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141 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
chronically undernourished
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Receiving less than 90 percent of the minimum caloric intake needed for normal growth and development and a healthy, productive life.
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contour plowing
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Plowing along hill contours; reduces erosion.
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cover crops
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Plants such a rye, alfalfa, or clover, that can be planted immediately after harvest to hold an protect the soil
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famines
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Acute food shortages characterized by large-scale loss of life, social disruption, and economic chaos.
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food security
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The ability for individuals to obtain sufficient food on a day-by-day basis.
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genetic engineering
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Laboratory manipulation of genetic material using molecular biology.
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green revolution
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Dramatically increased agricultural production brought about by miracle strains of grain.
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gully erosion
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Removal of layers of soil, creating channels or ravines too large to be removed by normal tillage operations.
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malnourishment
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A nutritional imbalance caused by lack of specific dietary components or inability to absorb or utilize essential nutrients.
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mulch
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Protective groundcover that protects the soil, saves water, and prevents weed growth.
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reduced tillage
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Farming methods that preserve soil and save energy and water through reduced cultivation.
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rill erosion
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The removing of thin layers of soil as little rivulets of running water gather and cut small channels in the soil.
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salinization
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A process in which mineral salts accumulate in the soil, killing plants; occurs when soils in dry climates are irrigated profusely.
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sheet erosion
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Peeling off thin layers of soil from the land surface; accomplished primarily by wind and water.
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soil horizons
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Horizontal layers that reveal a soil's history, characteristics and usefulness.
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strip-farming
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Planting different types of crops in alternating strips along land contours.
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subsoil
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A layer of soil beneath the topsoil that has lower organic content and higher concentrations of fine mineral particles.
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sustainable agriculture
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Ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just agricultural system. Stewardship, soil conservation, and IPM are essential for sustainability.
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terracing
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Shaping the land to create level shelves of earth to hold water and soil; enables farmers to farm very steep hillsides.
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topsoil
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The first true layer of soil; layer in which organic material is mixed with mineral particles.
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waterlogging
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Water saturation of soil that fills all air spaces and causes plant roots to die from lack of oxygen; a result of overirrigation.
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acute effects
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A sudden onset of symptoms or effects of exposure to some factor.
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allergens
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Substances that activate the immune system and cause an allergic response.
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antigens
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Substances that stimulate the production of, and react with, specific antibodies.
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bioaccumulation
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The selective absorption and concentration of molecules by cells.
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biomagnification
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Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web.
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carcinogens
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Substances that cause cancer.
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chronic effects
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Long-lasting results of exposure to a toxin; can be a permanent change caused by a single, acute exposure or a continuous, low-level exposure.
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DALYs
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Disability-adjusted life years. A health measure that assesses the total burden of disease.
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emergent diseases
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A new disease or one that has been absent for at least 20 years.
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endocrine hormone disrupters
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Chemicals that interfere with the function of endocrine hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, etc.
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LD50
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A chemical dose lethal to 50 percent of a test population.
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morbidity
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Illness or disease
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mortality
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Death rate in a population, such as number of deaths per thousand people per year.
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mutagens
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Agents, such as chemicals or radiation, that damage or alter genetic material (DNA) in cells.
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neurotoxins
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Toxic substances such as lead or mercury, that specifically poison nerve cells.
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pathogens
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Organisms that produce disease in host organisms.
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POPs
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Persistent organic pollutants. Chemical compounds that persist in the environment and retain biological activity for a long time.
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teratogens
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Chemicals or other factors that specifically cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development.
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toxins
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Poisonous chemicals that react with specific cellular components to kill cells or to alter growth and development in undesirable ways.
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acid precipitation
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Acidic rain, snow, or dry particles deposited from the air due to increased acids released by anthropogenic or natural resources.
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aerosols
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Minute particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air.
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albedo
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A description of a surface’s reflective properties
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ambient air
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The air immediately around us.
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carbon management
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Projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel or to ameliorate their effects.
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carbon monoxide
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Colorless, odorless, nonirritating but highly toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion of fuel, incineration of biomass or solid wastes, etc.
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chloroflurocarbons
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Chemical compounds with a carbon skeleton and one of more attached chlorine and fluorine atoms.
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climate
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A description of the long term pattern of weather in a particular area.
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convection currents
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Rising or sinking air currents that stir the atmosphere and transport heat from one area to another. Convection currents also occur in water.
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conventional pollutants
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The seven substances identified by the Clean Air Act that make up the largest volume of air quality degradation.
