Unit 5 Vocabulary Flashcards

Front

Urbanization

Back

An increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas rather than in rural areas.

Front

Water Pollution

Back

Waste matter or other material introduced into water that is harmful to organisms that live in, drink, or are exposed to the water.

Front

Point-Source Pollution

Back

Pollution that comes from a specific source.

Front

NonPoint Source Pollution

Back

Pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single specific site.

Front

Thermal Pollution

Back

A temperature increase in a body of water caused by human activity, harmful to water quality and aquatic life.

Front

Eutrophication

Back

An increase in the amount of nutrients, such as nitrates, in a marine or aquatic ecosystem.

Front

Potable

Back

Suitable for drinking.

Front

Reservoir

Back

An artificial body of water that usually forms behind a dam.

Front

Desertification

Back

The process by which human activities or climatic changes make arid or semiarid areas more desertlike

Front

Land Degradation

Back

The process by which human activity and natural processes damage land to the point that it can no longer support the local ecosystem.