Environmental
Quality
Absorption
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The process of absorbing or of being
absorbed -- to incorporate or take up-- to take in.
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Acute, Chronic
|
Acute is a short, one time exposure while
chronic is a continuous, low-level exposure.
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Algae
|
Any of various chiefly aquatic,
eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms, ranging in size from single-celled
forms to the giant kelp. Algae were once considered to be plants but are
now classified separately because they lack true roots, stems, leaves, and
embryos.
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Ammonia
|
A pungent colorless gaseous alkaline
compound of nitrogen and hydrogen NH3 that is very soluble in water and
can easily be condensed to a liquid by cold and pressure.
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Bacteria
|
Any of a group (as kingdom Prokaryotae
syn. Monera) of prokaryotic unicellular round, spiral, or
rod-shaped single-celled microorganisms that are often aggregated into
colonies or motile by means of flagella, that live in soil, water, organic
matter, or the bodies of plants and animals, and that are autotrophic,
saprophytic, or parasitic in nutrition and important because of their
biochemical effects and pathogenicity.
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Bhopal, India
|
A noxious gas (methylisocyanate)
blanketed the city when water had gotten into a tank containing 40 tons of
MIC setting off a chemical reaction. 1754 died with over 200,000 injured.
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Bioaccumulation
|
The presence of a chemical substance in
higher concentrations in an organism than in the direct environment or in
its food.
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Carcinogenic
|
A substance that causes cancer.
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Chlorine
|
A halogen element that is isolated as a
heavy greenish yellow gas of pungent odor and is used especially as a
bleach, oxidizing agent, and disinfectant in water purification.
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Coliform Bacteria
|
Bacteria that live in the intestines
(including the colon) of humans and other animals, used as a measure of
the presence of feces in water or soil.
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Concentration
|
The amount of a component in a given area
or volume.
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Contaminants
|
Something that contaminates.
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DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
|
A colorless odorless water-insoluble
crystalline insecticide C14H9Cl5 that tends to accumulate in ecosystems
and has toxic effects on many vertebrates; became the most widely used
pesticide from WWII to the 1950's; implicated in illnesses and
environmental problem; now banned in US.
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Disinfection
|
To free from infection especially by
destroying harmful microorganisms.
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Distillation
|
The process of purifying a liquid by
successive evaporation and condensation.
|
Dose Threshold Level
|
Maximum level of a substance before toxic
levels are reached.
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Feces
|
Bodily waste discharged through the anus.
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Hazardous Chemicals
|
acids, caustics, irritants, etc.Many are
hazardous in high concentrations but harmless when diluted.
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Heavy Metals
|
Mercury, lead, cadmium and nickel-highly
toxic in very small quantities; can be fatal and bioaccumulate in
environment-have cumulative effects in humans.
|
Hemoglobin
|
The iron-containing respiratory pigment
in red blood cells of vertebrates, consisting of about 6 percent heme and
94 percent globin.
|
Mutagens
|
Agents, such as chemicals or radiation,
that damage or alter genetic material (DNA) in cells.
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Mutate
|
A change, either spontaneous or by
external factors, in the genetic material of a cell, mutations in the
gametes (sex cells) can be inherited by future generations of organisms.
|
Nitrates
|
a) a salt or ester of nitric acid (b)
sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate used as a fertilizer.
|
Non-point sources
|
Scattered, diffuse sources of pollutants,
such as runoff from fields golf courses, etc.
|
Oxidation
|
The act or process of oxidizing- to
change (a compound) by increasing the proportion of the electronegative
part or change (an element or ion) from a lower to a higher positive
valence
|
Pathogen
|
An organism that produces disease in a
host organism, disease being an alteration of one or more metabolic
functions in response to the presence of the organism.
|
Pathogenic
|
To cause disease.
|
Pathogenic organisms
|
Produce disease in host organisms.
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Pesticide
|
A chemical that kills, controls, drives
away, or modifies the behavior of pests.
|
Phosphates
|
A salt or ester of a phosphoric acid (2)
the trivalent anion PO43- derived from phosphoric acid H3PO4 b: an organic
compound of phosphoric acid in which the acid group is bound to nitrogen
or a carboxyl group in a way that permits useful energy to be released (as
in metabolism)-- 3: a phosphatic material used for fertilizers.
|
Point sources
|
Specific locations of highly concentrated
pollution discharge, such as factories, oils wells, etc.
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Relative
|
Relation of one thing to another;
Expressed as the ratio of the specified quantity to the total magnitude
(as the value of a measured quantity) or to the mean of all the quantities
involved.
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Residue
|
What is left over or remains; the part of
a molecule that remains after portion of its constituents are removed.
Residues of some contaminants may remain after
|
Resistant
|
The ability of an individual or community
to resist being changed by potentially disruptive events.
|
Routinely monitored
|
Regular, periodic testing
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Soluble
|
Susceptible of being dissolved in a
liquid, particularly water.
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Systems
|
A group of interacting, interrelated, or
interdependent elements forming a complex whole.
|
Teratogens
|
Chemicals or other factors that
specifically cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development.
|
Thermal Pollution
|
Industrial discharge of heated water into
a river, lake, or other body of water, causing a rise in temperature that
endangers aquatic life.
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Toxic
|
Poisonous, a substance that reacts with
specific cellular components to kill cells.
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Underutilized
|
To utilize less than fully or below the
potential use.
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Waste
Ash
|
The grayish-white to black powdery
residue left when something is burned.
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Biodegradable
|
Able to be decomposed by microorganisms.
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CERCLA (Superfund) Act of 1980
|
Sets up a fund to clean up abandoned
hazardous waste sites. Establishes strict liability which means that any
individual or corporation associated with the site can be held liable for
the entire cost of the cleanup, regardless of their contribution to the
pollution at the site. Sets guidelines on how to clean up sites.
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Clay
|
A fine-grained, firm earthy material that
is plastic when wet and hardens when heated, consisting primarily of
hydrated silicates of aluminum and widely used in making bricks, tiles,
and pottery; used for liners in landfills because it is impervious.
|
Corrosive
|
Gradually destructive; steadily harmful.
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Impervious
|
Incapable of being penetrated.
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Incinerator
|
An apparatus, such as a furnace, for
burning waste.
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Intermittent
|
Stopping and starting at intervals.
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Landfills
|
Land disposal sites for solid waste;
operators compact refuse and cover it with a layer of dirt to minimize
rodent and insect infestations, wind-blown debris, and leaching by rain.
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Leachate
|
A product or solution formed by leaching,
such as a solution containing contaminants picked up through the leaching
of soil.
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Love Canal
|
An area in Niagara Falls, NY where
seepage from buried toxic wastes contaminated local soil and water. In
1968, President Carter relocated almost all the residents of Love Canal.
This incident provided impetus for the 1980 Superfund legislation.
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Municipal Sewage
|
The wastewater from households, offices,
and other buildings in a city. Municipal and regional sewage systems can
either be sanitary sewage only, or sanitary sewage and storm water.
Municipal sewage is collected at treatment plants where solids are removed
(primary sewage treatment) and then is treated by various other methods
including using aerobic bacteria to remove organic wastes (secondary
treatment), and advanced or tertiatry treatment with various chemical and
physical processes.
