PEOPLE AND EARTH'S ECOSYSTEM

3. Process where plants evaporate water, cooling the air (lost when deforestation occurs).
6. Purposeful straightening or redirecting of a river to control its flow.
8. Dark-colored aerosol (soot) that absorbs sunlight and contributes to warming.
9. Discharge of untreated waste that leads to oxygen depletion in water.
12. Narrow, steep-sided channels formed by surface runoff, causing significant soil erosion.
14. Measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects back to space.
16. Fine dirt and soil washed into rivers by farming and construction.
22. Release of harmful substances like CO and SO₂ into the atmosphere.
23. Human activity that removes soil or rock, often permanently altering the land.
25. Agricultural chemicals that wash into rivers, adding excess nutrients.
26. Tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere that can have warming or cooling effects.
27. Toxic elements like lead or mercury from industrial waste that contaminate water.
28. Cycle where vegetation loss leads to higher albedo and drier climate, causing more vegetation loss.
29. Rise in water temperature caused by factories or power plants releasing heated water.
30. Water stored in underground aquifers that is depleted by over-pumping.

1. Process where soil and debris fill rivers and lakes faster than normal due to land clearing.
2. Major human-induced driver of global temperature rise.
4. The process of cutting down forests, which raises land albedo and can reduce rainfall.
5. Rain that fails to soak due to paved surfaces is called ____.
7. Human activity where the land created by dumping materials, often used for urban expansion.
10. Dry streambeds in arid regions that fill and deepen during heavy rainfall.
11. Gradual sinking of the Earth's surface due to activities like groundwater pumping.
13. The sides of a river that can weaken and collapse when land is cleared.
15. Man-made raised structure (artificial hill) that alters natural drainage patterns.
17. Barriers built across rivers to control flow and create reservoirs.
18. Gas formed at ground level that traps heat and harms crops and health.
19. Pathogens from untreated sewage or animal waste contaminating water.
20. Rainwater that flows over the ground surface instead of soaking in.
21. Urbanization increased _____________ surfaces (roads and buildings), leading to higher run-off.
24. Precipitation with a pH less than 5.65 caused by sulfuric or nitric acids.