 11

pollutant

Back 11

a substance that pollutes something, especially water or the atmosphere.

Front 12

leachate

Back 12

water that has percolated through a solid and leached out some of the constituents.

Front 13

sanitary landfill

Back 13

are sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe. It is considered when it has completely degraded biologically, chemically and physically.

Front 14

recycle

Back 14

convert waste into reusable material.

Front 15

biodegrading

Back 15

capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.

Front 16

hazordous waste

Back 16

is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.

Front 17

emissions

Back 17

the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.

Front 18

photo chemical smog

Back 18

Air pollution produced by the action of sunlight on hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants.

Front 19

ozone

Back 19

a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light.

Front 20

temperature inversion

Back 20

the action of inverting something or the state of being inverted.

Front 21

acid rain

Back 21

rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes.

Front 22

radon

Back 22

the chemical element of atomic number 86, a rare radioactive gas belonging to the noble gas series.

Front 23

ozone layer

Back 23

a layer in the earth's stratosphere at an altitude of about 6.2 miles (10 km) containing a high concentration of ozone, which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun.

Front 24

chlorofluorocarbon

Back 24

any of a class of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine, typically gases used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants.

Front 25

pesticide

Back 25

a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.

Front 26

sewage

Back 26

waste water and excrement conveyed in sewers.

Front 27

sediment

Back 27

matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; dregs.

Front 28

greenhouse gas

Back 28

a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, e.g., carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons.

Front 29

fossil fuel

Back 29

a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Front 30

global warming

Back 30

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.