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Mutagenic
|
Causes genetic mutations.
|
National Priority List (NPL)
|
Set up by EPA as part of the Superfund
program. Locates and sets priorities for cleaning up hazardous waste
sites.
|
Organic Matter
|
Compounds that contain carbon and
hydrogen covalently bonded together in molecules; molecules from living
matter. Organic wastes in sewage and runoff from lawns and farms in fresh
waters can cause oxygen-depletion and degration of water quality.
|
Primary Sewage Treatment
|
A process that removes solids from sewage
before it is discharged or treated further.
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Proximity
|
The state, quality, sense, or fact of
being near or next; closeness.
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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
|
Regulates the handling of wastes from
cradle to grave. Establishes rules for the handling of such waste from the
time it is generated, while it is packaged, stored, while it is
transported, and how it is disposed, and the disposal sites themselves.
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Secure Landfills
|
A landfill designed to prevent against
leaking or exposure.
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Sludge
|
A semi-solid mixture of organic and
inorganic materials that settles out of wastewater at a sewage treatment
plant.
|
Tipping fee
|
A fee for disposal of waste.
|
Waste Lagoons
|
A blocked-off area used for the dumping
of waste products.
|
Waste Stream
|
The steady flow of varied wastes, from
domestic garbage and yard wastes to industrial, commercial, and
construction refuse.
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Land
Contour Plowing
|
Plowing along hill contours-reduces
erosion.
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Desertification
|
Loss of vegetation and land degradation
in dry and semi-arid areas resulting from land mismanagement or climate
changes.
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Drip Irrigation
|
Uses pipe or tubing perforated with very
small holes to deliver water one drop at a time directly to the soil
around each plant. This conserves water and reduces soil water logging and
salinization.
|
Erosion
|
To wear away by the action of water,
wind, or glacial ice. Removal of vegetation and trees can increase erosion
of topsoil.
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Fertilization
|
The process of union of two gametes
whereby the somatic chromosome number is restored and the development of a
new individual is initiated; addition of materials to soil to increase the
available nutrient content.
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Siltation
|
To become choked or obstructed with silt
or mud.
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Strip Farming
|
Planting different kinds of crops in
alternating strips along land contours-when one crop is harvested one
remains to protect the soil and reduce erosion.
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Topsoil
|
The uppermost 3 to 10 inches of soil,
layer in which organic material is mixed with mineral particles; critical
for agriculture.
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Water
Aqueduct
|
A pipe or channel designed to transport
water from a remote source, usually by gravity. A bridge like structure
supporting a conduit or canal passing over a river or low ground.
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Aquifer
|
Porous, water-bearing layers of sand
gravel, and rock.
|
Artesian wells
|
When water gushes out of an aquifer
without being pumped; caused by pressure from the earth's crust.
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Aswan High Dam
|
Dam across the Nile River in Egypt,
which impounds one of the largest reservoirs in the world.-- the
artificial lake created by the dam Called Lake Nasser inundated many
villages along the Nile.-- Hydroelectric installations were added in
1960 to the Aswan Dam.
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Basin
|
A large, bowl shaped depression in the
surface of the land or ocean floor.
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Black Water
|
Water containing human excrement which cannot be reused without purification.
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Brackish Water
|
Fresh and salt water combined.
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Cap Rock
|
Last layer of material on top of a
geological formation such as the Canadian Shield.
|
Capillary water
|
Water that clings in small pores,
cracks, and spaces against the pull of gravity, like water held in a
sponge.
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Channelization
|
To straighten by means of a channel.
|
Condensation
|
Condensation is the change of state
from a gas to a liquid. Water vapor in the air changes to liquid as it
cools.
|
Consumptive
|
Of or pertaining to consumption; having
the quality of consuming or dissipating. Consumptive uses of water
include pumping water for irrigation or municipal uses, and evapo-transpiration.
|
Cultural Eutrophication
|
An increase in biological productivity
and ecosystem succession caused by human activities.
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Desalinization
|
Removing the salt from water
|
Discharge rate
|
The amount of water that passes a fixed
point in a given amount of time, usually expressed as liters or cubic
feet of water per second.
|
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) content
|
The amount of oxygen dissolved In a
given volume of water at a given temp and atmospheric pressure, usually
expressed in parts per million.
|
Distillation
|
A process of desalinization in which
water is evaporated and then recondensed.
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Drought
|
A long period without precipitation
|
Drought cycle
|
Cycles of wet and dry years
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Evaporation
|
Process by which liquid is changed into
vapor at temperatures below boiling point
|
Evapo-transpiration
|
The sum of water evaporation and plant
transpiration. Actual evapo-transpiration can not be any greater than
precipitation, and will usually be less because some water will run off
in rivers and flow to the oceans.
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Flood control devices
|
Measures to protect areas that are
easily flooded by either reducing flood flows or confining the flow;
devises include dams, levees, or modifying the channel of the river or
stream. Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. This law signaled a
shift in federal policy from reducing the floods through structural
controls to reducing the damages by limiting the development in flood
prone areas, by making federally-subsidized flood insurance available to
property owners in flood-prone areas only in those communities which
adopted floodplain zoning.
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Gray Water
|
Wastewater, as from sinks and tubs,
that does not contain human excrements. Such water can be reused without
purification for some purposes.
|
Groundwater
|
Water in the ground.
|
Hard Water
|
Water with high mineral content.
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Infiltration
|
The act or process of infiltrating, as
of water into a porous substance, or of a fluid into the cells of an
organ or part of the body.
|
Karst
|
An area of irregular limestone in which
erosion has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and
caverns.
|
Lake Effect snow
|
Lake-generated snow squalls form when
cold air passing for long distances over the relatively warm waters of a
large lake picks up moisture and heat and then drops the moisture in the
form of snow upon reaching the downwind shore.
|
Meander
|
A turn or winding of a stream.
|
Mono Lake
|
Oasis in the dry Great Basin in
California and a vital habitat for millions of migration and nesting
birds.
|
Nutrient
|
A source of nourishment, especially a
nourishing ingredient in a food.
|
Offset
|
One that balances, counteracts, or
compensates
|
Ogallala Aquifer
|
Largest aquifer in North America.
|
Overdrawn
|
To take too much out, deplete
resources, such as pumping water from an aquifer at a faster rate than
it can be replenished, or recharged, by rainfall.
|
Percolation
|
Water slowly moves through soil and
gravel into an aquifer.
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Permafrost
|
Permanently frozen layer of soil that
underlies the arctic tundra.
|
Pore spaces
|
The amount of space available for
ground water due to the topography of the area.
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Porosity
|
The ratio of the volume of all the
pores in a material to the volume of the whole.
|
Potable Water
|
Drinkable by humans.
|
Recharge Zones
|
Area where water filters into aquifers
|
Reservoir
|
A natural or artificial pond or lake
used for the storage and regulation of water.
|
Residence Time
|
Length of time a component spends in a
particular location before it moves on through a particular process or
cycle.
|
Reverse Osmosis
|
A process of desalinization where water
is forced under pressure through a semipermeable membrane whose tiny
pores allow water to pass but exclude most salts and minerals.
|
Runoff
|
excess water that can't be absorbed by
the ground
|
Sink Hole
|
A hole or low place in land or rock,
where waters sink and are lost, causing surface areas to sink in or
collapse.
|
Spillways
|
A passage for surplus water to run over
or around an obstruction (such as a dam).
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Storm water
|
Water that results from a storm; can
cause flooding and contamination of sewers.
