Question | Answer |
Acid Rain | Precipitation that contains acid from air pollution and is harmful to both plants and animals. It reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen that lakes and streams can hold, which harms aquatic life. |
Climate | The prevailing weather conditions over a long time - from season to season, year to year. (Different from "weather" - which is just the current outdoor conditions in one place.) |
Degradation | The process of destroying or harming something - such as the environment. |
Global Warming | The increase in worldwide temperatures due to an increase in greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels. |
Industrial Revolution | a time period during which the burning of fossil fuels increased tremendously due to the demand for energy. |
Overpopulation | a condition where an organism's numbers are too large for its habitat to accommodate. |
Ozone Layer | Part of the atmosphere that blocks some solar radiation. It has gotten thinner due to the use of CFC's (a pollutant banned in the US). This is a problem because this layer protects life from certain harmful types of solar radiation. |
Pollutants | Waste materials that contaminates air, soil, or water. |
Resources | things in the environment that are necessary for survival (food, shelter, water, etc.) |
Environment | the natural surroundings |
Conservation | efforts to reduce the consumption (use) of resources |
Extinction | When ALL of the organisms of a particular species are dead on the entire planet. (The whole species is gone and never coming back.) |
Carbon dioxide | A molecule that contains one carbon and two oxygen. It is a product of respiration and is also consumed by plants during photosynthesis. Burning fossil fuels can put WAAAAY too much of this gas in our atmosphere. |
Endangered Species | when MANY of the organisms of a particular species are gone |
Invasive Species | Plants or animals that are not native to an ecosystem, which can cause damage and destroy biodiversity. |
fossil fuels | Fuels that are taken from the earth such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, etc. (Gasoline & other fuels are made from crude oil.) Burning these produces lots of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, as well as other types of air pollution. |