Human Impacts on Earth Systems - Introductory

If you're interested in environmental science, review these words associated with human impacts on Earth systems. Learn about Earth's four spheres — atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere — and the human activities that can affect them, including deforestation, industrialization, pollution, and more.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acid rain
    precipitation with toxic gas emissions combined with water
  2. agriculture
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  3. air pollution
    pollution of the atmosphere
  4. aquifer
    underground layer of rock or sand that yields groundwater
  5. atmosphere
    the mass of air surrounding the Earth
  6. biodiversity
    the variety of plant and animal life in a habitat
  7. biosphere
    the regions of the Earth where living organisms exist
  8. civilization
    a society in an advanced state of social development
  9. conservation
    careful management of the environment and natural resources
  10. consumption
    the act of using something up
  11. dam
    a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water
  12. deforestation
    the removal of trees
  13. desertification
    a gradual transformation into arid, uninhabitable land
  14. destabilize
    make unsturdy, insecure, or less able to function smoothly
  15. energy
    any source of usable power
  16. environment
    the area in which something exists or lives
  17. erosion
    the process of wearing or grinding something down
  18. extinction
    the state of being no longer in existence
  19. extraction
    taking out something
  20. fossil fuel
    energy-producing substance derived from preserved organisms
  21. fresh water
    water that is not salty
  22. geosphere
    the solid part of the Earth
  23. greenhouse effect
    warming due to solar radiation trapped by the atmosphere
  24. greenhouse gas
    a substance in the air that warms a planet by trapping heat
  25. habitat
    the type of environment in which an organism normally lives
  26. hydrosphere
    the watery layer of the earth's surface
  27. impact
    a forceful consequence; a strong effect
  28. industrialization
    the development of commercial enterprise
  29. industry
    the action of making of goods and services for sale
  30. irrigation
    the act of supplying dry land with water by artificial means
  31. levee
    an embankment built to prevent a river from overflowing
  32. migration
    the movement of persons from one locality to another
  33. mineral
    a solid inorganic substance occurring in nature
  34. natural resource
    material in the environment that can be used by people
  35. renewable
    capable of being replaced
  36. organism
    a living thing that can act or function independently
  37. ozone
    a colorless gas that is a screen for ultraviolet radiation
  38. pesticide
    a chemical used to kill destructive insects or animals
  39. pollutant
    waste matter that contaminates the water, air, or soil
  40. pollution
    contamination of the natural environment
  41. potable
    suitable for drinking
  42. reclamation
    the conversion of wasteland into land suitable for use
  43. reforestation
    the restoration (replanting) of a forest that had been reduced by fire or cutting
  44. reservoir
    lake used to store water for community use
  45. resource
    a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed
  46. runoff
    the occurrence of surplus liquid exceeding capacity
  47. sea level
    level of the ocean's surface
  48. smog
    air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  49. stabilize
    keep from fluctuating or put into an equilibrium
  50. sustainability
    the capacity of being prolonged
  51. system
    a group of independent elements comprising a unified whole
  52. technology
    the practical application of science to commerce or industry
  53. urbanization
    the social process whereby cities grow
  54. water pollution
    pollution of the water in rivers and lakes
  55. water table
    underground surface below which the ground is fully saturated with moisture
  56. wetland
    an ecosystem, like a bog or swamp, saturated with water
Created on Fri Feb 17 19:34:17 EST 2017 (updated Wed Apr 12 13:52:11 EDT 2017)

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