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Sublimation
|
water moves from solid to gas without
being a liquid
|
Subsoil
|
The layer or bed of earth beneath the
topsoil.
|
Tennessee Valley Authority
|
(TVA), federal corporation, created by
the Congress of the United States in 1933 to operate Wilson Dam and to
develop the Tennessee River and its tributaries in the interest of
navigation, flood control, and the production and distribution of
electricity -- enactments include reforestation, industrial and
community development, test-demonstration farming, the development of
fertilizer, and the establishment of recreational facilities -- includes
a number of dams for electricity and flood control.
|
Three Gorges Dam
|
Three Gorges Dam near Yichang on the
Yangtze River in China is expected to help control the flooding of the
Yangtze River valley; in addition, river flows will make the Three
Gorges complex the largest electricity-generating facility in the
world.-- A lake about 650 km (about 400 mi) long will form behind the
dam, forcing the relocation of more than 1 million people and
permanently flooding many historical sites.
|
Topography
|
A detailed map of the contours of
surfaces of land.
|
Transpiration
|
The process by which water is absorbed
by the root system of plants, moves through the plant, and then
evaporates into the atmosphere as water vapor.
|
Tributary
|
Small stream emptying into bigger river
|
Water table
|
The surface between the zone of
saturation and the zone of aeration. Water seeping down from rain-soaked
surfaces will sink until it reaches an impermeable or water-tight layer
of rock. The water will collect above this layer, filling all the pores
and cracks of the permeable portions. The top of this area of water is
called the water table.
|
Watershed
|
The area of land that catches rain and
snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or
groundwater. Watersheds are often contained in the area of land between
two ridges of high land, which divide two areas that are drained by
different river systems.
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Xeroscaping
|
Landscaping with drought resistant
plants that need no watering.
|
Zone of Aeration
|
Zone immediately below the ground
surface within which pore spaces are partially filled with water and
partially filled with air.
|
Zone of Saturation
|
Lower levels of soil where all spaces
are filled with water.
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Scientific
Analysis, Observing the Natural World
Hypothesis
|
A tentative explanation that accounts for
a set of facts and can be tested for further investigation.
|
Qualitative
|
Of or concerning a trait or
characteristic, property.
|
Quantitative
|
Relating to or expressed as a specified
or indefinite number or amount.
|
Earth's
Systems
Carbon Cycle
|
The combined processes, including
photosynthesis, decomposition, and respiration, by which carbon as a
component of various compounds cycles between its major reservoirs: the
atmosphere, oceans, and living organisms.
|
Chemical Energy
|
that part of the energy in a substance
that can be released by a chemical reaction
|
Chlorophyll
|
Any of a group of green pigments
essential in photosynthesis.
|
Density
|
The quantity of something per unit
measure, especially per unit length, area, or volume. The mass per unit
volume of a substance under specified conditions of pressure and
temperature.
|
Fermentation
|
Any of a group of chemical reactions
induced by living or nonliving ferments that split complex organic
compounds into relatively simple substances, especially the anaerobic
conversion of sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol by yeast.
|
Formula for Photosynthesis
|
CO2 (from the air) + H2O
+ sun's energy (light) * C6H12O6(glucose)
+ O2
|
High Quality Energy
|
Energy that can be used or converted into
something else.
|
Kinetic Energy
|
The energy possessed by a body because of
its motion, equal to one half the mass of the body times the square of its
speed.
|
Low Quality Energy
|
Energy that is lost or cannot be used
again.
|
Nitrogen Cycle
|
The circulation of nitrogen in nature,
consisting of a cycle of chemical reactions in which atmospheric nitrogen
is compounded, dissolved in rain, and deposited in the soil, where it is
assimilated and metabolized by bacteria and plants, eventually returning
to the atmosphere by bacterial decomposition of organic matter.
|
Phosphorous Cycle
|
The movement of phosphorous atoms from
rocks and soil through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to soil.
|
Photosynthesis
|
The process in green plants and certain
other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide
and water using light as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis
release oxygen as a byproduct.
|
Potential Energy
|
The energy of a particle or system of
particles derived from position, or condition, rather than motion. A
raised weight, coiled spring, or charged battery has potential energy.
|
Solar Energy
|
Energy from the sun that is converted
into thermal, chemical, or electrical energy.
|
Spontaneous
|
Happening or arising without apparent
external cause; self-generated. Arising from a natural inclination or
impulse and not from external incitement or constraint. Unconstrained and
unstudied in manner or behavior. Growing without cultivation or human
labor; indigenous.
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Top
Atmosphere,
Weather, Air Quality
Acid rain
|
Rain (and snow, fog, dust particles,
etc.) containing acids that form in the atmosphere when sulfur dioxides
and nitrogen oxides from industrial emissions and automobile exhaust
combine with water.
|
Anthropogenic
|
Resulting from human activity
|
Asbestos
|
A fibrous incombustible mineral known to
cause fibrosis and scarring in the lungs. Also a known carcinogenic
material (lung cancer, mesothelioma).
|
Auto emissions standards
|
The standards that are set to regulate
how much pollution is put out by your vehicle.
|
Barometric Pressure
|
Atmospheric pressure as indicated by a
barometer.
|
Carbon monoxide (CO)
|
A colorless, odorless, highly poisonous
gas, CO, formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon or a carbonaceous
material, such as gasoline.
|
Catalytic converter
|
A reaction chamber typically containing a
finely divided platinum-iridium catalyst into which exhaust gases from an
automotive engine are passed together with excess air so that carbon
monoxide and hydrocarbon pollutants are oxidized to carbon dioxide and
water.
|
CFC (Chlorofluorocarbons)
|
A series of hydrocarbons containing both
chlorine and fluorine. These have been used as refrigerants, blowing
agents, cleaning fluids, solvents, and as fire extinguishing agents. They
have been shown to cause stratospheric ozone depletion and have been
banned for many uses.
|
Clean Air Act
|
Long standing federal legislation that is
the legal basis for the national clean air programs, last amended in 1990.
|
Combustion
|
A chemical change, especially oxidation,
accompanied by the production of heat and light.
|
Command and control
|
Requires polluters to meet specific
emission-reduction targets and often requires the installation and use of
specific types of equipment to reduce emissions.
|
Continental
|
Of or relating to or characteristic of a
continent (one of the large landmasses of the earth).
|
Convection cell
|
The transfer of heat or other atmospheric
properties by massive motion within the atmosphere, especially by such
motion directed upward.
|
Coriolis effect
|
The observed effect of the Coriolis
force, especially the deflection of an object moving above the earth,
rightward in the northern hemisphere and leftward in the southern
hemisphere.
|
Criteria pollutants
|
The 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act
required EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for certain
pollutants known to be hazardous to human health. EPA has identified six
criteria pollutants: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen
oxides, ozone, and particulate matter.
|
Dissemination
|
To become widely scattered (seeds).
|
El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
|
The formation of an El Nino is linked
with the cycling of a Pacific Ocean circulation pattern known as the
southern oscillation. In a normal year, a surface low pressure develops in
the region of northern Australia and Indonesia and a high pressure system
over the coast of Peru. As a result, the trade winds over the Pacific
Ocean move strongly from east to west. The easterly flow of the trade
winds carries warm surface waters westward, bringing convective storms to
Indonesia and coastal Australia. Along the coast of Peru, cold bottom
water wells up to the surface to replace the warm water that is pulled to
the west.
|
Electrostatic
|
Of or relating to electric charges at
rest or produced or caused by such charges.
|
Eye, Eye wall
|
The eye of a hurricane is the center
where no storm activity is taking place. The wall is the area between the
eye and the storm.
|
Fossil fuel
|
A hydrocarbon deposit, such as petroleum,
coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geologic
time and used for fuel.
