Natural Resources

6. about 71% of Earth's surface is covered with this
7. surface layer of soil rich in organic material and nutrients
8. process by which productive land becomes desert through loss of topsoil
10. property that allows water to store a large amount of thermal energy without a large change in temperature
11. process of removing salt from saltwater to make freshwater
14. country that consumes 30% of Earth's mineral and energy resources each year
15. grass that grows quickly and can be used for food, shelter, fuel, and clothes
16. created when a dam is constructed; storage of water
19. natural resource that can be mined for a profit
20. form between water molecules
21. material left after an ore is extracted; can be toxic

1. substance that enters Earth's geochemical cycles and can harm the well-being of living things
2. process by which plants and algae use carbon dioxide to create oxygen for our atmosphere
3. replacement of renewable resources at the same rate they are consumed
4. used for irrigation of crops
5. resource that exists in Earth's crust in a fixed amount
9. resource that can be replaced by nature in a short amount of time
12. key element in sugars, proteins and compounds that make up living things
13. a way of transporting water from one area to another
17. organisms return this back to the environment when they excrete wastes or die
18. renewable resource that will be available for the next 5 billion years