All 23 AP Environmental Chapters
NIMBY
"Refers to the idea that, while people may be aware of the necessity of some unpleasant realities, such as prisons, landfills, or chemical plants, they insist theses place be located away from where they live"- NOT IN MY BACK YARD
Longlining
A central fishing line plus smaller ones are strung with thousands of baited hooks extending up to 80 km. Can catch fish near the surface or near the bottom. Mainly used for tuna and swordfish.
Mutagens
A chemical or physical agent that interacts with DNA and causes a mutation.
La Nina
A climate event in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which surface waters are colder than normal
Metapopulation
A collection of populations that have regular or intermittent gene flow between geographically separate units.
Carbon monoxide
A colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas. , Sources include incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Can bind irreversibly to hemoglobin and reduce bloods ability to carry O2. Reduction accomplished by catalytic converters, oxygenated fuel, mass transit (reduction).
Integrated Pest Management
A combination of pest control methods that, if used in the proper order and at the proper times, keep the size of a pest population low enough that it does not cause substantial economic loss. (IPM)
Dutch Elm Disease
A fungus that has seriously diminished or eliminated a very popular shade tree in Europe and North America. Transmitted by 2 species of elm bark beetles. They transfer the fungus to other trees that they borrow into.
greenhouses gases
A gas that absorbs longwave radiation and thus contributes to the greenhouse effect when present in the atmosphere; includes water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and ozone.
Estuaries
A general term for intermediate, brackish, and salt water marshes; found where ocean water mixes with fresh water from rivers
Starlink Corn
A genetically manufactured crop that was only approved for animals but was detected in Taco Bell shells.
subduction
A geological process in which one edge of a crustal plate is forced sideways and downward into the mantle below another plate
Kelp
A giant brown alga, up to 100 meters long, that forms extensive undersea forests on continental shelves. Are a keystone species in the ocean.
Bureau of Land Management
A governmental agency that is part of the U.S Department of the interior. It's purpose is to administer public lands owned by the federal government. The nations single largest landowner, its inexpensive fees may encourage overgrazing.
Unconfined aquifer
A groundwater storage area located above a layer of impermeable rock. - Water in an unconfined aquifer is replaced by surface water that drains from directly above it
Population
A group of organisms of the same species in a given area
Species
A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring
Organ system
A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions.
Plowpan
A hard layer resulting from repeated plowing that resists water infiltration and root penetration
external cost
A harmful side effect of production or consumption of a product that is borne by people not directly involved in the market exchange for that product; usually not reflected in a product's price.
Nitrogen dioxide
A highly poisonous brown gas, produced by vehicle emissions, contributes to photochemical smog and acid precipitation.
ecolabeling
A labeling system that tells consumers which brands are made w/ processes that do not harm the environment.
Lake Baikal
A lake in the Russia: the deepest freshwater lake in the world. Holds up to 20% of the world's freshwater.
International Polar Year
A large international scientific program coordinating research in the Artic and Antarctica.
Caspian Sea
A large saltwater lake between Iran and Russia fed by the Volga River, world's largest inland body of water located between Europe and Asia
Sinkholes
A large surface crater caused by the collapse of an underground channel or cavern; often triggered by groundwater withdrawal
Environmental Justice
A legal strategy based on claims that racial minorities are subjected disproportionately to environmental hazards
green taxes
A levy on environmentally harmful activities and products aimed at providing a market-based incentive to correct for market failure
Deep ecology
A life-centered, philosophical, ethical, and political perspective that places the welfare of human beings on a par with other species and the conditions that nurture and sustain them.
Red list
A list of worldwide threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Sand
A loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral 0.05 to 2.0 mm in diameter
Turbine
A machine for producing power in which a wheel or rotor is made to revolve by a fast-moving flow of water, steam, gas, or air.
Asian brown cloud
A massive dark brown cloud of mostly industrial smog stretching nearly continuously across much of India, Bangladesh, industrial China, and the surrounding ocean.