|
Fujita Scale
|
A scale measuring the intensity of a
tornado based on wind speed, diameter, and damage caused.
|
Hurricane Nor'easter
|
A hurricane that generates from the
northeast and move southwest.
|
Hydroxyl radical (OH)
|
The monovalent group -OH in such
compounds as bases and some acids and alcohols. This radical is
characteristic of hydroxides, oxygen acids, alcohols, glycols, phenols,
and hemiacetals.
|
Isobars
|
A line on a weather map connecting points
of equal atmospheric pressure. Also called isopiestic.
|
Jet stream
|
A high-speed, meandering wind current,
generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400
kilometers (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 15 to 25 kilometers (10 to
15 miles).
|
Latitude
|
The angular distance north or south of
the earth's equator, measured in degrees along a meridian, as on a map or
globe. A region of the earth considered in relation to its distance from
the equator
|
Lead
|
A soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white,
dense metallic element, extracted chiefly from galena and used in
containers and pipes for corrosives, solder and type metal, bullets,
radiation shielding, paints, and antiknock compounds. Atomic number 82;
atomic weight 207.19; melting point 327.5oC; boiling point
1,744oC; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4.
|
Legionnaires Disease
|
An acute bacterial respiratory illness
caused by the gram-negative bacterium Legionella pneumophila, a member of
the family Legionellaceae. The bacteria has been found in water systems
and can survive in the air conditioning systems of large buildings. Risk
factors for infection include smoking, COPD, renal failure, cancer,
diabetes and alcoholism.
|
Marine Climate
|
As its name suggests west coast marine
climates are generally found on the western sides of continents in
the belt of the westerly winds between roughly 40 to 60 degrees latitude.
This location produces a climate that is humid, often quite rainy, with
mild temperatures considering the fairly high latitudes. This is, of
course, the effect of having large bodies of water to windward. Water is a
great modifier of temperatures because it heats and cools slowly. The
proximity of water to windward leads to much milder winter temperatures
and somewhat cooler summer temperatures than are experienced at
continental locations at the same latitudes. climates are considered
by some to be gloomy climates, because they are the world's cloudiest
climates. Distinctive kind of biological community adapted to those
conditions.
|
Microwave
|
A high-frequency electromagnetic wave,
one millimeter to one meter in wavelength, intermediate between infrared
and short-wave radio wavelengths.
|
Monsoon
|
A wind system that influences large
climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally. A wind from the
southwest or south that brings heavy rainfall to southern Asia in the
summer. The rain that accompanies this wind.
|
Montreal Protocol
|
Treaty, signed in 1987,that governs
stratospheric ozone protection and research, and the production and use of
ozone-depleting substances. It provides for the end of production of
ozone-depleting substances such as CFC's. Under the Protocol, various
research groups continue to assess the ozone layer. The Multilateral Fund
provides resources to developing nations to promote the transition to
ozone-safe technologies.
|
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
|
Health-based pollutant concentration
limits established by EPA that apply to outside air.
|
Nor'easter
|
A storm blowing from the northeast.
|
Open burning
|
Uncontrolled fires in an open dump.
|
Orographic effect (Chinook winds)
|
A moist wind blowing from the sea on the
NW United States coast.
|
Ozone (layer)
|
A colorless gas (O3) soluble in alkalis
and cold water; a strong oxidizing agent; can be produced by electric
discharge in oxygen or by the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen in
the stratosphere (where it acts as a screen for ultraviolet radiation).
|
pH scale
|
p(otential of) H(ydrogen); the logarithm
of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration in gram atoms per liter;
used as a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a scale of
0 (most acid)-14(most basic) 7 is neutral.
|
PM-10
|
Particulates that are less than 10
microns in diameter. These particulates are present in the smoke created
by burning wood.
|
Precipitator
|
Pollution control device that collects
particles from an air stream.
|
Radon
|
A radioactive gaseous element formed by
the disintegration of radium; the heaviest of the inert gasses; occurs
naturally (especially in areas over granite) and is considered a hazard to
health.
|
Reasonably Available Control
Technology (RACT)
|
The lowest emissions limit that a
particular source can meet by the application of control technology that
is reasonably available considering technological and economic
feasibility.
|
Saffir/Simpson
|
A scale to measure hurricanes based on
wind speeds and air pressure.
|
Scrubbers
|
An air pollution device that uses a spray
of water or reactant or a dry process to trap pollutants in emissions.
|
Sick Building Syndrome
|
Building whose occupants experience acute
health and/or comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent
therein, but where no specific illness or cause can be identified.
Complaints may be localized in a particular room or zone, or may spread
throughout the building.
|
Smog (industrial)
|
Primarily a winter phenomenon that occurs
when sulfur dioxide emissions and smoke particles react with water vapor.
|
Smog (photochemical)
|
Air pollution produced by the action of
sunlight on hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants.
|
Spectrum
|
An ordered array of the components of an
emission or wave.
|
Stack emissions
|
Emissions of pollutants from a smoke
stack
|
Storm Surge
|
Storm surges are giant waves, often fifty
miles wide and twenty-five feet or more high, that are caused by the force
of a hurricane. As the eye of the hurricanes makes landfall, the wave
comes sweeping across the coastline. Aided by the hammering effect of the
breaking of the waves, it acts like a giant bulldozer sweeping everything
in its path.
|
Stratosphere
|
The region of the atmosphere above the
troposphere and below the mesosphere.
|
Sulfur oxides
|
A molecule formed by the combination of
sulfur and oxygen (SOx)
|
Suspended particulate matter (SPM),
Aerosols
|
A suspension or dispersion of fine
particles of a solid or liquid in a gas.
|
Temperature inversions
|
The temperature rising/falling in an
atmospheric condition. (Rises w/ increasing altitude).
|
Tornado
|
A rotating column of air usually
accompanied by a funnel-shaped downward extension of a cumulonimbus cloud
and having a vortex several hundred yards in diameter whirling
destructively at speeds of up to 500 miles (800 kilometers) per hour.
|
Tropical Depression
|
Brings about hurricanes due to change in
weather, climate, altitude, latitude, or direction.
|
Troposphere
|
The lowest atmospheric layer; from 4 to
11 miles high (depending on latitude).
|
Turbulence
|
An eddying motion of the atmosphere that
interrupts the flow of wind.
|
Typhoon
|
A tropical cyclone occurring in the
western Pacific or Indian oceans.
|
UV radiation
|
Radiation from the sun that can be useful
or potentially harmful. UV rays from one part of the spectrum (UV-A)
enhance plant life. UV rays from other parts of the spectrum (UV-B) can
cause skin cancer or other tissue damage. The ozone layer in the
atmosphere partly shields us from ultraviolet rays reaching the earth's
surface.
|
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
|
Chemicals that tend to volatilize or
evaporate.
|
Vortex
|
A spiral motion of fluid within a limited
area, especially a whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything
near it toward its center.
|
Wind
|
Moving air, especially a natural and
perceptible movement of air parallel to or along the ground.
|
Back to
Top
Ecosystems,
Biomes, Populations
Abiotic Factor
|
An environmental factor which is
nonliving such as water, soil, temperature, sunlight
|
Adapted
|
To be accustomed to the natural factors
that are in a given area and to be able to survive these factors, being
either positive or negative.
|
Ballast
|
Anything that serves no particular
purpose except to give bulk or weight to something or that provides
additional stability.
|
Biodiversity
|
The genetic, species, and ecological
diversity of the organisms in a given area.
