Environmental chemistry

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Across
  1. 3. A harmful substance that contaminates the environment, typically as a result of human activity, and disrupts natural processes or poses health risks to living organisms.
  2. 4. The amount of oxygen gas dissolved in water, essential for aquatic life; low DO levels indicate water pollution or eutrophication (two words).
  3. 7. "Fat-loving"; describes substances that dissolve easily in fats and oils, which often leads to accumulation in fatty tissues of organisms.
  4. 8. "Water-fearing"; describes substances that do not dissolve in or mix with water, such as oils and many organic pollutants.
  5. 9. The process by which water carries dissolved substances (including pollutants) downward through soil layers, potentially contaminating groundwater.
  6. 11. The process by which water bodies become enriched with nutrients (especially nitrogen and phosphorus), leading to excessive algae growth, oxygen depletion, and ecosystem disruption.
  7. 12. A disease-causing microorganism such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites that can contaminate water supplies and cause illness in humans and animals.
  8. 13. Chemical reactions involving the transfer of electrons that can change the form and mobility of pollutants in soil and water (two words).
  9. 15. Dense metallic elements (such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic) that are toxic to living organisms even at low concentrations and tend to accumulate in biological tissues (two words).
  10. 16. The accumulation of salts in soil, often from irrigation or road salt, which can damage plant growth and soil structure.
Down
  1. 1. The land area that drains water, sediment, and dissolved materials to a common water body, connecting terrestrial and aquatic pollution sources.
  2. 2. The process by which pollutants or nutrients stick to the surface of soil particles through chemical or physical attraction.
  3. 5. The increase in pollutant concentration as it moves up through food
  4. 6. The natural breakdown of pollutants by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi into simpler, less harmful substances.
  5. 10. The gradual buildup of pollutants in an individual organism over time, occurring when the rate of intake exceeds the rate of elimination.
  6. 14. A measure of how acidic or basic a solution is, on a scale from 0-14, where 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic, and above 7 is basic.