Soil Problems & Solutions
What problem occurs when salt builds up in the upper soil layers?
Salinization
What movement increased global food production through improved crops, fertilizers, irrigation, and pesticides?
The Green Revolution
What happens when groundwater is pumped faster than it recharges?
Groundwater depletion
What type of pollutant is released directly into the atmosphere?
Primary pollutant
What energy source uses moving water to generate electricity?
Hydropower
What are coal, oil, and natural gas called as a group?
Fossil fuels
What land problem is the loss of productivity in dry regions?
Desertification
What is a concentrated animal feeding operation also called?
Feedlot / factory farm
What can happen when coastal aquifers are overpumped?
Saltwater intrusion
What type of smog forms when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides and VOCs?
Photochemical smog
What technology converts sunlight directly into electricity?
Photovoltaic cell / PV cell / solar panel
What fossil fuel is a dark liquid made mostly of hydrocarbons?
Petroleum / crude oil
What ranching problem happens when livestock eat too much plant cover?
Overgrazing
What kind of agriculture uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides?
Organic agriculture
What type of pollution comes from many scattered sources, such as farm runoff?
Nonpoint source pollution
Acid rain mainly forms from sulfur dioxide and what other pollutant group?
Nitrogen oxides
What renewable energy source uses heat from beneath Earth’s surface?
Geothermal energy
What fossil fuel is commonly used to generate electricity and is mined from the ground?
Coal
What rows of trees or tall plants are planted to slow wind and reduce erosion?
Shelterbelts / windbreaks
What is the term for land suitable for farming?
Arable land
What is the largest global use of freshwater?
Agriculture
What term means the reflectivity of a surface?
Albedo
What energy source works best where the difference between high and low tide is large?
Tidal energy
What nuclear process is currently used in nuclear power plants?
Nuclear fission
What soil conservation method turns steep slopes into step-like fields?
Terracing
What is the name for the guarantee of an adequate and reliable food supply for all people?
Food security
What is the zone underground where spaces are filled with water called?
Zone of saturation
What process causes ocean water to take up more space as it warms?
Thermal expansion
What renewable energy source comes from living or once-living material?
Biomass energy
What radioactive material left over from nuclear reactions must be stored safely?
Nuclear waste