Genuine Progress Indicator
A measurement of quality of life that combines economic measures with indicators of social well-being introduced in 1995 by the organization Redefining Progress. (GPI)
Secondary consumer
A member of the trophic level of an ecosystem consisting of carnivores that eat herbivores.
Living Planet Index
A metric that summarizes trends in the populations of over 1,100 species that are well enough monitored to provide reliable data. Developed by scientists at the World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations Environment Programme to give an overall idea of how natural populations are faring. Between 1970 and 2000 this index fell by roughly 30%.
Thalidomide
A mild tranquilizer that, taken early in pregnancy, can produce a variety of malformations of the limbs, eyes, ears, and heart.
landfill gas
A mix of gases that consists of roughly half methane produced by anaerobic decomposition deep inside landfills, and which can be captured and used as a source of energy.
Natural Gas
A mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occur with petroleum deposits. Fastest growing fossil fuel in terms of use.
Compost
A mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil
magma
A molten mixture of rock-forming substances, gases, and water from the mantle
subsidy
A money payment or other form of aid that the government gives to a person or organization.
Solar Decathlon
A national event where teams of students bring materials for solar powered homes that they had designed. They then erect these homes on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Biome
A natural community of plants and animals, its composition being largely controlled by climatic conditions. Tend to occur at similar latitudes worldwide.
Nuclear fission
A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
Biocentrism
A philosophy that ascribes relative values to actions, entities, or properties on the basis of their effects on all living things or on the integrity of the biotic realm in general.
Ecocentrism
A philosophy that considers actions in terms of their damage or benefit to the integrity of whole ecological systems, including both biotic and abiotic elements. The belief that the well-being of an individual organism is less important than the long-term well-being of a larger integrated ecological system.
Hugh Bennett
A soil scientist in the 1920s and 1930s for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He spoke about the danger of soil erosion. Became director of SCS.
Umbrella Species
A species selected for making conservation related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat.
Keystone Species
A species that is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem in which it lives because it affects the survival and abundance of many other species in its community
Ecosystem
A specific biological community and its physical environment interacting in an exchange of matter and energy.
Catalytic Convertor
A stainless steel pollution-control device shaped like a muffler and located under the frame of a vehicle; converts poisonous gases from the vehicle's exhaust into less harmful substances.
Dynamic equilibrium
A state of balance in which opposing processes occur at the same rate
Inbreeding depression
A state that occurs in a population when genetically similar parents mate and produce weak or defective offspring as a result
risk management
A strategy developed to reduce or control the chance of harm or loss to one's health or life; the process of identifying, evaluating, selecting and implementing actions to reduce risk to human health and to ecosystems
Corridors
A strip of natural habitat that connects two adjacent nature preserves to allow migration of organisms from one place to another
Greenways
A strip of parkland that connects parks or neighborhoods; often located along rivers, streams. or canals. Helps protect water quality, boost property value, and serve as corridors for the movement of birds and wildlife.
Dam
A structure built across a river or stream that restricts the flow of water traveling downstream.
Nucleoside
A structure composed of a ribose molecule linked to one of the aromatic bases. In a deoxynucleoside, the ribose is replaced with deoxyribose.
Coral Reef
A structure of calcite skeletons built up by coral animals in warm, shallow ocean water. They are found in the coastal zones of warm tropical and subtropical oceans. Protect shorelines by absorbing energy.
Terminator Seeds
Genetically modified seeds that produce plants which kill their own seeds. This results in farmers having to purchase seeds on a yearly basis, rather than saving the seeds created by the plants they harvest.
GIS
Geographic Information Systems, collection and display of data in an interactive and collaborative way to help organize for scientists to analyze and notice trends.
Fritz Haber
German Chemist. He won the 1918 Nobel Prize in chemistry for the development of the process used for synthesizing ammonia from its elements.
Mount Pinatubo
Part of a chain of composite volcanoes on the west coast of Luzon, Philippines; in June 1991, it erupted for 9 hours; vented sulfuric dioxide into the atmosphere. Cooled global temperatures by 0.5 degrees celsius.
