| Term | Definition |
|---|
| resource | A substance in the environment that is useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access, and is socially acceptable to use. |
| OPEC | Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; countries who are dedicated to the production of oil; mostly middle east, but not all; US imports a lot of oil from OPEC; determines how much we get and the cost |
| hydroelectric power | Electric power produced by moving water, usually generated by releasing water from a dam across a river |
| coal | fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period |
| fossil fuel | fuel created from remains of plants and animals over millions of years |
| biomass | plant materials and animal waste used as fuel |
| air pollution | the contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources. |
| natural gas | A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons (primarily methane) that occurs, often with oil deposits in Earth's crust. |
| petroleum | an oily, dark-colored, flammable liquid found in the earth, consisting mainly of a mixture of various hydrocarbons. Gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, paraffin, and lubricants are made from petroleum |
| renewable energy | Any source of energy that can be continually produced and is inexhaustible given current conditions. |
| nonrenewable energy | energy sources that can be used only once or do not replace themselves.ex fossil fuel |
| ferrous metals | includes iron ore, that are utilized in the production of iron and steel |
| nonferrous metals | do not contain iron, not magnetic, do not rust |
| global warming | an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes) |
| pollution | undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities |
| solar energy | Energy from the sun. Using solar energy helps save natural resources such as coal, oil, and wood |
| nuclear fusion | a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy |
| animate power | Power supplied by people or animals. |
| inanimate power | power supplied by machines |
| renewable resources | minerals that can be used and replaced over a relatively short time period; ex: trees, beans, bananas, sugar, tea |
| nonmetallic minerals | building stones, including stone, coarse gravel, and fine sand, fertilzires, diamonds |
| metallic minerals | have properties that are sepcially valuable for fashioning machinery, vehicles, and other essential components of an industrialized society, many metals form alloys |
| proven reserves | An accurate estimate of how much of the resource can be extracted on an economic basis |
| potential reserves | The amount of energy in deposits not yet identified but thought to exist. |
| biodiversity | the number of different species living in an ecosystem |
| conservation | the sustainable use and management of natural resource, through consuming at a less rapid rate than it can be replaced |
| preservation | maintenance of a resource in its present condition, with little human impact as possible |
| greenhouse effect | anticipated increase in earth's temperature, cuased by carbon dioside (emitted by burning fossil fuels) trapping some of the radiation emitted by the surface |
| passive solar energy systems | solar energy system that collects energy without the use of machanical devices |
| active solar energy systems | solar system that collects energy throught the use of mechanical devices like photovoltaic cells or flat plate collectors |
| ozone | a gas that absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation, found in the stratosphere, a zone between 15 and 50 kilometersabove the earth's surface |
| acid deposition | sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, emitted by burning fossil fuels, enter the atmosphere-- where they combine with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid--and return to eart's surface |
| geothermal energy | energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks |
| sustainable development | the level of development that can be maintained in a country without depleting resources to the extent that future generations will be unable to achieve a comparable level of development |
| photovoltaic cell | solar energy cells, usually made from silicon, that collect solar rays to generate electricity |
| photochemical smog | an atmospheric condition formed through a combination of weather conditions and pollution, expecially from motor vehicle emissions |
| biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) | amount of oxygen required by aquatic bacteria to decompose a given load of organic waste; a measure of water pollution |
| water pollution | The addition of any substancethat has a negative affect on water or the living things that depend on the water. |
| land pollution | Byproducts such as glass,metal,paper,plastic, and other waste we produce that ends up in landfills or scattered on land. |
| recycling | the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products |
| LDC | lesser developed countries |
| MDC | more develpoed countries |
| consumption | (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing |
| distribution | the spatial property of being scattered about over an area or volume |
