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Questions and Answers
What is the term used to describe the process by which fertile land becomes desert?
What is the term used to describe the process by which fertile land becomes desert?
Which term refers to materials or substances that exist in the environment and are essential or useful to humans?
Which term refers to materials or substances that exist in the environment and are essential or useful to humans?
Which category of natural resources involves the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of natural environments?
Which category of natural resources involves the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of natural environments?
What type of resources can be replenished or replaced relatively quickly by natural processes?
What type of resources can be replenished or replaced relatively quickly by natural processes?
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What type of pollution involves the contamination of water bodies by harmful substances?
What type of pollution involves the contamination of water bodies by harmful substances?
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What do we call the variety and variability of life forms on Earth?
What do we call the variety and variability of life forms on Earth?
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Which term describes hydrocarbons formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals?
Which term describes hydrocarbons formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals?
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Which term refers to a community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment?
Which term refers to a community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment?
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What is the main purpose of land use planning?
What is the main purpose of land use planning?
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What is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place known as?
What is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place known as?
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Which term refers to the capture and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide to address global warming?
Which term refers to the capture and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide to address global warming?
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Which term describes the increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere?
Which term describes the increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere?
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Study Notes
Natural Resources
- Natural resources are materials or substances that exist in the environment and are essential or useful to humans.
- They can be classified into two categories: renewable and non-renewable resources.
Types of Natural Resources
- Renewable Resources: Resources that can be replenished or replaced relatively quickly by natural processes.
- Non-renewable Resources: Resources that are finite in quantity and cannot be replaced within a human lifespan.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem
- Biodiversity: The variety and variability of life forms on Earth.
- Ecosystem: A community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.
Environmental Sustainability
- Healthy Environment: Environmental sustainability that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Clean Air: Air that is free from harmful levels of pollutants.
- Clean Water: Water that is safe for drinking and other purposes, free from pollutants and contaminants.
Environmental Change
- Climate Change: Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.
- Global Warming: The increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere.
- Deforestation: The clearing or removal of forests or trees, often for agricultural or urban development purposes.
- Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.
Managing Natural Resources
- Conservation: The protection, preservation, management, or restoration of natural environments and the ecological communities that inhabit them.
- Sustainable Resource Management: Using resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Resource Depletion: The exhaustion or overuse of a natural resource, resulting in its decline or disappearance.
- Land Use Planning: The systematic assessment of land and water potential, alternatives for land use, and the economic and social conditions that influence land utilization.
Petrochemicals and Fossil Fuels
- Petrochemicals: Chemicals derived from petroleum or natural gas, used to make a variety of products including plastics, rubber, and pharmaceuticals.
- Fossil Fuels: Hydrocarbons, primarily coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals, used as energy sources.
- Carbon Emissions: The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, primarily from burning fossil fuels.
Pollution
- Air Pollution: The presence of harmful or excessive quantities of substances in the air, such as gases, particulates, and biological molecules, that can harm human health and the environment.
- Water Pollution: Contamination of water bodies (e.g., lakes, rivers, oceans, groundwater) by harmful substances, making it unsuitable for its intended use.
- Land Pollution: The degradation of Earth's land surfaces, often caused by human activities and their misuse of land resources.
Carbon Cycle and Carbon Sequestration
- Carbon Cycle: The series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms.
- Carbon Sink: A natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as forests, oceans, or soil.
- Carbon Sequestration: The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate global warming and climate change.
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Description
Learn important definitions related to how humans impact the natural world, including terms like natural resources, renewable resources, non-renewable resources, and biodiversity.
