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32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
litter |
the very top layer of fertile soil made of dead leaves and grass |
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topsoil |
the crumbly, topmost layer of soil made up of clay and other minerals and humus |
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subsoil |
the layer of soil below topsoil that has less plant and animal matter than topsoil and contains mostly clay and other minerals |
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bedrock |
rock that makes up earths crust also the solid rock layer beneath the soil |
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erosion |
the process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves weathered particles of rock and soil |
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nutrient depletion |
the situation that arises when more soil nutrients are used then decomposers can supply |
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fertlizer |
a substance that helps crops grow better |
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desertification |
desertlike features caused by overfarming, grazing, drought, and climate change |
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drought |
a long period of dry weather |
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land reclamation |
restoring land with nutrients to make it a better environment |
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municipal waste |
solid waste such as paper, plastic, and other alike materials |
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incinceration |
a way of deposing waste by burning |
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pollutant |
a substance that causes pollution |
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leachate |
a liquid pollutant that forms at the bottom of landfilles |
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sanitary landfill |
a safe place to dispose waste |
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recyling |
reclaiming or reusing an object |
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biodegradable |
an object that can be broken up by nutrients easily |
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hazardous waste |
trash that if treated wrong could hurt human health |
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emissions |
air pollutants that come from car exhaust |
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(photo chemical) smog |
a layer of pollutated air |
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ozone |
air pollution that helps create smog |
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tempature inversion |
warm polluted air that is trapped caused by smog and emissions |
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acid rain |
rain with more acid in it the other |
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randon |
a colorless odorless radioactive gas |
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ozone layer |
layer that protects us from ultraviolet radiation |
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clourophocarbon |
human made gases containing chlorine and fluorine |
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pecticide |
a chemical that kills insects and other crop destroying organisms |
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sewage |
the water and human waste that are washed down sinks, toilets, and showerss |
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sediment |
small solid pieces of material that come from rocks or remains of organisms; earth materials deposited by erosion |
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green house gas |
gases in the atmosphere that trap energy |
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fossil fuel |
coal oil or natural gas that forms over millions of years from the remains of ancient organisms; burned to release energy |
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global warming |
a gradual increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere, thought o be caused by an increase in greenhouse gases from human activities |