| continental drift | theory that states that there was a supercontinent that split into the continents of today |
| Ring of Fire | This refers to the belt or chain of volcanoes and earthquakes surrounding the Pacific Ocean. |
| ice age | any period of time during which glaciers covered a large part of the earth's surface |
| hydrosphere | the watery layer of the earth's surface |
| lithosphere | the uppermost layer of the earth, which consists of all solid rock. It includes both the crust and the upper mantle. |
| biosphere | the layer of the earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist |
| atmosphere | the layer of the gases that surrounds the earth |
| tropic of cancer | the line of latitude that is 23.5 degrees north |
| tropic of capricorn | the line of latitude that is 23.5 degrees south |
| rotation | earth rotates = 24 hours |
| revolution | the time earth orbits around the sun = 365.25 days |
| earth's tilt | 23.5 degrees north always point to north star |
| seasons | times of greater and less heat |
| wetlands | important surface waters |
| estuary | rivers meet at an inlet of the sea |
| watershed | area of land that is drained by a river and its many tributaries |
| headwaters | the first and smallest streams that join to a larger stream |
| tributary | a smaller stream or river that flows into a larger |
| evapotranspiration | the evaporation from plants and the ground |
| transpiration | the water vapor in plants given off through the leaves |
| hydrologic cycle | the circulation of water among the hydrosphere |
| highland climate | climates determined by the elevation |
| high-latitude climates | climates in the 50 degree north region |
| middle-latitude climate | between 30 and 40 degree latitude region influenced by oceans |
| dry climates | low annual rainfall 30 degree north and south latitude |
| steppe | found between the deserts and more humid climates |
| orographic effect | an effect on mountains on climate that produces moisture on the windward side and the dryness on the leeward side |
| rain-shadow effect | desserts form on the leeward side of mountains due to lack of moisture |
| 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C) | the cooling temp of air as elev. increases |
| elevation | the height above or below sea level |
| precipitation | condensed droplets that fall from the sky (rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc.) |
| condensation | the process in which water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid |
| humidity | the amount of water in the air |
| evaporation | the process in which cater is changed from a liquid to a gas |
| front | the meeting zone of warmer subpolar air and cold polar air |
| polar winds | wind that dominates the high latitudes and brings cold conditions into the middle latitudes, usually blowing from the east |
| westerlies | west-east wind that dominates the middle latitudes, blowing from subtropical high- pressure zone to the subpolar low pressure zone |
| doldrums | calm areas centered along the equator |
| prevailing winds | a wind that usually blows from the same direction year-round |
| trade winds | east-west wind that blows from the sub-tropical high pressure zone toward the equatorial low pressure zone |
| 4 major air pressure zones | 1) equatorial low pressure 2) subtropical high pressure 3) subpolar low pressure 4) polar high pressure |
| air pressure | the measurement of the force exerted from air |
| earth system | the interactions of elements on and around the earth |
| arctic circle | the line of latitude 66.5 degrees north |
| antarctic circle | the line of latitude 66.5 degrees south |
| equinox | occurs twice a year when the poles are pointed toward or away from the sun (Sept 22 and March 21) |
| solstice | occurs twice a year when the poles are pointed toward or away from the sun more than any other time (June 21 and Dec 21) |
| polar regions | the regions surrounded by the north and south pole |
| tropics | the warm, low latitude areas near the equator |
| satellite | a body that orbits a larger body |
| groundwater | fresh water found under the earth's surface |
| water table | the top of the saturated zone |
| aquifer | ground water the flows through this rock layer |
| continental shelf | shallow part of the ocean; slopes gently from the continents |
| fold | rock layers that are bent |
| fault | rock layers that break and move |
| earthquakes | shock waves and vibrations that cause movement |
| volcano | the opening in earth's crust that releases lava |
| landforms | shapes on earth's surface |
| plains | nearly flat lands |
| plateaus | elevated flat lands |
| mid-ocean ridge | upward lift of crust on ocean floor forming a chain of mountains |
| abyssal plains | earth's flattest ans smoothest features |
| subduction | two boundary plates collide and one get pushed under |
| plate tectonics | earth's crust is divided into ridges and "plates" are slowly moving |
| relief | the difference in elevation between the top and bottom of a landform |
| floodplain | a landform of level ground built by sediment deposited by a river or stream |
| alluvial fan | the fan shape deposit of sediment |
| delta | sediment carried from alluvial fan to the mouth of a river |
Combine with other sets
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