Photochemical Smog
The brown haze that develops in sunny cities. it is formed by the action of sunlight on pollutants such as hydrocarbons and nurtogen oxides. these chemicals react to form a brownish muzture of ozone and other pollutants.
Eutrophication
The buildup over time of nutrients in freshwater lakes and ponds that leads to an increase in the growth of algae, usually due to an excess of nitrogen or phosphate.
Biopower
The burning of biomass energy sources to generate electricity.
Incineration
The burning of solid waste can reduce volume of waste rby 90% and waste heat can be used for other purposes. However it may have toxic emissions (polyvinyl chloride, dioxin), scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators needed, ash disposal.
Cation exchange capacity
The capacity of a soil for ion exchange of cations between the soil and the soil solution. CEC is used as a measure of fertility, nutrient retention capacity, and the capacity to protect groundwater from cation contamination
Core
The central part of Earth below the mantle
Pyrolysis
The chemical decomposition of a compound into one or more other substances by heat alone to produce liquid petroleum(Think Oil Shalt). Often precedes combustion.
Subtidal Zone
The coastal life zone that remains underwater and includes the area of heavy wave impacct and the sandy area beyond that
Genome
The complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes
Sustainability
The concept of using the earth's resources in such they provide for people's needs in the present without diminishing ability to provide for future generations.
Competitive exclusion
The concept that when populations of two similar species compete for the same limited resources, one population will use the resources more efficiently and have a reproductive advantage that will eventually lead to the elimination of the other population.
Weather
The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.
Biophilia
The connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life
Air pollution
The contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources
Nutrient cycle
The cyclic movement of a nutrient between organisms and the physical environment.
Weathering
The decomposition and disintegration of rocks and minerals at the earth's surface by a mechanical and chemical process into smaller particles.
NADW
The deep portion of the Thermohaline circulation, consisting of dense, cool water that sinks; interrupting it could trigger rapid climate change.
Mariana Trench
The deepest part of the world's oceans, and the deepest location on the surface of the Earth's crust. It has a maximum depth of about 10.9 km
toxicity
The degree of producing adverse bodily effects due to poisonous qualities
Acidic Deposition
The deposition of acid, or acid-forming pollutants, from the atmosphere onto Earth's surface, can cause respiratory disease, decrease atmosphere visibility, deplete soil, harm crops, seen mostly in high power generating areas.
Extirpation
The disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not the entire species globally
Uniform distribution
The distribution characteristic of a population with a relatively regular spacing of individuals, commonly as a result of territorial behavior
Resource partitioning
The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species. Can lead to character displacement
Legislative Branch
The division of the government that proposes bills and passes them into laws
Biomass
The dry weight of tissue and other organic matter found in a specific ecosystem
Transpiration
The emission of water vapor from the leaves of plants
Tidal Energy
The energy captured by transforming the wave motion of water into electrical energy using a turbine
Solar output
The energy output from the Sun, as Earth's primary energy source. Changes in an 11 year sunspot cycle.
Solar Energy
The energy received by Earth from the sun in the form of radiation
Utilitarianism
The ethical doctrine and idea that the goal of society should be "the greatest happiness for the greatest number" of its citizens. Proposed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Coevolution
The evolution of two or more species that is due to mutual influence, often in a way that makes the relationship more mutually beneficial
Coral bleaching
The extended exposure to unusually high water temps and pollution in coral reefs then corals eject the zooxanthellae which causes loss of color and eventually leads to the death of a coral reef.
Overshoot
The extent to which a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, Wackernagel and Rees estimated that it is at 30%.
Relative abundance
The extent to which numbers of individuals of different species are equal or skewed.
Mass extinction events
The extinction of a large proportion of the worlds species in a very short time period due to some extreme and rapid change or catastrophic event. There has been five of these in the bast half billion years.
precipitation
The falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
Bagasse
The fibrous matter that remains once sugarcane has been crushed. Converted into ethanol.
