85. mining

[image]

the process or industry of obtaining coal or other minerals from a mine

Mining has touched less than one-quarter of one percent of all the land in the U.S. 

ores

coal

86. deforestation

[image]

permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses.

An estimated 18 million acres of forest, which is roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year

tropical rainforests

hondura

87.agriculture

[image]

the science or practice of farming

includes cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals

food

wool

88. overgrazing

[image]

mass reduction of plants because of too much exposer to grazing

can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature reserves.

dustbowl

soil erosion

89. urbanization

[image]

the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas

more than half of the world’s population is living in urban areas

swindon(UK)

wiltshire(UK)

90. land use

[image]

 involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment

have a major impact on natural resources

settlements

seminatural habitats

91. nonrenewable resource

[image]

A resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption.

their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years.

coal

natural gas

92. renewable resource

[image]

a resource which is replaced naturally and can be used again. 

may also include goods commodities such as wood, paper and leather.

oxygen

solar energy

93. recyclable resource

[image]

 process to convert waste materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials

reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, energy usage, air pollution, and water pollution

paper

glass

density

[image]

 a characteristic property of a substance.

The density of a substance is the relationship between the mass of the substance and how much space it takes up (volume).

The mass of atoms

their size

how they are arranged 

surface currents

[image]

Winds are able to move the top 400 meters of the ocean creating surfaceocean currents.

form large circular patterns called gyres

Coriolis Effect

gulf stream

upwelling

[image]

wind moves cold water to the top and warm water to the bottom

Upwelling occurs in the open ocean and along coastlines. 

caused by earthquakes and hurricanes

coriolis effect

[image]

the apparent deflection of moving objects when the motion is described relative to a rotating reference frame.

the result of Earth's rotation on weather patterns and ocean currents.

deflects winds to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.

deep ocean current

[image]

they flow under the surface of the ocean and are hidden from immediate detection.

they are also called submarine rivers, 

driven by density and temperature gradients.

water cycle

[image]

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land

involves precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.

evaporation

transpiration

ground water

[image]

the waterpresent beneath Earth's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations.

A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water.

creeks

lakes

streams

surface water

[image]

water on the surface of the planet such as in a stream, river, lake, wetland, or ocean.

Non-saline surface water is replenished by precipitation and by recruitment from ground-water.

It can be contrasted with groundwater and atmospheric water. 

groundwater labeling

[image]

labeling the different zones of groundwater

all groundwater has saturated and unsaturated zones

aquifer

water table

wells

[image]

 shaft sunk into the ground to obtain water, oil, or gas.

a lot of people drink well water

oil

water

Aquifer Depletion

[image]

long-term water-level declines caused by sustained groundwater pumping, and is a key issue associated with groundwater use

Many areas of the United States are experiencing groundwater depletion

china

india

us

salt water intrusion

[image]

 movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers, which can lead to contamination of drinking water sources and other consequences.

Saltwater intrusion occurs naturally to some degree in most coastal aquifers, owing to the hydraulic connection between groundwater and seawater.

caused by groundwater pumping

decreases freshwater in aquafers

dams

[image]

a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level

used to generate electricity or as a water supply.

hoover dam

three gorges dam

dam removal

[image]

process of removing out-dated, dangerous, or ecologically damaging dams from river systems

There are thousands of out-dated dams in the United States

banquiao dam

condit dam

agriculture affect on fresh water

[image]

causes a lot of water pollution

acgriculture consumes 70% of planets accessable freshwater

run off from fields

application of pesticides

recreational effect on freshwater

[image]

climate change impacts freshwater fishing

Human activities (e.g., agricultural runoff, inadequate sewage treatment, runoff from roads) have led to excessive fertilization of many water bodies.

algae and cyanobacteria have a big affect on water quality

non-point source pollution

[image]

caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground.

Unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, nonpoint source (NPS) pollution comes from many diffuse sources.

urban

agriculture

forests

point source pollution

[image]

any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack

has negligible extent, distinguishing it from other pollution source geometries

 Factories and sewage treatment plants are two common types of point sources.

primary waste water treatment

[image]

 involves basic processes to remove suspended solid waste and reduce its biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

can reduce BOD by 20 to 30 percent and suspended solids by up to 60 percent

good for aquatic organisms and food webs

secondary waste water treatment

[image]

 removes the dissolved organic matter that escapes primary treatment.

second in the treatment sequence

microbes consume the organic matter as food

convert it to carbon dioxide, water, and energy

tertiary waste water treatment

[image]

additional treatment beyond secondary

 removes more than 99 percent of all the impurities from sewage, producing an effluent of almost drinking-water quality.

disinfection

nitrogen reduction

sludge

[image]

thick, soft, wet mud or a similar viscous mixture of liquid and solid components

the product of an industrial or refining process.

dirty oil

sea ice

Layers of the atmosphere

[image]

The different levels of earth, which are (from lowest to highest) troposphere, stratosphere,mesosphere, and thermosphere

 As the mesosphere extends upward above the stratosphere, temperatures decrease.

troposphere

mesosphere

Changing states of water

[image]

water exists in three states, solid liquid and gas

water changes its state when it gets colder or hotter

snow

cloud

latent heat

[image]

energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system

this happens during a constant-temperature process that is specified in some way. 