|
Biomass
|
The total mass of living matter within a
given unit of environmental area.
|
Biome
|
A broad, regional type of ecosystem
characterized by distinctive climate and soil conditions
|
Breeding
|
A group of organisms having common
ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group
within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by
controlled propagation.
|
Carnivores
|
An organism that eats only the meat of
other organisms.
|
Carrying Capacity
|
The maximum number of individuals of any
species that can be supported by a particular ecosystem on a long-term
basis.
|
Catastrophic
|
Dynamic systems that jump
abruptly from one seemingly steady state to another without any immediate
changes. A detrimental effect that something has on an environment,
perhaps a natural disaster, that destroys the ecosystem and surrounding
living conditions.
|
CITES Treaty
|
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. In 1989, participating countries agreed to ban the
sale of endangered species and their body parts.
|
Commercial Breeding
|
Breeding animal and plants for
commercial significance, such as breeding dogs,
|
Commercial Harvesting
|
The harvesting of animals or cash crops
for commercial reasons.
|
Community
|
A group of various populations in a
given area
|
Conifer
|
Needle-bearing trees that produce seeds
in cones.
|
Consumers
|
An organism that obtains energy and
nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.
|
Consumers
|
Organisms that get their energy by
eating other organisms
|
Coral Reefs
|
Prominent oceanic features composed of
hard, lime skeletons produced by coral animals; usually formed along the
edges of shallow, submerged ocean banks or along shelves in warm, shallow,
tropical seas.
|
Deciduous forest
|
A forest made up of trees that drop
their leaves seasonally
|
Decomposers
|
Fungi and bacteria that break complex
organic material into smaller molecules.
|
Detritus Feeders
|
Organisms that breakdown dead materials
and organic compounds in an ecosystem and thus obtain their nutrients and
energy
|
Dominant
|
An organism that behaves in such a way
as to be in a position over others of the same species. The allele of a
gene which requires only one copy to be present in an individual for that
trait to be present.
|
Dynamic State of Equilibrium
|
a steady state found in an ecosystem or
an system where change is not observed because while there are changes in
progress they are not observable because they are balanced
|
Ecosystem
|
A specific biological community and its
physical environment interacting in an exchange of matter and energy.
|
Endangered Species
|
Species that are considered in imminent
danger of extinction.
|
Energy Cycle
|
The means by which energy is cycled
through the biosphere
|
Estuaries
|
The wide lower course of a river where
the tide flows in, causing fresh and salt water to mix.
|
Evergreen
|
Coniferous trees and broad-leaved plants
that retain their leaves year-round.
|
Exponential Curve
|
(GROWTH ASSOCIATED) Growth at a constant
rate of increase per unit of time; can be expressed as a constant fraction
or exponent.
|
Extinction
|
The irrevocable elimination of species;
can be a normal process of the natural world as species out-compete or
kill off others or as environmental conditions change.
|
Fertility
|
Measurement of actual number of
offspring produced through sexual reproduction; usually described in terms
of number of offspring of females, since paternity can be difficult to
determine.
|
Fluctuations
|
Rising and falling, such as population
numbers.
|
Food Chain
|
A linked feeding series; in an
ecosystem, the sequence of organisms through which energy and materials
are transferred, in the form of food, from one trophic level to another.
|
Food Web
|
A complex, interlocking series of
individual food chains in an ecosystem.
|
Gene Pool
|
The collective genetic information
contained within a population of sexually reproducing organisms.
|
Genetic Diversity
|
Diversity in a population on a genetic
level
|
Habitat
|
The place or set of environmental
conditions in which a particular organism lives.
|
Herbivores
|
An organism that eats only plants.
|
Inaccessible
|
Not available
|
Introduced Species
|
A non-native species that has been
brought to an area either by accident or intentionally. An introduced
species may prey upon or compete more successfully with one or more
population that are native to the community and alter the entire nature of
the community; also known as alien species or exotic species.
|
Isolated
|
A population that is separated from
other populations of the species (as on an island).
|
J-Shaped Curve
|
The curve in a graph that depicts
exponential growth. (Literally looking like J)
|
Law of the minimum
|
The concept that the growth or survival
of a population is directly related to the life requirement that is in
least supply and not to a combination of factors.
|
Migration
|
The moving of one species or a group of
species from one area to another.
|
Mortality
|
Death rate in population; the
probability of dying.
|
Native Species
|
Species that are originally found in a
certain area.
|
Niches
|
A specific category that an organism
fits into in an environment and their role in carrying out the processes
in that ecosystem.
|
Omnivores
|
Organisms that eat both plants and the
meat of other organisms.
|
Optimal
|
The most favorable condition in regard
to an environmental factor.
|
Population
|
A group of individuals of the same
species occupying a given area.
|
Population Crash
|
Drastic decrease in the numbers of
individuals in a population over a short period of time
|
Population Dieback
|
When the growth of a population slows
due to some factor.
|
Population Explosion
|
When the growth of a population
increases greatly due to some factor.
|
Primary Producers
|
Producers that are responsible for a
substantial amount of the food for the rest of the food chain in an
ecosystem
|
Producers
|
An organism that synthesizes food
molecules from inorganic compounds by using an external energy source;
MOST PRODUCERS ARE PHOTOSYNTHETIC!
|
Recreational Fishing
|
By the 1890s most states in the US have
put restrictions on fishing, today a fishing license is needed to fish for
recreation in lakes and inland bodies of water.
|
Self-Regulating
|
An internal mechanism by which a system
or organizes controls its functions
|
Species
|
A taxonomic category subordinate to a
genus (or subgenus) and superior to a subspecies or variety, composed of
individuals possessing common characters distinguishing them from other
categories of individuals of the same taxonomic level. In taxonomic
nomenclature, species are designated by the genus name followed by a Latin
or Latinised adjective or noun.
|
Species
|
A population of morphologically similar
organisms that can reproduce sexually among themselves but cannot produce
fertile offspring when mated with other organisms.
|
Sport Hunting
|
Hunting animal not for just for food
|
S-Shaped Curve
|
A curve that depicts logistic growth.
(Literally looking like S)
|
Threatened
|
Species that have declined significantly
in total number and may be on the verge of extinction in certain areas.
|
Trophic Levels
|
Step in the movement of energy through
an ecosystem; an organism's feeding status in an ecosystem.
|
Uncontrolled
|
Not under control, discipline, or
governance
|
Zebra Mussel
|
A European and Asian freshwater mussel
regarded as a nuisance in the Great Lakes and surrounding waterways where
it was accidentally introduced. Latin name Dreissena polymorpha
|
Back to
Top
Human
Population Dynamics
"Baby Boom"
|
A sudden large increase in the birthrate
over a particular period, especially the 15 years after World War II.
|
Birth Control
|
Any method used to reduce births,
including celibacy, delayed marriage, contraception; devices of medication
that prevent implantation of fertilized zygote, and induce abortion.
|
Demographic Transition
|
A change in the make up of a human
population or group from one set of characteristics to another.
|
Demographics
|
The characteristics of a human population
or part of it, especially its size, growth, density, distribution, and
statistics regarding birth, marriage, disease, and death.
|
Family Planning
|
Controlling reproduction; planning the
timing and number of births for the purpose of having as many babies as
are wanted and can be supported.
|
Famine
|
Acute food shortage characterized by
large-scale loss of life, social disruption, and economic chaos.
|
Fertility Rate
|
The number of children born to an average
woman.
