Lee-Ballard: Unit 10 - Human Impact on the Environmnt

Renewable resource

• resource that replenishes itself quickly enough so that it will not be used faster than it can be produced

• a resource that is finite and will eventually run out

• a resource that can only be used once

• a resource that is harmful to the environment

Soil Erosion

• A process where soil is enriched with nutrients and minerals.

• A process in which the materials of Earth's surface are loosened, dissolved, or worn away and transported from one place to another by a natural agent, such as wind, water, ice, or gravity.

• A method of planting crops that prevents soil degradation.

• A phenomenon where soil becomes compacted and less fertile.

What is a nonrenewable resource?

• A natural resource that can be replenished quickly

• A natural resource that is used more quickly than it can be formed

• A resource that is always available in abundance

• A resource that is derived from renewable sources

Greenhouse Effect

• normal warming effect produced when gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere

• a cooling effect caused by the reflection of sunlight by clouds

• the process of photosynthesis in plants

• the increase in Earth's temperature due to volcanic activity

Pollution

• anything that is added to the environment and has a negative effect on the environment or its organisms

• a natural process that cleanses the environment

• the introduction of beneficial substances to the environment

• a phenomenon that improves the quality of air and water

Point Source Pollution

• pollution that comes from a specific site

• pollution that is widespread and diffuse

• pollution caused by natural disasters

• pollution that occurs in urban areas

Greenhouse Gas

• a gas composed of molecules that absorb and radiate infrared radiation from the sun

• a type of gas that cools the Earth's atmosphere

• a gas that is only produced by human activities

• a gas that has no effect on climate change

Nonpoint Source Pollution

• pollution that comes from a single specific site

• pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single specific site

• pollution that is easily traceable to a specific source

• pollution that is caused by industrial waste

Desertification

• The process by which human activities or climatic changes make arid or semiarid areas more desert-like

• The increase of vegetation in arid regions

• The transformation of deserts into fertile land

• The process of urbanization in dry areas

Smog

• A type of fog caused by water vapor

• Air pollution in which gases released from burning fossil fuels form a fog when they react with sunlight

• A weather phenomenon that occurs in winter

• A type of smoke produced by wildfires