Science Vocab Words 4

Front 1

Litter

Back 1

The very top layer of fertile soil made of dead leaves and grass.

Front 2

Topsoil

Back 2

The crumbly, topmost layer of soil made up of clay and other minerals and humans.

Front 3

Subsoil

Back 3

The layer of soil below the topsoil that has less plant and animal matter than topsoil and contains mostly clay and other minerals.

Front 4

Bedrock

Back 4

Rock that makes up Earth's crust.

Front 5

Erosion

Back 5

Process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves weathered particles of rock and soil.

Front 6

Nutrient Depletion

Back 6

Situation that arises when more soil nutrients are used than the decomposers can supply.

Front 7

Fertelizer

Back 7

Substance that provides nutrients to help crops grow better.

Front 8

Desertification

Back 8

Advance of desert-like conditions into areas that previously were fertile.

Front 9

Drought

Back 9

Long period of low precipitation.

Front 10

Land Reclamation

Back 10

Process of restoring land to a more natural, productive state.

Front 11

Municipal Solid Waste

Back 11

Waste produced in homes, businesses, schools and in a community.

Front 12

Incineration

Back 12

Burning of solid waste.

Front 13

Pollutant

Back 13

Substance that causes pollution

Front 14

Leachate

Back 14

Polluted liquid produced by water passing through and dissolving chemicals from buried wastes in a landfill.

Front 15

Sanitary Landfill

Back 15

Lanfill that holds nonhazardous waste such as municipal solid waste, construction debris, and some agricultural and industrial wastes.

Front 16

Recycling

Back 16

Process of reclaiming and reusing new materials.

Front 17

Biodegradable

Back 17

Capable of being broken down by bacteria and other decomposers.

Front 18

Hazardous Waste

Back 18

Material that can be harmful if it is not properly disposed of.

Front 19

Emissions

Back 19

Pollutants that are released into the air.

Front 20

Photochemical Smog

Back 20

Brownish thick haze that is a mix of ozone and other chemicals formed when pollutants react with sunlight.

Front 21

Ozone

Back 21

Form of oxygen that has 3 oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual 2.

Front 22

Temperature Inversion

Back 22

Condition in which a layer of warm air traps polluted air close to Earth's surface.

Front 23

Acid Rain

Back 23

Rain or another form of precipitation that is more acidic than normal.

Front 24

Radon

Back 24

Colorless, odorless, radioactive gas.

Front 25

Ozone Layer

Back 25

Layer of the upper atmosphere that contains higher concentration of ozone than the rest of the atmosphere.

Front 26

Chlorofluorocarbon

Back 26

Human - made gases containing chlorine and fluorine.

Front 27

Groundwater

Back 27

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

Front 28

Pesticide

Back 28

Chemical that kills insects and other crop - destroying organisms.

Front 29

Sewage

Back 29

The water and human wastes that are washed down sinks, toilets, and showers.

Front 30

Sediment

Back 30

Small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or the remains of organisms.

Front 31

Greenhouse Gas

Back 31

Gases in the atmosphere that trap energy.

Front 32

Fossil Fuel

Back 32

Coal, oil, or natural gas that forms over millions of years from the remains of ancient organisms.

Front 33

Global Warming

Back 33

Gradual increase in the average temperature in the atmosphere.