|
Histogram
|
A statistical graph of a frequency
distribution in which vertical rectangles of different heights are
proportionate to corresponding frequencies. Used to graph distributions of
populations, such as the percentage of the population in a certain age
group.
|
Plague
|
A disease that spreads very rapidly,
infecting very large numbers of people and killing a great many of them,
or an outbreak of such a disease.
|
Total Fertility Rate
|
The number of children born to an average
woman in a population during reproductive life.
|
Back to
Top
Global
Changes
Aerosol
|
A suspension of solid or liquid particles
within the air; Man-made aerosols (dust particles) in the atmosphere are
believed to reduce solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth and
therefore to produce a cooling effect on global temperatures
|
Albedo
|
The fraction of incident light that is
reflected by an object, especially the Earth or another planet reflecting
the Sun's light.
|
Anaerobic
|
Living without oxygen.
|
Anomalies
|
Deviation from the normal order or rule.
|
Carbon Cycle
|
The series of interlinked processes,
including photosynthesis and respiration, through which carbon, mainly in
the form of carbon compounds, is exchanged between living organisms and
the nonliving environment. Carbon dioxide is taken from the atmosphere by
photosynthesizing plants and returned by the respiration of plants and
animals and by the combustion of fossil fuels.
|
Carbon Sinks
|
Places of carbon accumulation, such as
large forests (organic compounds) or ocean sediments, (calcium carbonate);
carbon is thus removed from the carbon cycle for moderately long to very
long periods of time.
|
Climate
|
A description of the long-term pattern of
weather in a particular area.
|
Global Warming
|
Increase in the average temperature of
the Earth. The average temperature of the Earth has risen and fallen over
periods of millions of years (such as during Ice Ages) but current concern
is that the increase in greenhouse gases generated by humans, particularly
carbon dioxide emissions from use of fossil fuels, will contributing to
global warming. Preferred term now is global climate changes because
changes in average temperatures have effects on other aspects of weather
and climate, including amount of rainfall.
|
Greenhouse Gas
|
A gas such as carbon dioxide, ozone, or
water vapor that contributes to the warming of the Earth's atmosphere by
reflecting radiation from the Earth's surface. ie CO2, methane,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's), & nitrous oxide.
|
Hydrocarbons
|
An organic chemical compound containing
only hydrogen and carbon atoms, arranged in rows, rings, or both, and
connected by single, double, or triple bonds. Hydrocarbons constitute a
very large group including alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes.
|
Kyoto Conference
|
Convention on global warming.
|
Nitrogen Cycle
|
Basic principles of the nitrogen cycle:
|
|
*N2 is most abundant gas in atmosphere
(78%)
|
|
*nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert it to NH3
|
|
nitrate-forming bacteria combine NH3 with
oxygen to form NO2 and then NO3
|
|
*Plants absorb and make NH4
|
|
*consumers eat plants
|
|
*Nitrogen re-enters the environment when
these organisms die, shed, urinate, produce excrement
|
|
*De-nitrifying bacteria break down into N2 and the process repeats
|
Photosynthesis
|
A process by which green plants and other
organisms produce simple carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and hydrogen,
using energy that chlorophyll or other organic cellular pigments absorb
from radiant sources.
|
Phytoplankton
|
Microscopic aquatic organisms that
photosynthesize.
|
Reflected
|
To return light rays from a surface in
such a way that the angle at which a give ray is returned is equal to the
angle at which it strikes the surface.
|
Refracted
|
To alter the course of a wave of energy
that passes into something from another medium, as water does to light
entering it from the air; caused by differences in wave speed.
|
Regional Consequences
|
The impact of global climate changes vary
from one region to another; some dry areas may become wetter, another
region may have less precipitation.
|
Scattered
|
Few in number and far apart in distance
or time.
|
Tragedy of the Commons
|
The overuse or over harvesting and
consequent depletion and/or destruction of a renewable resource that tends
to occur when the resource is treated as a commons, that is when it is
open to be used or harvested by any and all with the means to do so.
|
Transparent
|
Capable of transmitting light so that
objects or images can be seen as if there were no intervening material.
|
Upwelling
|
Movement of nutrient-rich bottom water to
the ocean's surface. This can occur far from shore but usually occurs
along certain steep coastal areas, where the surface layer of ocean water
is pushed away from shore and replaced by cold, nutrient-rich bottom
water.
|
Urban Heat Island
|
In large cities, expanses of paved
surfaces, particularly asphalt, absorbs heat during day and radiates heat
at night. Sparse vegetatation and paved surfaces increase rain runoff,
furthering reducing cooling effects. Temperatures in the cities are
usually 3-5 degrees hotter than surrounding country side.
|
Back to
Top
Energy
Abated
|
Reduced by a degree or intensity,
elimination of pollution.
|
Airborne Particulates
|
Any particulates that are in the air.
|
Alaska Pipeline
|
Built from April 29, 1974 to June 20,
1977, this above ground pipeline 799 miles through Alaska, brings oil from the oil
wells in northern Alaska to the shipping ports in southern Alaska.
|
Alternative Renewable Energy
|
Renewable energy sources are those that
are replenished by natural processes at rates exceeding their rate of use
for human purposes, unlike fossil fuels which are not replenished at a
useful rate. Sources considered renewable include solar, biomass, wind,
geothermal, hydropower.
|
Arab Oil Embargo
|
In late October, 1973, King Faisal of
Saudi Arabia influenced Arab oil producing nations who were also members
of OPEC (Oil Producing and Exporting Countries) to agree to an embargo (a
government order prohibiting the movement of merchant ships into or out of
its ports) of crude oil to Western nations who had supplied weapons and
other aid to Israel, as a punishment to its friends. This caused oil to be
in short supply and drove up oil prices in the countries effected.
|
Biogas
|
A mixture of methane and carbon dioxide
produced by bacterial degradation of organic matter and used as a fuel.
|
Bituminous
|
A soft intermediate grade of coal; the
most commonly used grade.
|
Black Lung Disease
|
Lung disease caused by inhaling coal
dust.
|
Blackouts
|
Lack of illumination caused by an
electrical power failure.
|
Breeder Reactor
|
A nuclear reactor that produces more fuel
than it consumes. This kind of reactor is used mainly to produce
plutonium.
|
British Thermal Unit
|
Measure of heat energy. 1 BTU=1055 joules
or 0.293 watt-hours. The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of
one pound water one degree Fahrenheit
|
Calorie
|
The amount of heat that it takes to raise
a gram of water one degree Celsius.
|
Casks
|
Barrels that are used to store the spent
fuels.
|
Chain Reaction
|
Physics. A multistage nuclear reaction,
especially a self-sustaining series of fissions in which the release of
neutrons from the splitting of one atom leads to the splitting of others.
|
Chernobyl
|
City in Russia where a nuclear power
plant suffered a melt-down due to poor decisions made by power plant
workers. The resulting explosions killed killed a number of workers and
spewed radioactive debris and dust in the air, which were carried by winds
across the Russia and other countries in the former Soviet Union.
|
Coal Liquefaction
|
Chemical process by which solid coal is
converted to a liquid. This is referred to as a synfuel or synthetic fuel.
|
Cogeneration
|
A power generation process that increases
efficiency by harnessing the heat that would otherwise be wasted in the
fuel combustion process, and using it to generate electricity, warm
buildings, or for other purposes.
|
Cogeneration
|
A process in which an industrial facility
uses its waste energy to produce heat or electricity.
|
Conservation/Efficiency
|
The controlled use and systematic
protection of natural resources, such as forests, soil, and water systems.
