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| 62964579 | Ionizing radiation | enough energy to dislodge electrons from atoms, forming ions; capable of causing cancer (gamma, X-rays, UV) | |
| 62964580 | High Quality Energy | organized & concentrated; can perform useful work (fossil fuel & nuclear) | |
| 62964581 | Low Quality Energy | disorganized, dispersed (heat in ocean or air wind, solar) | |
| 62964582 | First Law of Thermodynamics | energy is neither created nor destroyed, but may be converted from one form to another (Law of Conservation of Energy) | |
| 62964583 | Second Law of Thermodynamics | when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy, usually heat | |
| 62964584 | Natural radioactive decay | unstable radioisotopes decay releasing gamma rays, alpha particles, and beta particles | |
| 62964585 | Half-life | the time it takes for 1/2 the mass of a radioisotope to decay | |
| 62964586 | Estimate of how long a radioactive isotope must be stored until it decays to a safe level | approximately 10 half-lives | |
| 62964587 | Nuclear Fission | nuclei of isotopes split apart when struck by neutrons | |
| 62964588 | Nuclear Fusion | two isotopes of light elements (H) forced together at high temperatures till they fuse to form a heavier nucleus (He). Process is expensive; break-even point not reached yet | |
| 62964589 | Ore | a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine | |
| 62964590 | Organic fertilizer | slow-acting & long-lasting because the organic remains need time to be decomposed | |
| 62964591 | Best solutions to energy shortage | conservation, increase efficiency, explore alternative energy options | |
| 62964592 | Surface mining | cheaper and can remove more minerals; less hazardous to workers | |
| 62964593 | Humus | organic, dark material remaining after decomposition by microorganisms | |
| 62964594 | Leaching | removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downwards | |
| 62964595 | Illuviation | deposit of leached material in lower soil layers (B horizon) | |
| 62964596 | Loam | perfect agricultural soil with optimal portions of sand, silt, clay (40%, 40%, 20%) | |
| 62964597 | Conservation | allowing the use of resources in a responsible manner | |
| 62964598 | Preservation | setting aside areas and protecting them from human activities | |
| 62964599 | Parts of the hydrologic cycle | evaporation, transpiration, runoff, condensation, precipitation, infiltration | |
| 62964600 | Aquifer | any water-bearing layer in the ground | |
| 62964601 | Cone of depression | lowering of the water table around a pumping well | |
| 62964602 | Salt water intrusion | near the coast, over-pumping of groundwater causes saltwater to move into the aquifer | |
| 62964603 | ENSO | El Ñino Southern Oscillation, see-sawing of air pressure over the S. Pacific | |
| 62964604 | During an El Nino year | trade winds weaken & warm water sloshed back to SA | |
| 62964605 | During a non El Nino year | easterly trade winds and ocean currents pool warm water in the western Pacific, allowing upwelling of nutrient rich water off the west coast of South America | |
| 62964606 | Effects of El Ñino | upwelling decreases disrupting food chains; N U.S. has mild winters, SW U.S. has increased rainfall, less Atlantic hurricanes | |
| 62964607 | Nitrogen fixing | because atmospheric N2 cannot be used directly by plants it must first be converted into ammonia (NH3) by bacteria (rhizobium) | |
| 62964608 | Ammonification | decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia | |
| 62964609 | Nitrification | ammonia (NH3) is converted to nitrate ions (NO3)- | |
| 62964610 | Assimilation | inorganic nitrogen is converted into organic molecules such as DNA/amino acids & proteins | |
| 62964611 | Denitrification | bacteria convert nitrate (NO3)- and nitrite (NO2)- back into N2 gas | |
| 62964612 | Phosphorus does not circulate as easily as nitrogen because | it does not exist as a gas, but is released by weathering of phosphate (PO4)3- rocks | |
| 62964613 | Sustainability | the ability to meet the current needs of humanity without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs | |
| 62964614 | How excess phosphorus is added to aquatic ecosystems | runoff of animal wastes, fertilizer, discharge of sewage | |
| 62964615 | Photosynthesis | plants convert atmospheric carbon (CO2) into complex carbohydrates (glucose C6H12O6) | |
