Do you know what acid rain is? Are you familiar with what coral bleaching means?

What leads to
smog? With environmental concerns increasing by the day, it’s time to turn our focus on these oft-used
terms. So here we go — our pick of the A to Z of ozone, global warming, climate change and eco-
conservation

Alternative energy sources

Eco-friendly sources such as hydroelectric power, solar power, wind power, biomass and tidal power used
for generating energy rather than the conventional and depleting energy sources such as coal, oil, gas
etc.

Acid rain

Due to the atmospheric pollution, rain, as it pours down, becomes acidic and can cause harm mainly to
forests and lakes.

Aerosol

Have you seen the spray particles that come out of your deodorant or medicine cans? These are called
aerosols — gaseous molecules of fine solid or liquid particles.

Afforestation

Creating a forest by raising trees in a specific region that’s barren or without any previous tree cover.

Algal bloom

A rapid increase of algae in water systems is called algal bloom. The cause of algal blooms could be
temperature change, drastic disturbances in the ecosystem, etc. This phenomenon leads to the cut off of
oxygen to the marine animals, thus endangering them.

Anthropocene

Geologists and environmentalists have proposed to name this epoch starting from the advent of the
industrial revolution as ‘Anthropocene’. It is a period marked by significant human impact on the
earth’s geology and ecosystems, including, anthropogenic climate change.

Black carbon aerosol

When fossil fuels or bio fuels are burned incompletely, they emit black carbon aerosols, which contain
carcinogens, a particle that causes cancer.

Biodegradable

Anything that can be decomposed by living organisms such as bacteria, thereby avoiding pollution.

Carbon dioxide
It is a natural gas that occurs in the Earth’s atmosphere, sometimes naturally and otherwise due to
the burning of fossil fuels.

Carbon Sequestration

The term refers to the act of putting into long-term storage the carbon that has immediate potential to
become CO2, a greenhouse gas.

Chlorofluorocarbon

Also known as CFC, is an organic compound consisting of carbon, fluorine and chlorine. It was a main
ingredient in refrigerators and aerosols applicants such as deodorants. CFC was phased out due to its
harmful effect on the ozone and has been replaced with hydrofluorocarbons containing fluorine and
hydrogen.

Climate change

Changes that affect the global climate. It is determined by measuring the average temperature,
rainfall, etc. This could be caused by natural processes as well as human activity.

Conservation

Protecting or preserving living creatures such as plants and animals and also resources such as water
through conscious efforts.

Coral bleaching

Due to the waters getting too warm, the corals expel algae living in them. This process is called
bleaching and is a stress response by the corals. Bleaching leaves corals more vulnerable and subject to
mortality.

Deforestation

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees and transforming forests into cleared land. Due to this,
nothing will absorb the carbon dioxide and monoxide, which will rise up to the ozone layer and cause its
depletion.

Die-off

You may have come across this term often in the context of coral bleaching events. A severe decline in a
population of organisms over a period of time is called a die-off.

Ecosystem

The earth’s ecosystem consists of its biological community — plants, animals and human beings. Ozone
layer acts as a giant shade to the ecosystem, thus helping us all survive.

Effluent
Liquid waste such as sewage and chemical from industries usually discharged into waterbodies such as
seas and rivers.

Fossil fuels

When burnt, fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas emit large amounts of carbon dioxide. This
carbon dioxide reaches the ozone layer, reacts with it and destroys its molecules, leaving it extremely
vulnerable.

Global warming

Man-made greenhouse gases have caused the temperature on Earth to increase at an alarming rate.
This phenomenon is called global warming.

Greenhouse effect

This is the phenomenon by which the Sun’s heat is trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere, thus helping the
planet to sustain life. It is possible due to the greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and
chlorofluorocarbons present in the atmosphere, which emit and absorb radiation.

Habitat fragmentation

A process during which larger areas of habitat are broken into a number of smaller patches of area.
These areas are isolated from each other by a matrix of habitats unlike the original habitat

Hydrocarbons

These compounds contain hydrogen and carbons and are found in abundance in fossil fuels. They are
extremely harmful to the environment when burnt.

Infrared radiation

It is an electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun. This is responsible for the heat we feel from the
sun.

Lithosphere

Our planet consists of atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. It is the rigid outer part of the Earth
filled with crust and upper mantle.

Methane

Methane is a hydrocarbon consisting of carbon and hydrogen. It is an important greenhouse gas. Some
studies claim that it is also affecting the ozone layer.

Nitrous oxide

It is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas found mainly by bacteria breaking down nitrogen in soils
and oceans.
Ozone precursors

Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other compounds react in the presence of sunlight to form ozone.
These are commonly called ozone precursors.

Particulate matter

Particulate matter refers to all solid and liquid particles that are suspended in air. Many of them are
hazardous. This complex mixture includes both organic and inorganic particles, such as dust, pollen,
soot, smoke, and liquid droplets.

Petroleum

The dark oil which contains vast amounts of hydrocarbons, thus making it extremely harmful to the
ozone layer.

pH level

It is indicative of how acidic or not water is. The pH level can be an indicatior of pollution in water.

Renewable energy

Resources such as biomass, hydro and thermal are called renewable energy sources. They replenish
themselves and do not pollute the atmosphere, thus keeping the ozone from harm.

Stratosphere

The earth’s atmosphere is divided into troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.
The ozone layer is a region in the stratosphere.

Smog

A combination of smoke and fog, it generally means air that has restricted visibility due to the
pollution the air.

Trace gas

Atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, oxygen and some trace gases. The less common gases such as carbon
dioxide, water vapour, methane and ammonia are called trace gases.

Ultraviolet radiation

It is an electromagnetic radiation found in the Sun and a large part of it is absorbed by the ozone
layer. It is harmful and could cause cancer.

Zero waste

Zero waste is a philosophy that propagates that no trash is sent to landfills. It recommends the reuse of
resources. It, infact, goes beyond recycling by taking a 'whole system' approach to the vast flow of
resources and waste through human society. Zero Waste maximizes recycling, minimizes waste,
reduces consumption and ensures that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into
Nature.

Zinc oxide

Worried that the sun might harm your skin? Look for a sunscreen that has zinc oxide as it is the most
effective sun screen as it is said to reflect and scatter the sun’s rays.