Part 4. Glossary

Glossary

1. Acid Rain: Acid Rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic(low PH.)It can have harmful effects on plants, animals, and infrastructure through the process of wet deposition. Acid Rain is caused by emissions of compounds of ammonium, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. Governments have made efforts through the 1970's to reduce the production of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere with positive results. However, it can also be caused naturally by the splitting of nitrogen compounds by the energy produced by lightning strikes, or the release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere by volcano eruptions.
2. Air Pollution: Air Pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans, or other animals, or damages the natural environment into the atmosphere.
3. Animals: Animals are a major group of organisms. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some go through a process of metamorphosis later in their life.
4. Biodegradable Waste: Biodegradable waste is a type of waste, typically originating from plant or animal sources, which may be degraded by other living organisms.
5. Contamination: Contamination is the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent(contaminant) in material, physical body, natural environment, etc. Soil Contamination is caused by the presence of human made chemicals of other alteration in the natural soil environment.
6. Ecological Footprint: An Ecological Footprint is a measure of human demand on the earths ecosystems.
7. Environment: The Environment is living and non-living things occurring naturally on earth.
8. Fossil Fuels: Fossil Fuels are fuels formed by natural resources, such as the decomposition of buried organisms.
9. Groundwater: Groundwater is the water located underneath the earth's surface.
10. Groundwater Contamination: Groundwater Contamination happens when man-made products get into the groundwater and make it unsafe, or unsuitable for human use.
11. Hazardous Waste: Hazardous Waste is waste that threats to public health, or the environment.
12. Hydropower: Hydropower is power from the force of a large amount of moving water.
13. Impact: To Impact something is to have a positive, or negative effect on something.
14. Landfill: A Landfill is a garbage disposal area, where trash is buried into the ground.
15. Living Organisms: A Living Organism is any living system.
16. Natural Resources: A Natural Resource occurs naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by humans, in a natural form.
17. Non Degradable: Waste that cannot be broken down. 
18. Ozone Depletion: Ozone Depletion is a slow decline(4% every decade) of the total volume of ozone in the earth's stratosphere.
19. Pollutants: A Pollutant is a waste material that causes pollution, or contamination.
20. Recycle: Processing used material into new products.
21. Reduce: To buy less, and to use less.
22. Resources: are limited items, that benefit us.
23. Reuse: Reusing is to use an item more than once.
24. Urban Runoff: An Urban Runoff is the rainwater, that runs off, or across an urban area.
25. Water Pollution: Water Pollution is the contamination of water bodies.
26. Waste: Waste is unwanted, or unusable items.