 An example is latent heat of fusion for a phase change, melting, at a specified temperature and pressure.

saturation point

[image]

the stage at which no more of a substance can be absorbed into a vapor or dissolved into a solution.

in this stage no more of something can be absorbed or accepted

full

different with every problem

relative humidity

[image]

the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature.

When the air can't "hold" all the moisture, then it condenses as dew.

expressed as a percentage

higher percentage means that the air-water mixture is more humid.

Hygrometer (sling psychrometer)

[image]

an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the atmosphere.

Humidity measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of so a substance as moisture is absorbed.

By calibration and calculation, these measured quantities can lead to a measurement of humidity.

Dew point

[image]

 a measure of atmospheric moisture

A higher dew point indicates more moisture present in the air.

the temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation (assuming air pressure and moisture content are constant).

Adiabatic rates

[image]

 therate of temperature decrease with altitude for a parcel of dry or unsaturated air rising underadiabatic conditions.

Unsaturated air has less than 100% relative humidity

its actual temperature is higher than its dew point.

graphed with tempurature and altitude

clouds

[image]

a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere

typically high above the ground.

cirrus

cumulus

stratus

air mass

[image]

 a volume of airdefined by its temperature and water vapor content.

Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adapt to the characteristics of the surface below them.

They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime source regions.

air pressure

[image]

the pressure exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere of Earth (or that of another planet).

In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure 

caused by the weight of air above the measurement point.

barometer

[image]

an instrument measuring atmospheric pressure

used especially in forecasting the weather and determining altitude.

Barometers and pressure altimeters (the most basic and common type of altimeter) are essentially the same instrument, but used for different purposes

wind

[image]

the perceptible natural movement of the air

especially in the form of a current of air blowing from a particular direction.

global surfacewinds

windturbine

isobar map

[image]

 Isobars are lines of equal atmospheric pressure drawn on a meteorological map.

Each line passes through a pressure of a given value

1. Isobar lines may never cross or touch.
2. Isobar lines may only pass through pressures of 1000 + or - 4. 

factors affecting winds

[image]

The main factors that affect wind direction and speed are: the pressure-gradient force, the Coriolis force and friction. 

These factors working together cause the wind to blow in different directions and at different speeds.

coriolis effect

friction

condensation nuclei

[image]

 small particles typically 0.2 µm, or 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet on which water vapour condenses. 

Water requires a non-gaseous surface to make the transition from a vapour to a liquid; this process is called condensation.

also know as: CCN's

cloud seeds

cyclones

[image]

an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth.

This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds

rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

rotate clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

anticyclones

[image]

a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure

opposite of a cyclone

rotates clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

cold front

[image]

the leading edge of a cooler mass of air

replaces at ground level a warmer mass of air, which lies within a fairly sharp surface trough of low pressure.

colder / drier

storms

warm front

[image]

the transition zone where a warm air mass is replacing a cold air mass. 

Warm fronts generally move from southwest to northeast

the air behind awarm front is warmer and more moist than the air ahead of it.

stationary front

[image]

occluded front

[image]

slightly more complex frontal system that occurs when a cold front overtakes a warm front.

 in the atmosphere, cold air typically moves faster than warm air

As low pressure systems develop, fronts form around it, usually a warm front ahead of it, and a cold front trailing behind.

more factors affecting wind

[image]

The greater the pressure differnce the stronger the wind.

local weather effects, such as storms

tempurature

pressure

el nino

[image]

an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years

characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water

northern Peru and Ecuador

typically in late December.

la nina

[image]

associated with cooler than normal water temperatures 

unlike El Niño which is associated with warmer than normal water.

in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean

doppler effect

[image]

the change in frequency of a wave (or other periodic event) for an observer moving relative to its source.

It is named after the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler

 proposed it in 1842 in Prague.

also known as doppler shift

ozone layer

[image]

a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

It contains high concentrations of ozone (O₃) relative to other parts of the atmosphere, although still very small relative to other gases in the stratosphere.

also called ozone shield 

UV radiation

greenhouse effect

[image]

process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions.

 warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be in the absence of its atmosphere

co2 and other gasses in the atmosphere trap heat

global warming

[image]

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere

generally attributed to the greenhouse effect

caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.