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Bio Final
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Fossil fuels | forms of stored solar energy created from incomplete biological decomposition of dead organic matter. Includes coal, oil, and natural gas. |
| nonrenewable resource | a resource that is cycled so slowly by natural Earth processes that once used, it is essentially not going to be made available within any useful time framework. |
| renewable resource | a resource such as timber, water or air that is naturally recycled or recycled by artificial processes within a time frame useful for people. |
| acid mine drainage | acidic water that drains from mining areas causing environmental problems. |
| strip mining | surface mining in which the overlying layer of rock and soil is stripped off to reach the resource. |
| subsidence | a sinking, settling, or otherwise lowering of parts of crust. |
| black lung disease | often called coal miner disease because it is caused by years of inhaling coal dust, resulting in damage to the lungs. |
| isotope | atoms of an element that have the same atomic number but vary in atomic mass number |
| radioactive waste | type of waste produced in the nuclear fuel cycle, generally classified as high-level or low-level |
| radioactive decay | a process of decay of radioisotopes that change from one isotope to another and emit one or more forms of radiation |
| half-life | the time required for half the amount of a substance to disappear; the average time required for one-half of a radioisotope to be transformed to some other isotope |
| solar energy | energy from the sun |
| photovoltaics | technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using a solid semiconductor material |
| wind power | alternative energy source that has been used by people centuries. Wind-mills can produce electric energy |
| atmosphere | layer of gases surrounding the Earth. Includes the troposphere, stratosphere, and hydroxyl radical |
| stratosphere | overlies the troposphere and the atmosphere from approximately 20-70 kilometers above the Earth. Contains the higher concentrations of ozone above the Earth known as the ozone layer. |
| troposphere | the atmospheric zone from the surface of the Earth to an altitude of approximately 20 kilometers above the Earth. |
| climate change | change in mean annual temperature and other aspects of climate over periods of time ranging from decades to hundreds of years to several million years |
| Greenhouse effect | occurs when water vapor and several other gases warm the Earth's atmospheric system.Includes water, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. |
| particulate matter | small particles of solid or liquid substances that are released into the atmosphere by many activities, including farming, volcanic eruption, and burning fossil fuels. |
| chlorofluorocarbons | (CFCs) Highly stable compounds that have been or are being used in spray cans like aerosol propellants and in refrigeration units. Associated with global warming and ozone depletion. |
| nitrogen oxides | precursor of acid rain and produced through the burning of fossil fuels. |
| Methane | (CH4)a molecule of carbon and four hydrogen atoms. Naturally occurring gas in the atmosphere, one of the greenhouse gases. |
| fluidized bed boiler | an apparatus that combusts coal to eliminate sulfur oxides. It mixes finely ground limestone with coal and burns it in suspension. |
| sulfur dioxide | a colorless and odorless gas, it is a precursor to acid rain and comes from burning fossil fuels. |
| scrubbing | a process of removing sulfur from gases emitted from power plants burning coal. The gases are treated with a mix of lime and limestone, and the sulfur oxides react with the calcium to form insoluble calcium sulfides and sulfates that are collected |
| sustainability | management of natural resources and the environment with the goals of allowing the harvest of resources to remain at or above some specified level, and the ecosystem to retain its functions and structure. |
| geothermal energy | the useful conversion of natural heat from the interior of Earth |
| OPEC | Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, restricted oil production in 1973 |
| natural gas | Made of partially of methane, it is mainly used for industrial purposes and in residential or commercial heating. It is becoming more common in electrical generation. Known reserves are expected to last at least 50 more years. |
| nuclear fission | splitting of an atom into two or more smaller particles in order to produce energy |
| acid deposition | formation of precipitation or dry particle fallout that is more acidic than normal |
| pH | measure of concentration of hydrogen ions |
Created by:
emulligan
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