Download Environmental Science Terms: Aquifers, Climate, Coal, Desalination, Eutrophication, Floodp and more Study notes Geology in PDF only on Docsity! aquifer – porous, water-saturated layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock that can yield an economically significant amount of water chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) – organic compounds made up of atoms of carbon, cholorine, and fluorine. An example is Freon-12, used as a refrigerant in refrigerators and air conditioners and in making plastics such as Styrofoam. Gaseous CFCs can deplete the ozone layer when they slowly rise into the stratosphere and their chlorine atoms react with ozone molecules. Use of these molecules is being phased out. climate – physical properties of the troposphere of an area based on analysis of its weather records over a long period (at least 30 years). The two main factors determining an area’s climate are temperature, with its seasonal variations, and the amount and distribution of precipitation. coal – solid, combustible mixture of organic compounds with 30-98% carbon by weight, mixed with various amounts of water and small amounts of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. It forms in several stages as the remains of plants are subjected to heat and pressure over millions of years. desalination – purification of salt water or brackish water by removal of dissolved salts. eutrophication –physical, chemical, and biological changes that take place after a lake, estuary, or slow-flowing stream receives inputs of plant nutrients – mostly nitrates and phosphates- from natural erosion and runoff from the surrounding land basin. floodplain – flat valley floor next to a stream channel. For legal purposes the term often is applied to any low area that has the potential for flooding, including certain coastal areas. global cooling - global warming – warming of the earth’s atmosphere as a result of increases in the concentrations of one or more greenhouse gases primarily as a result of human activities. greenhouse effect – natural effect that releases heat in the atmosphere (troposphere) near the earth’s surface. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and several other gases in the lower atmosphere absorb some of the infrared radiation (heat) radiated by the earth’s surface. This causes their molecules to vibrate and transform the absorbed energy into longer-wave-length infrared radiation in the troposphere. If the atmospheric concentrations of these greenhouse gases rise and they are not removed by other natural processes, the average temperature of the lower atmosphere will increase gradually. greenhouse gases – Gases in the earth’s lower atmosphere that cause the greenhouse effect. Examples are carbon dioxide, choloroflourocarbons, ozone, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide ground water – water that sinks into the soil and is stroed in slowly flowing and slowly renewed underground reservoirs called aquifers; underground water in the zone of saturation, below the water table. hydrogen – infiltration – downward movement of water through soil. oil reserves – resources that have been identified and from which a usable mineral can be extracted profitably at present prices with current mining technology. oil shale – petrochemicals – chemicals obtained by refining crude oil. They are used as raw materials in manufacturing most industrial chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, plastics, synthetic fibers, paints, medicines, and many other products petroleum – (crude oil) natural gas – underground deposits of gases consisting of 50-90% by weight methane gas and small amounts of heavier gaseous hydrocarbon compounds such as propane and butane. net energy – total amount of useful energy available from an energy resource or energy system over its lifetime, minus the amount of energy used, automatically wasted, and unnecessarily wasted in finding, processing, concentrating, and transporting It to others. net energy ratio - recharge – any area of land allowing water to pass through it and into an aquifer. runoff – fresh water from precipitation and melting ice that flows on the earth’s surface into nearby streams, lakes, wetlands, and reservoirs. Stratosphere – second later of the atmosphere, extending amount 11-30 miles above the earth’s surface. sustainable energy strategy –