Essential Vocabulary for Environmental Awareness

Key Environmental Terms and Definitions

Activist: A person who takes action to make political change.

Become extinct: To no longer exist (plants and animals).

Biodegradable: Able to break down naturally.

Carbon dioxide levels: The amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

Carbon footprint: The amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person or company’s activity.

Climate change: Changes in the planet’s weather, particularly causing it to get warmer.

Congested roads: Roads which are blocked with

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Matter Organization, Properties, and Material Science

Matter Organization and Properties

The Periodic Table

The periodic table is a summary of accumulated knowledge about the elements. Dimitri Mendeleev created it in 1869, sorting all known elements and leaving space for those yet to be discovered.

Complexity of Structure

  • Chemical Elements: Matter is composed of chemical elements. In 2008, 116 elements were known, with 90 occurring naturally.
  • Chemical Compounds: A chemical compound is a substance that can be separated into its components by physical processes.
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Climate Zones of Spain and Catalonia: A Detailed Analysis

Climate Zones of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands

The Mediterranean air mass significantly influences the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, softening as it progresses westward. Atlantic air masses also have an impact, albeit to a lesser extent. The interaction between Mediterranean and Atlantic air masses results in very mild temperatures during both winter and summer months.

Climate Classification

The Köppen climate classification, based on the climatic elements most influential

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Key Terms in Geography and Agriculture

Atmospheric Phenomena

  • Anticyclone: Center of high atmospheric pressure, associated with stable weather.
  • Aridity: Lack of moisture; excessive dryness.
  • Barlovento: Area exposed to the wind direction (windward).
  • Borrasca: Depression generating intense winds, cloudiness, and precipitation.
  • Coastal Breeze: Light, local wind generated by thermal differences between land and sea.
  • Isobar: Imaginary line on a map connecting points with the same atmospheric pressure.
  • Isotherm: Imaginary line on a map connecting
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Understanding Building Material Corrosion & Moisture Damage

Corrosion and Moisture Issues in Building Materials

Localized Corrosion (Pitting)

Pitting: A form of localized corrosion characterized by small cavities on a material’s surface. Pits vary in number, shape, and size. They can significantly contribute to component failures under high stress, and can lead to stress corrosion cracking. Pitting occurs in various alloys and metals, including stainless steels and aluminum alloys.

Stress Corrosion Cracking

Corrosion and Stress Cracking: A failure mode where

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Chemical and Biological Evolution: From Molecules to Biodiversity

Chemical Evolution

Refers to the processes that created the molecules that make up living things (biomolecules), and then formed structures called protocells, which exhibited a certain organization and were separated from the environment by membranes:

  • Biomolecules were created.
  • More and more complex biomolecules were created.
  • Protocells were formed.

Biological Evolution

Processes that led protocells to become different types of cells, and resulted in all the different organisms ever to have inhabited

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