|
Containment building
|
Reinforced concrete building housing the
nuclear reactor. Designed to contain an explosion should one occur.
|
Conventional Energy
|
Energy from sources such as fossil fuels
that are in wide use.
|
Convert
|
To express a quantity in alternative
units.
|
Cooling System
|
A mechanical system that is used to cause
a decrease in temperature of something such as a refrigerator, or home, or
nuclear power plant.
|
Cooling Towers
|
A massive tower designed to dissipate
waste heat from a power plant (or other industrial plant) in to the
atmosphere.
|
Cooling water
|
Water used to cool the heated water after
use in a nuclear reactor so that the water can be reheated.
|
Cracking
|
The breaking of the long carbon chains
found in the hydrocarbons in crude oil by heating at high temperatures to
form smaller molecules that are more useful.
|
Daughter
|
Material formed from the parent material
after a given process such as nuclear decay or movement through the rock
cycle.
|
Depletion
|
The gradual use or consumption of a
resource, especially a natural resource.
|
Depository or repository
|
A place where something is kept for
safekeeping or storage, such as a warehouse or store for furniture or
valuables. Yucca Mountain in New Mexico is being studied as a potential
depository for spent nuclear fuel.
|
Deuterium
|
An isotope of hydrogen with one proton
and one neutron in the nucleus having an atomic weight of 2.014
|
Diesel
|
Fuel that is made of hydrocarbons that
are 16 carbons long; a high compression internal combustion engine.
|
Differential Heat
|
Heat always flows from hot objects to
cold objects; this is the second law of thermodynamics. This flow of heat
from warmer areas to cooler areas because of the difference in heat or
differential heat, can be harnessed and used. See the OTEC (ocean thermal
energy conversion) plant below.
|
Dismantle
|
To take apart
|
Distillation
|
The extraction of volatile components of
a mixture by the condensation and collection of the vapors that are
produced as the mixture is heated.
|
Dung
|
Animal excrement, a biomass, which use as
a fuel for heating or cooking in many countries.
|
Energy
|
The ability to do work.
|
Energy Crisis
|
Crisis as a result of the deficiency of
energy supplies.
|
Enriched Uranium
|
Uranium ore occurs naturally in a state
that cannot be used in most reactors or to make nuclear weapons. Enriching
the uranium makes it easier to use in reactors. The enrichment process
increases the amount of the fissionable uranium-235 isotope. Uranium
enriched to contain less than 20 percent uranium-235 is called low
enriched uranium. Uranium enriched to contain 20 percent or greater
uranium-235 is highly-enriched uranium that can be directly used to make
nuclear weapons.
|
Entombed
|
To place in or as if in a tomb or grave
|
Entropy
|
Symbol S. For a closed thermodynamic
system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not
available to do work.
|
Estimated Reserves
|
Reserves of resources whose quantity has
been only estimated and are not known for certain.
|
Ethanol
|
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol,
ETOH) is a clear, colorless liquid that has been made since ancient times
by fermenting sugars and starches from potatoes, corn, wheat, and other
plants. Ethanol is, among many other uses, blended with gasoline to
increase its oxygen content to reduce pollutants from automobile
emissions.
|
Eutectic Fluid
|
Eutectic salts (salts that melt at low
temperatures) are phase-changing chemicals that are used in active solar
heating to store solar energy. Heating melts these materials and cooling
returns them to the original phase.
|
Finite Resources
|
Natural resources that can be worn out
(all used up) and cannot be replaced. (i.e. coal)
|
Friction
|
The rubbing of two objects against each
other when one or both are moving. A significant percentage of the energy
produced by an automobile engine is dissipated in friction, reducing the
overall efficiency of the system.
|
Fuel Assembly Encased
|
A bundle of hollow metal rods containing
uranium oxide pellets; used to fuel a nuclear reactor.
|
Fuel Cell
|
An electrochemical device with no moving
parts that converts the chemical energy of a fuel, such as hydrogen, and
an oxidant, such as oxygen, directly into electricity.
|
Fuel Rods
|
Rods that contain nuclear fuel that are
put into a nuclear reactor.
|
Fuel wood
|
Wood that is used as a source of energy,
usually by burning.
|
Gas hydrates
|
Gas hydrate is a crystalline solid
consisting of gas molecules, usually methane, each surrounded by a cage of
water molecules. Gas hydrates in marine sediments are a significant source
of methane.
|
Gasification
|
The act or process of converting into or
becoming gas
|
Gasohol
|
A fuel consisting of a blend of ethyl
alcohol and unleaded gasoline, especially a blend of 10 percent ethanol
and 90 percent gasoline.
|
Gasoline
|
A volatile flammable liquid made from
petroleum and used as fuel in internal-combustion engines; made up of
hydrocarbons that are made of 8 carbon chains.
|
General Mining Law of 1872
|
Governs all mining in the U.S. and has
recently come under attack.
|
Geothermal
|
Of or relating to the internal heat of
the earth.
|
Greenhouse Effect
|
The phenomenon whereby the earth's
atmosphere traps solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere
of gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow
incoming sunlight to pass through but absorb heat radiated back from the
earth's surface.
|
Half lives (of radioisotopes)
|
The length of time required for half the
nuclei in a sample to change in another isotope.
|
Heat exchanger
|
A material or system that exchanges heat
from one system or material to another.
|
Heat Tax
|
Tax imposed on the use of energy
supplies.
|
Hidden energy
|
Energy within a system that you are not
aware of.
|
High Level Wastes
|
Wastes that are highly radioactive.
|
Home Energy Audits
|
Auditing or analyzing the expenditure of
energy in a home including the loss of energy.
|
Hydrocarbons
|
Any of numerous organic compounds, such
as petroleum, coal, and methane, that contain only carbon and hydrogen.
|
Hydroelectric
|
Generating electricity by conversion of
the energy of running water.
|
Hydropower
|
Water power. Flowing rivers of water that
is transformed into energy by using dams, waterwheels or other devices.
|
Incentive Programs
|
Programs that reward the participants to
achieve a desired result.
|
Industrial Revolution
|
The complex of radical socioeconomic
changes, such as the ones that took place in England in the late 18th
century, which are brought about when extensive mechanization of
production systems results in a shift from home-based hand manufacturing
to large-scale factory production.
|
Infrared Radiation
|
Electromagnetic radiation with
wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than radio waves.
|
Insolation
|
The act or an instance of exposing to
sunlight.
|
Isotopes
|
Forms of single element that differ in
atomic mass due to different number of neutrons in the nucleus.
|
James Bay Project
|
A series of more than 600 dams along the
eastern shore of the Hudson Bay.
|
Joule
|
Measurement of energy. Ex. 1 Joule of
energy is required to lift 1 kilogram, 1 meter.
|
Kerosene
|
A colorless flammable oil distilled from
petroleum and used as a fuel for jet engines, heating, cooking, and
lighting.
|
Kinetic Energy
|
Energy contained in moving objects such
as a rock rolling down a hill, the wind blowing through the trees, or
water flowing over a dam.
|
Leukemia
|
Malignant neoplasm of blood-forming
tissues; characterized by abnormal proliferation of leukocytes; one of the
four major types of cancer.
|
Lignite
|
Lignite is a soft, brownish-black coal in
which the alteration of vegetable matter has proceeded further than in
peat but not as far as in bituminous or anthracite coal. Also called brown
coal.
|
Low Level Wastes
|
Wastes that are not highly radioactive.
