1.
aerosols: small particles in atmosphere
2.
aquaculture: - growing marine or aquatic species in net pens or tanks
3.
bio-cides: - kill a broad range of organisms can be found in paints, adhesives, leathers, petroleum products, and plastics.
4.
breeder reactor: - a nuclear reactor that produces more fissile material than it burns
5.
by-catch: - non-target fish species or other marine animals caught in nets or through other fishing methods
6.
calorie: - the amount of energy needed to heat one gram of water to 1 degree Celsius
7.
carbon dioxide: a heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances
8.
carbon sequestration: removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks (like oceans, forests or soils) through bio-geochemical processes, the removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks (such as oceans, forests or soils) through biogeochimcal processes.
9.
Chernobyl: - nuclear power plant in Russia that had an explosion in 1986 & released radioactive materials into the air
10.
clean fuels: - Biofuels are a wide range of fuels which are in some way derived from biomass. The term covers solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases. Biofuels are gaining increased public and scientific attention, driven by factors such as oil price spikes and the need for increased energy security.
11.
conversion: - energy refining and production
12.
dead zones: an area of ocean so polluted that it leads to rapid plankton growth and then oxygen depletion
13.
deforestation: - The process of stripping the land of its trees
14.
deforestation: The process of stripping the land of its trees; destruction of forests.
15.
degradation: To decline to a lower state, or level;deterioration or rotting-away
16.
desertification: in areas with dry climates, a process caused by a combination of poor farming practices, overgrazing, and drought that turns productive land into desert
17.
dissolved oxygen: oxygen that has been dissolved into a liquid such as water
18.
distributed power: - Where operational considerations or economics require it, trains can be made longer if intermediate locomotives are inserted in the train and remotely controlled from the leading locomotive. Distributed power is a rail transport term for this concept.
19.
ecological footprint: A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth. Someone who uses more natural resources will have a bigger footprint than someone who uses less.
20.
electrochemical solar cells: - Semiconductor liquid junction solar cells reach 12 per cent solar to electrical and similar solar to chemical (hydrogen) conversion efficiency when made with single crystal semiconductors.
21.
energy: - provides the power to do
22.
ethanol: - a fuel made from corn and wheat that is used like gasoline but is a renewable resource
23.
extinct: no longer in existence.
24.
fecal coliform bacteria: a bacteria found in the stomach of organisms; usually harmless, but can cause disease; used as a measure of Biological Pollution.
25.
fission: - a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
26.
forest fires: Fires which use forests as it's main source of fuel
27.
forest management: Scientific planning and administration of forest resources for sustainable harvest, multiple use, regeneration, and maintenance of a healthy biological community
28.
fusion: - the act of fusing (or melting) together
29.
genetic engineering -: the bio-process of taking DNA (blueprint proteins) from one species and splicing it into the genetic material of another
30.
geothermal: - of, having to do with, or produced by action of the internal heat of the earth:
31.
global warming: a rise in average global temperatures due to the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
32.
green revolution: - increase in yield obtained through modern cultivation techniques
33.
greenhouse gases: gases like CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect
34.
Half-life: - the time required for one half of the atoms of a radioisotope to emit radiation an decay products
35.
heat island: where the climate is warmer than surrounding areas
36.
Hubbert's Peak: Shell Oil Company geophysicist M. King Hubbert calculated that the oil well extraction rate in the U.S. would peak around 1970 and begin dropping; oil production peaked at around 9 billion barrels/day
37.
joule: - the amount of work accomplished when a force of 1 newtin is performed over 1 meter of 1 ampere per second travels through 1 ohm(unit of electricity)
38.
Laws of Thermodynamics: - 1.) states energy can neither be created or destroyed; it is simply transported or changed into another form
2.) describes how the universe tends toward entropy; the original energy amount is no longer available in its original form but has changed to another form
39.
Malnourishment: - a nutritional imbalance caused by the lack of important dietary elements or the inability to absorb essential nutrients from food
40.
megacity: City/urban area with more than 10 million people
41.
methane: natural gas, a waste product produced during the treatment of sewage
42.
mitigation: The policy of constructing or creating man-made habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to development
43.
monoculture: - raising only one species
44.
nitrous oxide: a greenhouse gas emitted from fertilizers and animal wastes and produced from burning fossil fuels
45.
non-native (alien) species: - plants and animals transplanted geographically to a formerly unknown area
46.
non-point source: a widely spread source of pollution that can't be tied to a specific point of origin
47.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: - an independent federal agency created in 1974 to license and regulate nuclear power plants
48.
oil shale: - a soft, fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil and natural gas are obtained.
49.
old growth forest: an uncut or regenerated primary forest that has not been seriously disturbed by human activities or natural disasters for 200 years or more.
50.
overgrazing: Destruction of vegetation when too many grazing animals feed too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a rangeland or pasture area.
51.
ozone: gas that absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation, in the stratosphere, a zone between 9 to 30 miles above Earth's surface.
52.
pesticides: - chemicals that kill or repel certain pests
53.
photovoltaic: - device that transforms radiant energy directly into electrical energy
54.
point source: specific source of pollution that can be identified
55.
polycrystalline materials: - Pertaining to a material composed of aggregates of individual crystals. Characterized by variously oriented crystals.
56.
polyculture: - raising many different species together
57.
power: - the rate of flow of energy or the rate at which work is accomplished
58.
preservation: a process that saves organic substances from decay;keeping something in good health
59.
radiation: - energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles
60.
radioactivity: - the spontaneous emission of a stream of particles or electromagnetic rays in nuclear decay
61.
recycling: Collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products
62.
relict species: Surviving remnants of natural phenomena
63.
remediation: Cleaning up chemical contaminants from a polluted area
64.
restoration: the state of being restored to its former good condition;getting something back again.
65.
semiconductor: - a substance as germanium or silicon whose electrical conductivity is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator
66.
sick building syndrome: allergies and other illnesses caused by sensitivity to molds, synthetic chemicals, or other harmful compounds trapped in poorly ventilated buildings.
67.
smog: pollution in the atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil fuels
68.
Staebler-Wronski effect: - refers to light-induced metastable changes in the properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon.
69.
strip mining: proccess in which rock and soil are stripped from earths surface to expose the underlying materials to be mined
70.
suburban sprawl: A patchwork of vacant and developed tracts around the edges of cities that contains a low population density;unplanned development extending from cities.
71.
Superfund: a fund created by Congress in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites; money for the fund comes from taxing chemical products.
72.
tar sands: - Sands which contain tar/oil/asphalt/bitumen
73.
target species: - what you want to catch
74.
thermal pollution: occurs when heated water from industrial processes is released into waterways; makes water warmer, decomposes wastes faster, and deplete the water of oxygen
75.
Three Mile island - 1979 .: - A mechanical failure and a human error at this power plant in Pennsylvania combined to permit an escape of radiation over a 16 mile radius
76.
tidal energy: - The energy captured by transforming the wave motion of water into electrical energy using a turbine
77.
total organic carbon: amount of carbon in an organic compound and is used as a non-specific indicator of water quality
78.
tree plantations: managed tract that contains uniformly aged trees of one or two species that are harvested by clearcutting as soon as they become commercially valuable
79.
troposphere: the layer closest to Earth, where almost all weather occurs; the thinnest layer
80.
uranium: - a heavy toxic silvery-white radioactive metallic element
81.
urbanization: the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban;movement from rural to cities
82.
Volatile organic compounds VOC: Compounds including hydrocarbons, produced by combustion of gasoline, from surface coatings and from electric utility combustion; participates in the production of PAN through reactions with nitric oxide
83.
work: - force exerted over distance
