Glossary 309
runoff the portion of precipitation that drains off the surface rather than soaking into the
ground.
shale fine-grained sedimentary rock that may contain rich deposits of petroleum or gas.
smog a heavy, dark fog that is the result of sunlight causing nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere
to react photochemically with hydrocarbons and methane produced by vehicle, power plant,
and factory emissions and fumes from volatile solvents.
slow food movement movement begun in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini to preserve traditional
and regional cuisine and promote locally grown and prepared foods.
strip mining mining in which power shovels, bulldozers, and other large machinery is used to
remove huge chunks of the surface land.
surface water bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, ponds and oceans, that are on the surface of
the earth, as opposed to groundwater, which lies below the surface.
sustainable development economic development, ranging from farming to industrial activity,
that encourages the conservation, maintenance, and renewal of natural resources.
synfuel (synthetic fuel) a gaseous or liquid fuel that is synthesized from a fossil fuel that is solid
(such as coal) or part of a solid (such as oil shale or tar sands) or from the fermentation of
sugar or grain.
tar sands naturally occurring combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen (viscous oil) that
can be mined. Also known as oil sands.
watershed region where numerous underground springs, small streams, and other small water
courses deliver water to major rivers or large bodies of water, such as lakes and reservoirs.
wetlands swamps, marshes, bogs, tidal flats, permafrost, and other areas characterized by fluc-
tuating levels of water and an abundance of plants such as spartina that require a great
deal of water.
wilderness an area that, together with the living things on it, has been fundamentally undis-
turbed by human activity.
wildlife nonhuman living things that have not been domesticated.