| BC Env. Sus. Resources | Learn More | What You Can Do | Pathfinders |
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U/CL Pathfinders are basic guides written to give the user step-by-step starting points for using various resources of the University/College Library. They were created by the U/C librarians to help with research papers. Pathfinders offer tips how to research and help you better understand your topic. The following is a list of green-related topics. |
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Acid Rain
Acid rain is a term for rain, snow, sleet, or other wet precipitation that is polluted by such acids as sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Acid rain harms thousands of lakes, rivers, and streams worldwide, killing fishes and aquatic life. |
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Beach Erosion
Carrying away of beach materials by wave action, tidal currents, littoral currents or wind. |
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Coral Reefs
A reef composed mainly of coral and other organic matter of which parts have solidified into limestone; hard, variously colored calcareous skeleton secreted by certain marine polyps, such skeletons collectively form reefs, island, etc.” |
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El Nino
A current of warm water flowing southward along the coast of Ecuador, which, about every seven to ten years, extends to the coast of Peru, where it causes fish and plankton to die and sea birds to migrate to find food. |
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Environmental Carcinogens
A carcinogen is an agent that can cause cancer. |
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Everglades
A swampy and partly forested region of South Florida, mostly south of Lake Okeechobee that covers over 5,000 square miles in area. |
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Fuel Cells
Fuel Cells produce energy through electrochemical reactions rather than through the process of combustion. They convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat. |
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Genetically Modified Food
"Bioengineered Foods:" A process in which a gene or group of genes is extracted from the DNA of one plant or animal and spliced into that of another, generally to improve the appearance, texture and flavor of shipped- and shelf stable foods or to develop insect- and disease- resistant strains: also known as genetically engineered foods. |
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Global Warming
Global Warming is a warming near the earth's surface that results when the earth's atmosphere traps the sun's heat. |
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Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse effect is a warming near the earth's surface that results when the earth's atmosphere traps the sun's heat. |
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Hurricanes
A hurricane is a cyclone of tropical origin with wind speeds of at least 74 miles per hour. |
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Nuclear Waste
Unwanted radioactive materials produced from nuclear reactors and reprocessing plants. Radioactive wastes come in two forms, low level waste and high level waste. Low level waste is any material contaminated by radiation and emitting low levels of radiation. |
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Offshore Drilling
Technique used in the search for petroleum in deposits of the continental shelves. The drilling is conducted from large, fixed platforms of special design that can withstand all but the most violent of storms. Areas of offshore drilling in the 1970s included the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Persian Gulf, and shelf areas off West Africa and Indonesia. |
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Overpopulation
Filled with an excessive number of people, straining available resources and facilities. |
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Ozone
Depletion of the ozone layer has become one of the most pressing environmental concerns of these times. Since ozone absorbs the sun’s ultraviolet light, the ozone layer is a vital protective shield for life on earth. |
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Pollution
Any discharge of material or energy into water, land, or air that causes or may cause short-term or long-term detriment to the earth's ecological balance or that lowers the quality of life. |
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Prescribed Burning
Deliberate controlled setting of surface fires in forests or grasslands to remove dry dead vegetation and prevent more destructive fires, or to kill off unwanted species that compete for nutrients with commercial species. |
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Rain Forest
A forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth and plentiful rainfall. Almost all such forests lie near the equator. They occupy large regions in Africa, Asia, and Central and South American, and on the Pacific islands. The largest tropical rain forest is the Amazon rain forest. |
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Recycling
Recycling is a process designed to recover and reuse materials instead of throwing them away. Commonly recycled wastes include aluminum, steel can, glass containers, plastic and paper. |
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Sick Building Syndrome
An illness caused by exposure to pollutants or germs inside an airtight building. |
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Skin Cancer
Skin cancers, or melanoma, are "the most common malignancies, are usually curable; most arise in sun-exposed areas of skin. The incidence is highest in outdoor workers, sportsmen, and sunbathers and is related to the amount of melanin skin pigmentation; light-skinned persons are most susceptible. |
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Sport Utility Vehicles
Basically a hybrid of a pickup truck and a station wagon. Typically uses a trucklike frame and suspension and wagonlike extended body to combine comfort and good off-road performance with heavy-duty carrying and towing capabilities. |
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Urban Sprawl
The process by which an urban area grows from the central city, expanding the limits of the city itself and creating suburbs around the city. |
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Water
Water is the most common substance on earth. It covers more than 70 percent of the earth's surface. |
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World Hunger
By the middle of the 1990s “it is estimated that nearly 800 million people in the world suffered from chronic hunger. That number represented nearly one in every seven people on the earth . |
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| DISCLAIMER: Due to the unregulated nature of the Internet, the University/College Library cannot monitor the sites to which it links, nor any subsequent links, and cannot accept responsibility for the content or availability of those sites. | ||||