Phy Earth Sci Polution P 6

Pesticides

Chemical applied to plants to kill insects and weeds

Deforestation

Removal of trees from a forested are without adequate replanting using clear-cutting, which can result in loss of topsoil and water pollution

Carrying Capacity

Number of organisms that a specific environment can support

Bioremediation

Use of organisms to clean up toxic waste

Exponential Growth

Pattern of growth in which a population of organisms grows faster as it increases in size, resulting in a population explosion

Reclamation

Process in which a mining company restores land used during mining operations to its original state

Point Sources

Water-polution source that generates pollution from a single point of origin, such as an industrial site

Nonpoint Sources

Water-pollution source that generates pollution from widely spread areas, such as runoff from roads

Acid Precipitation

Any Procipitation with a pH of less than 5.0 that forms with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine

Photochemical Smog

A type of air pollution, a yellow-brown hze formed mainly from automobile exhaust in the presence of sunlight