Land
What do we call something from Earth that living things use to meet their needs?
natural resource
What is an area of permeable sediment or rock that holds significant amounts of water?
aquifer
What is the contamination of air by harmful substances including gases and smoke called?
air pollution
What phrase means long-term average weather conditions in an area?
climate
Runoff from construction sites, which can contain excess sediment, reduces the amount of ________________ available for photosynthetic organisms.
sunlight
What is the cutting of large areas of forests for human activities called?
deforestation
Which type of water makes up the majority of Earth’s accessible freshwater (found in aquifers)?
groundwater
What forms when nitrogen and carbon compounds in the air react in sunlight?
photochemical smog
What natural process causes certain gases in the atmosphere to absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the Sun?
the greenhouse effect
Cleaning up polluted water is very difficult. What is a better way to reduce water pollution?
preventing it by properly disposing of things and reducing runoff
What is the development of land for houses and other buildings near a city called?
urbanization
Name one reason why water levels in wells that contain groundwater can drop.
Excessive groundwater pumping (overuse), drought, or decreased recharge from precipitation (any one is correct).
What term describes the mix of both solid and liquid particles in the air?
particulate matter
What do we call a rise in Earth’s average surface temperature?
global warming
Although some pollution is caused by natural disasters, most is caused by the actions of ________.
humans
Which practice involves planting trees to replace ones that have been removed?
reforestation
What can form when aquifers are depleted and the empty space cannot support the weight of overlying rock and soil?
Sinkholes (or land subsidence).
What is rain or snow that has a lower pH than normal called?
acid precipitation
Which greenhouse gas is noted as having the greatest effect on climate change?
carbon dioxide (CO2)
Deforestation can lead to _____.
loss of animal habitats, soil erosion, increases in Earth’s average surface temperature
What is the process of restoring land disturbed by mining called?
reclamation
What is the most prominent source of ocean pollution?
Runoff from land (including plastics and chemicals from land-based sources).
hich human-made chemicals react with sunlight to destroy ozone molecules and thin the ozone layer?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
why does using alternative energy sources (like wind or solar) helps reduce global warming.
Alternative energy sources produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions compared to burning fossil fuels. Fewer greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap less thermal energy, so global warming slows.
the natural process that occurs when certain gases in the atmosphere absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the Sun.
greenhouse effect