Clay
The finest soil, made up of particles that are less than 0.002 mm in diameter.
pre-industrial stage
The first stage of the demographic transition model, characterized by conditions that defined most of human history, birth & death rates high, population grows slowly, infant mortality high.
Topsoil
The first true layer of soil; layer in which organic material is mixed with mineral particles.
Waste stream
The flow of solid waste that is recycled, incinerated, placed in a solid waste landfill, or disposed of in another way
Recombination
The formation of new combinations of the different alleles of each gene on a chromosome; the result of crossing over.
post-industrial stage
The fourth and final stage of the demographic transition model, in which both birth and death rates have fallen to a low level and remain stable there, and populations may even decline slightly
Fundamental niche
The full potential range of the physical, chemical, and biological factors a species can use if there is no competition from other species.
Niche
The full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
Latitudinal gradient
The general increase in species richness or biodiversity that occurs from the poles to the tropics. May be caused by greater amounts of heat, energy, and humidity at the equator.
Paradigm
The generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time.
Evolution
The genetic changes in populations of organisms through generations by means of natural selection.
Continental rise
The gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the continental slope and the abyssal plain
Succession
The gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established.
Genetic drift
The gradual changes in gene frequencies in a population due to random events
Net Economic Welfare
The gross national product adjusted by subtracting the "bars" such as pollution and by adding the value of beneficial, nonmarket activities such as leisure. (NEW).
Net Primary Production
The gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by the producers for respiration
net primary productivity
The gross primary productivity minus the energy used by the producers for cellular respiration; represents the storage of chemical energy in an ecosystem available to consumers.
nacelle
The housing on top of a wind turbine that contains the generator and other equipment
Law of conservation of matter
The idea that matter is neither created nor destroyed in only changes form
Heterotrophic hypothesis
The idea that the first living things were heterotrophs and fed on organic molecules in the primitive seas(Primordial Soup Theory)
externality
The impact of one person's actions on the well-being of a bystander
Primary extraction
The initial drilling and pumping of available oil, removes about 30% of oil.
Conservation Biology
The integrated study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics to sustain biological diversity at all levels.
Carrying capacity
The largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment can support at a given time.
Law of conservation of energy
The law that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form to another
Mantle
The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core
Mesosphere
The layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude increases. Pressure is extremely low.
Fuel rods
The pellets of uranium or other fissionable material that are placed in tubes, which, together with the control rods, form the core of the nuclear reactor
Relative Humidity
The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain at a particular temperature
John Muir
The pioneer of the preservation ethic and originator of modern conservation movement.. He founded the Sierra Club in 1892. Main reason Yosemite became a national park. Fought unsuccessfully to prevent the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.
Habitat
The place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.
Peak oil
The point at which half the oil supply is used up and extraction/use begins to decline; World has either already reached or will very soon reach this point (depending on use of lower or upper estimates)
permit trading
The practice of buying and selling government-issued marketable emissions permits to conduct environmentally harmful activities
Captive breeding
The practice of capturing members of threatened and endangered species so that their young can be bred and raised in controlled environments and subsequently reintroduced into the wild
Energy conservation
The practice of finding ways to use less energy or to use energy more efficiently.
Agriculture
The practice of raising of raising crops and livestock for human use and consumption.
Crop Rotation
The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.
Equilibrium theory of island biogeography
The theory that the biodiversity on islands is governed by rates of colonization and extinction, which in turn are controlled by island isolation and island size
industrial stage
The third stage of the demographic transition model, characterized by falling birth rates that close the gap with falling death rates and reduce the rate of population growth
Half life
The time required for one half of the atoms of a radioisotope to emit radiation an decay products
Gross Primary Production
The total amount of energy fixed by all the autotrophs in an ecosystem
mass number
The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom
Reserves to production ratio
The total remaining reserves of a fossil fuel divided by the annual rate of production (extraction and processing)
Nitrogen Cycle
The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere
Ecotone
The transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another, such as the transition from a forest to a grassland.
Wave Energy
The transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work.
Globalization
The trend toward increased cultural and economic connectedness between people, businesses, and organizations throughout the world. Has made sustainable practices within the United States harder to maintain but may spread these values to developing nations.
