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| The construction of buildings, roads, bridges, dams and other structures |
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| top layer of soil made up of dead leaves and grass |
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| mix of rock fragments, nutrients, water, air and decaying animal and plant matter. |
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| soil located beneath topsoil, made up of rock fragments, water and air, but has less animal and plant matter than the topsoil. |
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| the very bottom layer of rock which makes up the Earth's crust. |
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| the process by which water, wind, or ice moves particles of rocks or soil |
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| when soil becomes less fertile |
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| the advance of desert-like conditions into areas that previously were fertile |
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| a period when less rain than normal falls in an area |
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| the waste materials produced in homes, business, schools and other places in a community |
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| the burning of solid waste |
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| a polluted liquid that is formed when rainwater falls on a dump and dissolves chemicals from the solid wastes |
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| holds municipal solid waste, construction debris and some types of agricultural and industrial waste. |
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| the process of reclaiming raw materials and reusing them to create new products. |
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| any material that can be harmful to human health or the environment if it is not properly disposed of |
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| substances that cause pollution |
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| pollutants that are released into the air. |
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| a thick, brownish haze formed when certain gases in the air react with sunlight |
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| when a layer of warm air prevents the rising air from escaping, which traps the smog, making it more concentrated and dangerous |
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precipitation that is more acidic than normal because of air pollution. It can be in the form of snow, sleet, fog, or even rain.
Acid rain is caused by the emissions from power plants and factories that burn coal and oil. |
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| a colorless, odorless gas that is radioactive. It is formed naturally by certain types of rocks underground. |
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| a layer of the upper atmosphere about 30 kilometers above Earth's surface |
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| a theory that predicts that the increase in carbon dioxide levels will cause the average temperature to continue to rise. |
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| the trapping of heat near Earth's surface |
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| human made gases that contain chlorine and fluorine. |
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