1. VISUAL VOCABULARY leachate - lithosphere

2. Leachate  Liquid that contains elevated levels of pollutants as a result of having passed through municipal solid waste or contaminated soil  Application  Soil pollution and MSW disposal

3. leaching  The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater  Application  Soil pollution and groundwater

4. leapfrogging  The situation in which less developed countries use newer technology without first using the precursor technology  Application  Resource distribution

5. levee  An enlarged bank built up on each side of a river to prevent flooding  Application  Soil erosion prevention

6. Life cycle analysis  A systems tool that looks at the materials used and released throughout the manufacturing use, and disposal of a product  Application  Waste disposal laws and methods

7. Life expectancy  The average number of years that an infant born in a particular year in a particular country can be expected to live, given the current life span and death rate in that country  Application  Demographic transitions

8. Limiting nutrient  A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients  Application  Ecosystem sustainability

9. Limiting resource  A resource that a population cannot live without and that occurs in quantities lower than the population would require to increase in size  Application  Resource availability and resource conservation

10. Limnetic zone  A zone of open water in lakes and ponds  Application  Water resources and ocean levels

11. lipids  Smaller organic biological molecules that do not mix with water  Application  Water pollution

12. Lithosphere  The outermost layer of Earth, including the mantle and crust  Application  Soil pollution and rock formation