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Environmental Issues
List of modern environmental issues
Term | Definition |
---|---|
EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
pollution | Contamination of a habitat with substances which make it less favorable for organisms |
habitat loss | When an organism loses a large part of its natural home |
DDT | Long-Lasting insecticide which caused the decline of some animal species (dichlor-diphenyl-trichlorethane) |
ground water | water standing in or moving through the soil and underlying rock layers (the source of water in wells and springs) |
run-off | the part of precipitation which flows over the land without sinking into the soil |
erosion | the washing away of soil particles by water, wind, ice, or earth movements such as landslides |
topsoil | the uppermost portion of the soil, which is richer in organic material and lighter in texture than the material below |
silt | fine mineral particles in the soil |
clearcutting | the cutting of all the trees in an area in one operation |
sewage | untreated waste material from homes and industry |
siltation | fine sand, or the like, carried by moving or running water and deposited as a sediment in our lakes and streams |