| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ecology | study of the interaction between the living and nonliving things in ecosystems |
| environmental science | study of how humans interact with the environment |
| hypothesis | predicts the relationship between independent and dependent variables |
| scientific method | process that scientists use to answer questions or solve problems |
| 1st Law of Thermodynamics | energy cannot be created or destroyed |
| 3rd Law of Thermodynamics | brownian motion will stop in the absence of heat or 0 Kelvin |
| troposphere | the lowest layer of the atmosphere |
| lapse rate | rate at which the troposphere cools as you move up in elevation |
| smog | urban air pollution |
| asbestos | silica fiber product used for insulation that has been found to cause cancer |
| bad ozone | ozone found in the troposphere |
| good ozone | ozone found in the stratosphere |
| climate | the average weather in a region |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| Cellular Respiration | the process of breaking down food to yield energy |
| Photosynthesis | biological synthesis of chemical compounds in the presence of light |
| Conduction | the transfer of energy between the particles of matter (typically a solid) |
| Convection | the transfer of heat energy in a gas or liquid by means of the currents within |
| Radiation | the transfer of energy in the form of rays, waves, or particles |
| Insulator | a substance that allows for slow energy transfer |
| Conductor | a substance that allows for energy transfer |
| Brownian Motion | the idea that the atoms that make up matter are in constant motion |
| Heat | the total energy of the random movement of molecules of a substance/object |
| Temperature | the measurement of the movement of molecules in a substance/object |
| 4 states of matter | solid, liquid, gas, plasma |
| Troposphere | the layer of the atmosphere that is capable of supporting life |
| Stratosphere | the layer of the atmosphere that contains the "good ozone" |
| Mesosphere | the layer of the atmosphere in which shooting stars are found |
| Thermosphere | the layer of the atmosphere in which space shuttles orbit |
| Exosphere | the layer of the atmosphere that fades into outer space |
| acid rain | rain with a low pH |
| acidification | the increase in the concentration of acid |
| EPA | environmental protection agency |
| Radon Gas | Radioactive material that comes up from the ground and can penatrate basements, causing indoor pollution |
| Light Pollution | Unnecessary lights that are pointing upward and wasting energy |
| sound pollution | pollution that is not harmful to the environment, yet is only harmful to humans if it is above a certain decible level (120db.) |
| primary pollutants | pollutants that are created by humans that directly pollute air or earth |
| VOC's | toxic fumes produced by paint, vehicles, and burning fuels |
| secondary pollutant | pollutant formed by the chemical reactions of other primary or secondary pollutants |
| temperature inversion | the atmospheric condition that causes smog to be trapped at ground level by a layer of warm air above it |
| mesosphere | the third layer in the atmosphere, also the coldest |
| conductor | allows heat transfer |
| insulator | slows heat transfer |
| independent variable | The variable that is manipulated or tested by an expirementer |
| Chloroflurocarbons | A compound causing ozone depletion. This reaction occurs in polar stratopheric clouds over Antartica. |
| Nitrogen Oxides | When combution tempatures exceed 538°C nitrogen and oxygen combine to form what? |
| Polar Stratospheric clouds | When tempatures fall below -80°Celsius, high altitude clouds made of water vapor and nitric acid form. |
| ozone hole | a thinning of stratospheric ozone that over the poles during the spring. Hole in atmosphere causes harmful UV rays to come down to earth |
| convection current | a current caused by the rising of warm air and the falling of cool air, causing wind |
| light pollution | caused by lights pointing up, it loses energy, causing pollution |
| control group | the group with no treatment |
| experimental group | group with treatment |
| dependent variable | results of an experiment |
| analysis | section of lab report that contains the graph of dependent variable |
| biodiversity | variety of animals and plants in a certain place |
| latitude | distance from the equator- measured in degrees |
| data | section of lab report that only contains raw data and their units |
| procedure | detailed list on how to carry out experiment |
| thermosphere | the fourth layer in the atmosphere, it is electrically charged with ions. Contains the space shuttle orbit. The least dense |
| ions | electrically charged particles |
| exosphere | fades out into outer space |
| aerosols | small particles in atmosphere |
| UV Radiation | ultraviolet radiation from sun |
| Ozone layer | layer of chemicals that protects human life in stratosphere and is dangerous in stratosphere |
| Nonrenewable | a resource that can be broken down by natural processes such as animal and plant products |
| natural | coal, copper, trees,soil are examples of a countries_______ resources |
| pollution | substances that are let into the environment that are very harmful |
| Industrial Revolution | when man started building and used machines |
| resource depletion | to use up the supply of a resource |
| non-biodegradable | not capable of being decomposed |
| renewable | something that can be used again |
| Hunters and gatherers | nomads following animals and crops |
| example of a nonrenewable resource | minerals |
| extinction | an important effect that hunter-gathers societies may have had on the enviroment |
| describes the use of a renewable resource | building wooden furniture |
| weather | current conditions outside |
| latitude | distance from the equator |
| greenhouse effect | atmosphere traps heat from radiation |
| CFC's | destroys ozone layer in upper atmoshere |
| ice cores, keeling graph | data supporting global warming |
| global warming | when the earth warms over time |
| smog | air pollutant that hangs over cities |
| catalytic converter | pollution control device put in cars |
| acid precipitation | rain mixed with sulfur and/or nitrogen oxides |
| fossil fuels | fuels used by most machines |
| Ozone | blocks uv rayes |
| good up high bad down low | ozone |
| Polar Stratospheric clouds | When tempatures fall below -80°Celsius, high altitude clouds made of water vapor and nitric acid form. |
| ozone hole | a thinning of stratospheric ozone that over the poles during the spring. Hole in atmosphere causes harmful UV rays to come down to earth |
| climate | the average weather in a region |
| Northern Lights | when ions radiate energy as light in the thermosphere, what occurs? |
| developed countries | The consumption crisis is more severe in ___. |
| agriculture | the practice of growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and other purposes. |
| natural resource | any natural material that is used by humans |
| Primary Pollutant | When human activity out pollutants directly into the air |
| Secondary Pollutant | When primary pollutants come in contact with other substances and create a pollutant |
| VOCs, Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, and particulate matter | Primary Pollutants |
| Where does radiation occur on Earth? | sun to Earth |
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