Response
The type or magnitude of negative effects the animal exhibits as a result of the dose.
water table
The upper surface of underground water in an aquifer; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation
Splash Zone
The uppermost area of a rocky shore that is covered by only the highest tides and usually is just dampened by the spray of crashing waves (supralittoral fringe)
Consumptive use
The use of a resource that reduces the supply (removing water from a source like a river, lake or aquifer without returning an equal amount). Examples include the intake of water by plants, humans, and other animals and the incorporation of water into the products of industrial or food processing.
Biodiversity
The variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem
Eluviation
The washing out of fine soil components from the A horizon by downward-percolating water.
Municipal solid waste
The waste materials produced in homes, businesses, schools, and other places in a community
Hydrosphere
The watery areas of the earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water
Affluenza
The way material goods often fail to bring contentment to people affluent enough to afford them.
Atmospheric deposition
The wet or dry deposition on land of a wide variety of pollutants, including mercury, nitrates, organochlorines, and others.
Atmosphere
The whole mass of air surrounding the earth
Water mining
The withdrawal of water at a rate faster than it can be replenished, often lowering the water table so drastically that further extraction is no longer economically feasible.
Rafflesia arnoldii
The world's largest flower with a blossom 3 feet wide. Found only in Asia it looks and smells like rotting meat.
zone of saturation
The zone below the zone of aeration where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water.
Chemoautrophic Hypothesis
Theory that first forms of life on Earth originated in deep sea vents, where sulfur was abundant.
Paper parks
These sites represent a failure of efforts to protect resources and ecosystem. "A legally established protected area where experts believe current protection activities are insufficient to halt degradation.
Survivorship curves
They show the likelihood of survival at different ages throughout the lifetime of the organism. Type 1 (high probability of death at old age - humans, elephants). Type 2 ( straight equal probability of death at all age - birds). Type 3( high probability of death at young age -Toads)
Cuyahoga River
This Ohio river was so polluted that in 1959 and again in 1969 it caught fire and burned for several days as it flowed through Cleveland. Lead to Clean Water Act
C Horizon
This horizon lies on a base of unweathered parent material, which is often bedrock. (Below B and above R)
Ambient air pollution
This is another term used to describe outdoor air pollution
Electronic Waste
This is the fastest growing type of solid waste. Includes TV's, cell phones, computers, etc.
K-T Mass extinction
This mass extinction event was the most recent and occurred approximately 65 million years ago. Killed off 70% of all living species including dinosaurs. Proposed meteorite origin was proposed by the Alvarez scientists by comparing iridium levels.
Downwelling
This occurs when surface currents converge which makes surface water sink and transports warm water with in dissolved gas for deep water life.
Pesticide drift
This refers to the unintentional diffusion of pesticides and the potential negative effects of pesticide application.
Exploratory drilling
This takes place after a fossil fuel deposit has been identified, in order to gauge how much of the fuel exists and whether extraction will prove worthwhile. Small in circumference drilling but long in depth.
Passive solar
This type of solar involves no moving parts nor expensive equipment to buy - it involves the sun heating building materials to keep a space warm. Involves heat absorbing constructions called thermal mass
Yom Kippur War
This was a war fought by Israel and neighboring Arab nations where the Arabs launched a surprise attack. U.S. support for Israel during the war led to OPEC boycotting the U.S., creating an energy crisis.
Relativist
Those that believe ethics should vary with social context.
Universalist
Those who believe that there exists objective notions of right and wrong that hold across all cultures and situations.
Freedom to Farm Act
To assist farmers and replace the program adopted during FDR's New Deal. This 1996 Law ended the Depression-Era subsidies that were paid to farmers when prices dropped below certain levels. Law guaranteed farmers fixed annual payments. Farmers themselves could now decide what to plant. Law moved farming away from government controls and toward the free market approach.
Flavr Savr tomato
Tomatoes that were genetically engineered to produce much less of the enzyme that makes them become soft. They could be picked red and flavorful but still hard.
