9781422282922

9

Science and Energy

SCIENCE AND Environment and Sustainability

1

T he simplest place to look for environmental science at work is right under your feet: the soil itself, a mixture of decaying matter, air, water, nutrients, and living organisms. Soil is the out- ermost layer of the Earth and a crucial element of our survival. Without it, plants that provide food and give us oxygen would not be able to grow. It recycles nutrients and other rawmaterials; serves as a foundation for human construction efforts such as roads or buildings; and stores, filters, and purifies water. It also provides a habitat for millions of animals, such as moles, worms, and mice, and other organisms, from fungi to insects. Words to Understand blight  a widespread disease affecting plants decontaminate  to remove dangerous substances from an area employ  to make use of something infectious  something that spreads rapidly infiltration  in soil science, the process of water as it seeps into soil organic  in agriculture, used to describe farming practices that do not involve pesticides and other man-made chemicals