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Coriolis effect
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The tendency for air above the earth to be deflected to the right (N. Hemisphere) or the left S. Hemisphere) because of the earth’s rotation.
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dust domes
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High concentrations of dust and aerosols in the air over cities.
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el Niño
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A climatic change marked by shifting of a large warm water pool from the western Pacific Ocean toward the east.
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fugitive emissions
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Substances that enter the air without going through a smokestack, such as dust from soil erosion, strip mining, rock crushing, etc.
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greenhouse effect
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Trapping of heat by the earth’s atmosphere, which is transparent to incoming visible light waves but absorbs outgoing longwave radiation.
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heat islands
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Areas of higher temperatures around cities.
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IPCC
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A group of scientists from a wide variety of fields assembled by the United Nations to assess the current state of knowledge about climate change.
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jet streams
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Powerful winds or currents of air that circulate in shifting flows, similar to oceanic currents in extent and effect on climate.
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Kyoto Protocol
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An international treaty adopted in 1997, in which 160 nations agreed to roll back CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions.
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latent heat
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Stored energy in a form that is not sensible (detectable by ordinary senses).
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Milankovitch cycles
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Periodic variations in tilt, eccentricity, and wobble in the earth’s orbit, possible responsible for cyclic weather changes.
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monsoons
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Seasonal reversals of wind patterns caused by the differential heating and cooling rates of the ocean’s and continents.
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nitrogen oxides
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Reactive gasses formed when nitrogen in fuel or air is heated with oxygen, or when soil bacteria or water oxidize nitrogen-containing compounds.
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ozone
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Reactive molecule containing 3 oxygen atoms; dangerous pollutant in ambient air, but in the stratosphere protects us from ultraviolet radiation.
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particulate material
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Atmospheric aerosols, such as dust, ash, soot, lint, smoke, pollen, spores, algal cells, droplets of liquids and other suspended materials.
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photochemical oxidants
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Products of secondary atmospheric reactions, such a smog.
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stratosphere
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The zone in the atmosphere extending from the tropopause to about 50 km above the earth’s surface.
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sulfur dioxide
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A colorless, corrosive gas directly damaging to both plants and animals.
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temperature inversions
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Atmospheric conditions in which a layer of warm air lies on top of cooler air and blocks normal convection currents.
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troposphere
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The layer of air nearest the earth’s surface; both temperature and pressure usually decrease with increasing altitude.
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unconventional pollutants
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Toxic or hazardous substances not listed in the original Clean Air Act because they were not released in large quantities.
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volatile organic compounds
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Organic chemicals that evaporate readily and exist as gases in the air.
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weather
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The physical conditions of the atmosphere (moisture, temperature, pressure, and wind).
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aquifers
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Porous, water- bearing layers of sand, gravel, and rock below the earth’s surface; reservoirs for groundwater.
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BOD
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Biochemical oxygen demand.
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consumption
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The water lost from the system through evaporation, absorption or contamination.
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eutrophic
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Rivers and lakes rich in organic material.
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flux
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The amount of material transferred between compartments per unit time.
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groundwater
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Water held in gravel deposits or porous rock below the earth’s surface.
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hydrologic cycle
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The natural process by which water is purified and made fresh through evaporation and precipitation.
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infiltration
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The process of water percolation into the soil and pores and hollows of permeable rocks
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oligotrophic
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Condition of rivers and lakes that have clear water and low biological productivity.
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oxygen sag
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Decline in oxygen downstream from a pollution source that introduces materials with high biological oxygen demands.
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transpiration
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The evaporation of water from plant surfaces, especially through stomates.
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residence time
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The length of time a component, such as an individual water molecule, spends in a particular compartment or location before it moves on through a particular process or cycle.
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runoff
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The excess of precipitation over evaporation; the main source of surface water and, in broad terms, the water available for human use.
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watershed
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All the land drained by a stream or river.
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water table
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The top layer of the zone of saturation.
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withdrawal
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The total amount of water taken from a water supply.
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zone of aeration
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Upper soil layers that hold both air and water.
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zone of saturation
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Lower soil layers where all spaces are filled with water.
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active solar systems
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Mechanical systems that use moving substances to collect and transfer solar energy.
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chain reaction
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A self-sustaining reaction in which the fission of nuclei produces subatomic particles that cause the fission of other nuclei.
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cogeneration
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The simultaneous production of electricity and steam or hot water in the same plant.
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control rods
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Neutron-absorbing material inserted into spaces between fuel assemblies in nuclear reactors to regulate fission reactions.
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energy
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The capacity to do work, such as moving matter over distance.