|
Meltdown
|
Severe overheating of a nuclear reactor
core, resulting in melting of the core and escape of radiation.
|
Methane
|
An odorless, colorless, flammable gas, CH4,
the major constituent of natural gas, that is used as a fuel and is an
important source of hydrogen and a wide variety of organic compounds.
|
Mitigate
|
To moderate (a quality or condition) in
force or intensity; alleviate.
|
Moderators
|
A substance, for example, graphite or
beryllium, that slows neutrons in a nuclear reactor so that they can bring
about the fission of uranium
|
Neutron
|
Particle found in the nucleus of an atom
that is the same size as a proton but have no charge.
|
Nuclear Fission
|
A process in which two smaller atomic
nuclei fuse into one larger nucleus and release energy; the source of
power in a hydrogen bomb.
|
Nucleus
|
Center of atom, occupied by proton and
neutrons, contains DNA in cells.
|
Ocean Thermal Electric Conversions (OTEC)
|
Energy derived from temperature
differentials between warm ocean surface waters and cold deep waters. This
differential can be used to drive turbines attached to electric
generators.
|
Oil Glut
|
When the supply of oil on the market
greatly exceeds demand, resulting in lower oil prices.
|
Oil shale
|
A sedimentary rock containing kerogen,
which when heat yields a synthetic crude oil, which can be processed into gasoline. Also
not widely used because of the cost and environmental
impacts
|
OPEC
|
Acronym for Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries founded in 1960 to unify and coordinate petroleum
policies of the members.
|
Operating Efficiency
|
Determination of how much energy is used
by a system that actually results in the desired effect and is not wasted
as lost energy.
|
Parent
|
Original radioactive atom or any type of
material.
|
Peak
|
The very top of a mountain or elevated
range of land The high point which data reaches in a graph or chart.
|
Petrochemicals
|
Chemicals synthesized from oil.
|
Photovoltaic
|
An energy-conversion device that captures
solar energy and directly converts it to electrical current.
|
Photovoltaic Cells
|
A semiconductor that converts light
directly into electricity.
|
Plutonium
|
Radioactive element used in nuclear
reactions.
|
Proven Reserves
|
Reserves of resources that are known to
exist.
|
Public Utilities Regulatory Policies
Act of 1978
|
Encourage small-scale power production
facilities by requiring utilities to purchase excess electricity generated
by "qualified facilities" (such as facilities using renewable
sources or cogeneration) and to provide backup power at a reasonable cost.
|
Quad
|
1 x 1015 Btu (British Thermal Units) = 1
exajoule = 1 x 1018 joules = 1 quad
|
Radioactive Decay
|
A change in the nuclei of radioactive
isotopes that spontaneously emit high energy electromagnetic radiation
and/or subatomic particles while gradually changing into another isotope
or different elements.
|
Radioactive waste
|
Material that is no longer useful or
wanted that contains radioactive material.
|
Refineries
|
Industrial plants that take in crude oil
and refine it into a variety of hydrocarbon products.
|
Regional
|
Of or relating to a large geographic
region.
|
REM
|
(Roentgen
equivalent man), a unit used in radiation protection to measure the amount
of damage to human tissue from a dose of ionizing radiation. The amount of
ionizing radiation required to produce the same biological effect as one
rad of high-penetration x-rays. An average American receives about 0.370
rems of radiation per year.
|
Resource recovery
|
The recovery of resources after their use
and either recycling them for reuse or properly disposing of them
|
Salt Domes
|
A solid mass of salt that was once fluid
and flowed into fractures in surrounding rock and geologic structures;
salt domes
|
Seismic Activity
|
Caused by an earthquake.
|
Spent Fuel
|
The uranium cores that are taken out of
the nuclear power plant.
|
Stabilize
|
To maintain an unfluctuating level of
something; to become stable, or make something stable
|
Steam generator
|
Turns the steam and the hot water into
electricity. In a Nuclear Power Plant.
|
Sterilization
|
Making an organism barren or infertile
(unable to reproduce) To clear of living organisms with heat or use of
chemicals.
|
Strip Mining
|
Removing surface layers over coal seams
using, giant earth moving equipment; creates a huge open pit from which
coal is scooped by enormous surface operated machines and transported by
trucks; an alternative to deep mines.
|
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
Act
|
Passed
to protect society and the environment from adverse effects of surface
mining; assures land reclamation after the mining has occurred.
|
Synfuels
|
Synthetic gas or synthetic oil made from
coal or other sources.
|
Tar sands
|
Unconventional form of oil, liquid
petroleum can be extracted with hot water, however not widely used because
of the cost and environmental impacts.
|
Tax Incentive
|
Reduction in taxes given to encourage a
specific behavior on the part of the recipient.
|
Terrestrial Reradiation
|
As the sunlight hits the land it is
radiated back into space.
|
Thermodynamics
|
A branch of physics that deals with
transfers and conversions of energy.
|
Three Mile Island
|
Nuclear power site at Harrisburg, PA. In
1979 suffered a partial meltdown of the core reactor. Most of the
radioactive material was kept inside containment building.
|
Tidal Power
|
Energy produced by the motion of waves.
|
Tidal Power
|
The use of the energy found in the wave
motion of bodies of water.
|
Tritium
|
A rare radioactive hydrogen isotope with
atomic mass 3 and half-life 12.5 years, prepared artificially for use as a
tracer and as a constituent of hydrogen bombs.
|
Tsunami
|
Giant seismic sea swells that move
rapidly from the center of an earthquake; they can be 10 to 20 meters high
when they reach shorelines hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from
their source.
|
Turbines
|
Any of various machines in which the
kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted to mechanical power by the
impulse or reaction of the fluid with a series of buckets, paddles, or
blades arrayed about the circumference of a wheel or cylinder.
|
U-238
|
An isotope of Uranium used in nuclear
power plants.
|
Uranium
|
Radioactive element used in nuclear
reactions in obtaining nuclear energy.
|
Utility Companies, Public Utilities
|
Companies that supply services such as
electrical power and communications (telephone service) used in daily
life.
|
Viscous
|
Having a relatively high resistance to
flow.
|
Watt, Kilowatt
|
A unit of measure of electric power at a
point in time as capacity or demand. 1 watt = 1 joule/second; 1 joule =
energy spent in one second when a current of 1 amp flows through a
resistance of 1 ohm; 1 kilowatt - 1 000 watt
|
Yucca Mountain, NV
|
U.S. Department of Energy's potential
underground geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste.
|
Back to
Top
Choices
For The Future
Aesthetic Values
|
Sensitive to or appreciative of the
beauty present in the environment.
|
Biosphere
|
The whole area of the Earth's surface,
atmosphere, and sea that is inhabited by living things.
|
Conservation
|
The preservation, management, and care of
natural and cultural resources; the keeping or protecting of something
from change, loss, or damage.
|
Conservationists
|
Somebody who campaigns for, supports, or
works toward the preservation, management, and care of the environment,
especially of natural resources in the countryside.
|
Ecotourism
|
A combination of adventure travel ,
cultural exploration, and nature appreciation in wild settings.
|
Gaia Hypothesis
|
A theory that the living organisms of the
biosphere form a single complex interaction system that creates and
maintains a habitable Earth; Gaia is the Greek Goddess of Earth.
|
Sustainable Development
|
Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
|
Utilitarian
|
A philosophy that resources should be
used for the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time.
|
Wilderness Act
|
To establish a National Wilderness
Preservation System for the permanent good of the whole people, and for
other purposes. |
|