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Mr. Vaughan Unit 8
Unit 8 - Human Impact on the Environment
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| water pollution | contamination of water by waste matter or other material that is harmful to organisms that are exposed to the water |
| point-source pollution | pollution that comes from a specific site |
| nonpoint-source pollution | pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single, specific site |
| thermal pollution | a temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life |
| eutrophication | an increase in the amount of nutrients, such as nitrates, in a marine or aquatic ecosystem |
| potable | suitable for drinking |
| reservoir | an artificial body of water that usually forms behind a dam |
| urbanization | an increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas rather than rural areas |
| land degradation | the process by which human activity and natural processes damage land to the point that it can no longer support the local ecosystem |
| desertification | the process by which human activities or climate changes make arid or semiarid areas more desertlike |
| deforestation | the removal of trees and other vegetation from an area |
| greenhouse effect | the warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases absorb and reradiate thermal energy |
| air pollution | the contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources |
| particulate | a tiny particle of solid that is suspended in air or water |
| smog | air pollution that forms when ozone and vehicle exhaust react with sunlight |
| acid precipitation | rain, sleet, or snow that contains a high concentration of acids |
| air quality | a measure of the pollutants in the air that is used to express how clean or polluted the air is |
| conservation | the wise use of and preservation of natural resources |
| stewardship | the careful and responsible management of a resource |
Created by:
dougteach65
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