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fossil fuels
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Petroleum, natural gas, and coal created by geologic forces from organic wastes and dead bodies of formerly living organisms.
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fuel assembly
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A bundle of hollow metal rods containing uranium oxide pellets; used to fuel a nuclear reactor.
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fuel cells
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Mechanical devices that use hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuel, such as methane, to produce an electric current.
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gasohol
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A mixture of gasoline and ethanol.
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green pricing
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Plans in which consumers can voluntarily pay a premium price for renewable energy.
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joule
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A unit of energy. The energy expended in one second by a current of one amp flowing through a resistance of one ohm.
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nuclear fission
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The radioactive decay process in which isotopes split apart to create two smaller atoms.
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oil shales
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Fine-grained sedimentary rock rich in solid organic material called kerogen. When heated, the kerogen liquefies to produce a fluid petroleum fuel.
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passive heat absorption
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The use of natural materials or absorptive structures without moving parts to gather and hold heat; the simplest and oldest use of solar energy.
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photovoltaic cells
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An energy-conversion device that captures solar energy and directly converts it to electrical current.
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power
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The rate of energy delivery; measured in horsepower or watts.
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proven-in-place reserves
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Energy sources that have been thoroughly mapped and are likely to be economically recoverable with available technology.
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reformer
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A device that strips hydrogen from fuels such as natural gas, methanol, ammonia, gasoline, or vegetable oil so they can be used for power plants.
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tar sands
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Geologic deposits composed of sand and shale particles coated with bitumen, a viscous mixture of long-chain hydrocarbons.
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wind farms
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Large numbers of windmills concentrated in a single area; usually owned by a utility or large-scale energy producer.
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work
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The application of force through a distance; requires energy input.
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cost-benefit analysis
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An evaluation of large scale public projects by comparing the costs and the benefits that accrue from them.
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ecological economics
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Application of ecological insights to economic analysis; incorporating ecological principles and priorities into economic accounting systems.
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externalizing costs
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Shifting expenses, monetary or otherwise, to someone other than the individuals or groups who use a resource.
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GPI
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An alternative to GNP or GPD for economic accounting that measures real progress in quality of life and suatainability.
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GNP
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The sum total of all goods and services produced in a national economy.
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internalizing costs
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Planning so that those who reap the benefits of resource use also bear all the external costs.
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marginal cost
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The cost to produce one additional unit of a good or service.
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megacity
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An urban area with more than ten million inhabitants.
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nonrenewable resources
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Minerals, fossil fuels, and other materials present in essentially fixed amounts (within human time scales) in our environment.
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renewable resources
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Resources normally replaced or replinished by natural proceses; resources not depleted by moderate use.
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resources
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In economic terms, anything with potential use in creating wealth or giving satisfaction.
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smart growth
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The efficient use of land resources and existing urban infrastructure.
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steady-state economy
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Characterized by low birth and death rates, use of renewable energy sources, recycling of materials, and emphasis on durability, efficiency, and stability.
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tragedy of the commons
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An inexorable process of degredation of communal resources due to selfish self-interest of “free riders” who use or destroy more than their fair share of common property.
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adaptive management
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A management plan designed from the onset to "learn by doing" and to actively test hypotheses and adjust treatments as new information is available.
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arbitration
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A formal process of dispute resolution resulting in a legally binding decision that all parties must obey.
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case law
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Precedents from both civil and criminal court cases.
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citizen science
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Projects in which trained volunteers work with scientific researchers to answer real world questions.
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community-based planning
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Involving community stakeholders in pluralistic, adaptive, inclusive, proactive planning.
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environmental law
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Legal rules, decisions, and actions involving environmental quality, natural resources, and ecological sustainability.
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environmental policy
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The official rules or regulations concerning the environment adopted, implemented, and enforced by some government agency.
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legal standing
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The right to take part in legal proceedings.
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lobbying
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Using personal contacts, public pressure, or political action to persuade legislators to vote in a particular manner.
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mediation
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An informal dispute resolution process in which parties try to reach agreement through discussion and compromise.
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NEPA
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Law that established the Council on Environmental Quality; requires environmental impact statements for federal projects with significant impacts.
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NGOs
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Nongovernmental organizations such as pressure and research groups, advisory agencies, etc., concerned about environmental or other issues.
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policy cycle
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The process by which problems are identified and acted upon in the public arena.
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precautionary principle
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The rule that we should leave a margin of safety for unexpected developments
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SLAPP
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Lawsuits that have no merit but are brought merely to intimidate and harass private citizens who act in the public interest.
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