| 62964616 | Aerobic respiration | O2-consuming producers, consumers & decomposers break down complex organic compounds & convert C back into CO2 | |
| 62964617 | Largest reservoirs of C | carbonate (CO3)2- rocks first, oceans second | |
| 62964618 | Biotic and abiotic | living and nonliving components of an ecosystem | |
| 62964619 | Producer/Autotroph | photosynthetic or chemosynthetic life | |
| 62964620 | Fecal coliform/Enterococcus bacteria | indicator of sewage contamination | |
| 62964621 | Energy flow in food webs | only 10% of the usable energy is transferred because usable energy lost as heat (second law); not all biomass is digested and absorbed; predators expend energy to catch prey | |
| 62964622 | Chlorine | good=disinfection of water; bad=forms trihalomethanes | |
| 62964623 | Primary succession | development of communities in a lifeless area not previously inhabited by life or those in which the soil profile is totally destroyed (lava flows); beings with lichen action | |
| 62964624 | Secondary succession | life progresses where soil remains (clear-cut forest, fire) | |
| 62964625 | Cogeneration | using waste heat to make electricity | |
| 62964626 | Mutualism | symbiotic relationship where both partners benefit | |
| 62964627 | Commensalism | symbiotic relationship where one partner benefits & the other is unaffected | |
| 62964628 | Parasitism | relationship in which one partner obtains nutrients at the expense of the host | |
| 62964629 | Biome | large distinct terrestrial region having similar climate, soil, plants & animals | |
| 62964630 | Carrying capacity | the number of individuals that can be sustained in an area | |
| 62964631 | R strategist | reproduce early in life; many small unprotected offspring | |
| 62964632 | K strategist | reproduce late in life; few offspring; care for offspring | |
| 62964633 | Positive feedback | when a change in some condition triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition (warmer Earth - snow melts - less sunlight is reflected & more is absorbed, therefore warmer earth) | |
| 62964634 | Negative feedback | when a changing in some condition triggers a response that counteracts the changed condition (warmer earth - more ocean evaporation - more stratus clouds - less sunlight reaches the ground - therefore cooler Earth) | |
| 62964635 | Malthus | said human population cannot continue to increase exponentially; consequences will be war, famine & disease | |
| 62964636 | Doubling time | rule of 70; 70 divided by the percent growth rate | |
| 62964637 | Replacement level fertility | the number of children a couple must have to replace themselves (2.1 in developed countries) | |
| 62964638 | World Population | 6.7 billion | |
| 62964639 | U.S. Population | 305 million | |
| 62964640 | Preindustrial stage | (demographic transition) birth & death rates high, population grows slowly, infant mortality high | |
| 62964641 | Transitional stage | (demographic transition) death rate lower, better health care, population grows fast | |
| 62964642 | Industrial stage | (demographic transition) decline in birth rate, population growth slows | |
| 62964643 | Postindustrial stage | (demographic transition) low birth & death rates | |
| 62964644 | Age structure diagrams | broad base=rapid growth; narrow base=negative growth; uniform shape=zero growth | |
| 62964645 | First, second and third most population countries | China, India, U.S. | |
| 62964646 | Most important thing affecting population growth | low status of women | |
| 62964647 | ways to decrease birth rate | family planning, contraception, economic rewards and penalties | |
| 62964648 | Percent water on earth by type | 97.5% seawater, 2.5% freshwater | |
| 62964649 | Salinization of soil | in arid regions, water evaporates leaving salts behind | |
| 62964650 | Ways to conserve water | agriculture=drip/trickle irrigation; industry=recycling; home=use gray water, repair leaks, low flow fixtures | |
| 62964651 | Point vs. non point sources | Point, from specific location such as a pipe. Non-point, from over an area such as runoff | |
| 62964652 | BOD | biological oxygen demand, amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic materials | |
| 62964653 | Eutrophication | rapid algal growth caused by an excess of nitrates (NO3)- and phosphates (PO4)3- in water |
