APES Semester 1 Key Terms

27 Terms

Water located on the Earth’s surface, with common types being rivers, lakes, and wetlands.  This type of water is a small part of the total amount of freshwater on the Earth, mostly being lakes and soil moisture.

Surface Water

Water held below the Earth’s surface in an aquifer.  This type of water helps the water cycle and is key for agriculture, industry, and domestic use.

Groundwater

Otherwise known as an artesian aquifer, a porous layer of either gravel, sand, or rock that bears water.  It is trapped between two layers of less permeable substrates (like clay) on the top and bottom.  This creates pressure on the water.

Confined Aquifer

A porous layer of either gravel, sand, or rock that bears water.  It lies on a less permeable substrate, but is not under pressure due to the lack of an impermeable upper layer to keep it confined.

Unconfined Aquifer

The largest aquifer in the world, located under the United States’ Great Plains and spanning eight states (South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas).  It has let America become a leading grain producer, but its longevity is threatened by unsustainable water withdrawals.

Ogallala Aquifer

The movement of water over the land surface which will eventually end up in a river, lake, or ocean.  This is typically a product of precipitation, and it is a vital step in the hydrological cycle due to it enabling the distribution of water between ecosystems. Carries nutrients, sediments, and pollutants which can impact water quality and how aquatic species are able to live.

Run-Off

The area of land where water drains into a river, otherwise called a drainage basin.  They are important because they help the management of water resources and in seeing the ecological impact on the quality of water.

Watershed

The largest dam project in the world, located on the Yangtze River in China.  It is 186 meters tall and 2.3 kilometers wide.  The dam was completed in 2008 and now serves as a method of flood control, assistance in ship navigation, and the generation of hydroelectric power equal to the amount of energy produced by dozens of nuclear or coal based power plants.

Three Gorges Dam

A method of using fresh water in which the water taken from an aquifer or body on top of the surface is not returned after.  An example of this is agricultural irrigation.

Consumptive Use of Water

A method of using fresh water in which the water taken from an aquifer or body on top of the surface is either not removed, or is done so for a set amount of time and is then brought back to the body of water.  An example of this is the use of water to generate energy in a hydroelectric dam.

Non-consumptive Use of Water

A method of shale gas or tight oil extraction which operates by injecting water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure into a rock formation located underground.  This fractures the rock to enable gases to flow to the top of the surface.

Fracking

The discharging of pollutants directly into water bodies or the air from a specific and identifiable location.  This makes the pollution easier to monitor and regulate.  An example of one of these spots is factories.

Point Source Water Pollution

Fossil fuel deposits made up of moist sands and clay.  They are made of 1-20% bitumen (thick, heavy crude oil that due to natural processes has been altered on a chemical level) and can be strip mined or extracted through well shafts.

Oil Sand

Nonrenewable natural resources such as natural gas, coal, or crude oil that are made from old organic matter being compressed and decomposed.  They take many years to form and have been the primary energy source for society for hundreds of years, powering most global energy consumption.

Fossil Fuel

The process of separating the molecules of the different hydrocarbons contained inside crude oil by their classes, which are determined by size.  These molecules are then turned into different fuels and petrochemical products.

Refining of Crude Oil

The highest grade of coal which has high carbon content and is very energy dense.  It is formed by the compression of old plant matter under high heat and pressure.  It is very efficient and clean compared to other types of coal, though it is also more expensive.

Anthracite Coal

The lowest rank of coal which has a low carbon content and is not very energy dense.  It is brown-black in color and has higher moisture, resulting in it being less efficient and clean.  It is cheaper as a result.

Lignite Coal

An intermediate rank of coal that has dense carbon structures with lots of energy.  It precedes anthracite in formation but is after peat and lignite, meaning it is in between these for cleanliness, efficiency, and cost as well.

Bituminous Coal

A method of coal extraction where explosives are used to destroy hundreds of vertical feet of mountains, alongside clear-cutting forests and removing topsoil.  This is very environmentally destructive and especially prevalent in the Appalachian Mountains, causing earthquakes, pollution, and landscape alteration.

Mountain Top Removal Mining

An organic material formed from the anaerobic breaking down of plant matter, happening near the surface.  It is the initial stage in coal formation and can decompose further with heat, pressure, and time.  It is not very clean, efficient or high in energy.

Peat

The use of technology or other such methods to take away the carbon dioxide from the emissions made by power plants and other such facilities.  The carbon dioxide is then stored, typically in liquid form, in an underground location under pressure in an area where it cannot escape.  This is a way to mitigate climate change.

Carbon Capture

The process of taking the extra heat that is generated in the production of electricity, capturing it, and then making it useful by applying it to heat workplaces and homes, or to make other power types.

Cogeneration

A group of wind turbines that operate by harnessing wind energy to create electricity as a result.  They can be developed onshore or offshore, though offshore sites are considered to be optimal since winds in these areas tend to be stronger and steadier, offering more reliable and efficient energy production.

Wind Farm

A device that is made to collect sunlight and turn it into electrical energy.  The cell is made of pairs of metal plates, and when one of a pair is struck by light, electrons are triggered to release, attracted by the electrostatic forces to the opposing plate.  This flow of electrons results in the creation of an electric current.  This technology is used in solar panels.

Photovoltaic Cell

Sometimes abbreviated as MSW, the non-liquid waste that homes, small businesses, or institutions create.  Common names for this waste include trash and garbage, though the term applies to things like food scraps, plastics, paper, and more.  It is a major topic of discussion in regards to waste management and considered an important issue.

Municipal Solid Waste

A mixture produced by the breaking down of organic matter (like food and crop waste) in a controlled environment by decomposers.  It is a key part of sustainable waste management and agriculture, as this process creates natural fertilizer that can enrich soil and helps avoid the use of landfills.

Compost

Liquid that comes from the dissolution of substance in waste due to being covered in water as rainwater percolates down.  This liquid can seep through a sanitary landfill and contaminate the soil below.

Leachate from Trash