Sulfur oxides and nitrogen, emitted by burning fossil fuels, enter the atmosphere - where they combine with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid - and return to Earth's surface
Conversion of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides to acids that return to Earth as rain, sown , or fog.
Active Solar Energy Systems
Solar energy systems that collect energy through the use of physical devices like photovoltaic cells or flat-plate collectors
Concentration of trace substances, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and solid particulates, at a greater level than occurs in average air.
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
Amount of oxygen required by aquatic bacteria to decompose a given load of organic waste; a measure of water pollution.
A gas used as a solvent, a propellant in aerosols, a refrigerant, and in plastic foams and fire extinguishers
The sustainable use and management of a natural resource through consuming it at a less rapid rate than it can be replaced
Anticipated increase in Earth's temperature caused by carbon dioxide (emitted by burning fossil fuels) trapping some of the radiation emitted by the surface.
A gas that absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation found in the stratosphere, a zone between 15 and 50 km above Earth's surface
Passive solar energy systems
Solar energy systems that collect energy without the use of mechanical devices
An atmospheric condition formed through a combination of weather conditions and pollution, especially from motor vehicle emissions
Solar energy cells, usually made from silicon, that collect solar rays to generate electricity.
Maintenance of a resource in its present condition with as little human impact as possible.
Materials from a nuclear reaction that emit radiation; contact with such particles may be harmful or lethal to people; therefore, the Materials must be safely stored for thousands of years
A resource that has a theoretically unlimited supply and is not depleted when used by humans.
A substance in the environment that is useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access and is socially acceptable to use.
A place to deposit solid waste, where a layer of earth is bulldozed over garbage each day to reduce emissions of gases and odors from the decaying trash, to minimize fires, and to discourage vermin