Vocab

Question 1

Water table

Answer 1

The area at the top of the zone of saturation where water rises and falls according to the weather and human intervention.

Question 2

Reservoir

Answer 2

Artificial lake created when a river is dammed.

Question 3

Renewable resource

Answer 3

A resource that can be replenished rapidly (in hours to centuries) through natural processes as long as it is not used up faster than it is replaced. Examples include forests, grasslands, wildlife, fertile topsoil, clean air, and freshwater.

Question 4

Desalination

Answer 4

Process of removing salt from ocean water or brackish (slightly salty) water in aquifers or lakes.

Question 5

Decarbonization

Answer 5

Global transition away from fossil fuels.

Question 6

Nuclear fusion

Answer 6

Method of producing nuclear power in which the nuclei of two isotopes of a light element are forced together at extremely high temperatures until they fuse to form a heavier nucleus, which releases energy in the process.

Question 7

Nuclear fission

Answer 7

Method of producing nuclear power by splitting a large nucleus into two or more smaller nuclei. The release of neutrons results in a chain reaction that releases an enormous amount of energy.

Question 8

Nanotechnology

Answer 8

Use of science and engineering to manipulate and create materials out of atoms and molecules at the ultra-small scale of less than 100 nanometers.

Question 9

Nonrenewable resource

Answer 9

A resource that exists in a fixed amount and takes millions to billions of years to form, so it will be used more quickly than it can be replaced. Examples include copper, aluminum, coal, oil, salt, and sand.

Question 10

Rare earth metal

Answer 10

Mineral with superior or unique properties that make it extremely useful in technology products.

Question 11

Refining

Answer 11

A complex process of heating crude oil to separate it into various fuels and other components with different boiling points.

Question 12

Natural gas

Answer 12

Underground deposits of gases consisting of 50–90% methane and smaller amounts of heavier gaseous hydrocarbon compounds such as propane and butane.

Question 13

Strip mining

Answer 13

Any form of mining involving the extraction of mineral deposits that lie in large horizontal beds close to Earth’s surface.

Question 14

Surface mining

Answer 14

Extraction of a metal ore or fuel resource such as coal from a deep underground deposit through tunnels and shafts

Question 15

Smelting

Answer 15

Process in which a mineral ore is heated in order to separate a desired metal from the other elements in the ore.

Question 16

Wastewater

Answer 16

Water that contains sewage and other wastes from homes and industries.

Question 17

Gray water

Answer 17

Wastewater from showers, sinks, dishwashers, and washing machines that can be reused for some purposes such as watering lawns or washing cars.

Question 18

Coal

Answer 18

Fossil fuel formed from the remains of land plants that were buried and exposed to intense heat and pressure for 300 to 400 million years.

Question 19

Crude oil

Answer 19

Gooey liquid consisting of hydrocarbon compounds and other compounds, formed from the remains of ancient organisms over the course of millions of years. Extracted from underground deposits, crude oil is sent to oil refineries, where it is heated to separate it into various fuels and other components.

Question 20

Biofuel

Answer 20

Fuel, such as ethyl alcohol or biodiesel, made from plant material (biomass).

Question 21

Biomass

Answer 21

Organic matter produced by plants that can be burned in either solid or gaseous form to produce energy.

Question 22

Energy efficiency

Answer 22

Measure of how much useful work can be extracted from each unit of energy used

Question 23

Hydropower

Answer 23

Technology that uses the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water to produce electricity.

Question 24

Geothermal energy

Answer 24

Heat stored in soil, underground rocks, and fluids in the Earth’s mantle. It is used to heat and cool buildings and water and to produce electricity.

Question 25

Fossil fuel

Answer 25

a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Question 26

Mineral

Answer 26

Chemical element or inorganic compound that exists as a solid with a regularly repeating internal structure.

Question 27

Eutrophication

Answer 27

Process by which a body of water gains nutrients.

Question 28

Water pollution