A Horizon
Topsoil layer(below O horizon), is a porous mixture of the partially decomposed bodies of dead plants/animals called "humus" and inorganic materials such as clay, silt, and sand. Very fertile soil that produces high crop yields.
Net Energy
Total amount of useful energy available from an energy resource or energy system over its lifetime, minus the amount of energy used (the first energy law), automatically wasted (the second energy law), and unnecessarily wasted in finding, processing, concentrating, and transporting it to users.
Neurotoxins
Toxic substances, such as lead or mercury, that specifically poison nerve cells.
Pollination
Transfer of pollen from the male reproductive structure to the female reproductive structure, may rely on animals like bees for transport.
Bt Crops
Transgenic crops that contain a gene from the bacterial species Bacillus thuringiensis that allows a natural insecticide to be produced in the crop.
Secondary Treatment
Treating wastewater biologically, by using microorganisms to decompose the suspended organic material; occurs after primary treatment. Approximately 90% clean.
Tundra
Treeless arctic or alpine biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, a short growing season, and potential for frost any month of the year; vegetation includes low-growing perennial plants, mosses and lichens
Second Growth
Trees that have sprouted and grown to partial maturity after old growth timber has been cut.
Savanna
Tropical or subtropical grassland, either treeless or with occasional clumps of trees. Most extensive in sub-Saharan Africa but also present in South America.
Mangroves
Tropical trees that grow with their roots in salt water and are important because marine life lives among their roots.
Noise pollution
Type of pollution characterized by unwanted or potentially damaging sound.
Mountaintop removal
Type of surface mining that uses explosives, massive shovels, and even larger machinery called draglines to remove the top of a mountain to expose seams of coal underneath a mountain.
Proxy indicators
Types of indirect evidence that substitute for direct shed of light on past climate.
Prokaryotes
Unicellular organisms lacking a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles; circular DNA
Affluenza
Unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism exhibited in the lifestyles of affluent consumers in the united states and other developed countries.
zone of aeration
Upper region of groundwater between the water table and the earth's surface. Pores are only partially filled with water.
Water table
Upper surface of the zone of saturation, in which all available pores in the soil and rock in the earth's crust are filled with water.
New Urbanism
Urban design originating in the US during the 1980s to work against sprawl; characterized by organized urban planning, suburban infill (filling in unused space), and are designed to be walkable.
Nuclear reactors
Use enriched uranium formed into pellets and puts into metal cylinders; control rods slow down neutrons so they collide with the Uranium, releasing heat thats heats water, which turns a turbine to generate electricity
Biocontrol
Use of one kind of organism that is a predator or parasite of a pest species in order to reduce or eliminate populations of the pest. Classical example is introduction of cactus moth in Australia(Pg.270)
Nonconsumptive use
Use of water for such purposes as washing and rinsing, wherein the water, albeit polluted, remains available for further uses. Such water may be recycled infinitely.
Industrialized Agriculture
Using large inputs of energy from fossil fuels (especially oil and natural gas), water, fertilizer, and pesticides to produce large quantities of crops and livestock for domestic and foreign sale.
Epidemiological Studies
A study that involves large-scale comparisons among groups of people, usually contrasting a group known to have been exposed to some toxicant and a group that has not. Need to be conducted over many years.
Kerogen
A substance derived from deeply buried organic matter that acts as a precursor or source material for both natural gas and crude oil.
compound
A substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight
contingent valuation
A survey-based economic technique for the valuation of non-market resources, typically ecosystems and environmental areas and services. It involves directly asking people, in a survey, how much they would be willing to pay for specific environmental services.
Waste to energy
A system in which heat generated by incineration is used as an energy source rather than released into the atmosphere
Baghouse
A system of large filters that physically removes particulate matter from incinerator emissions
Wetlands
A system that combines elements of both fresh water an dry land which are enormously rich and productive. Includes freshwater marshes and swamps
Genera
A taxonomic group containing one or more species.
Homeostasis
A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state.
Environmental resistance
All the limiting factors that tend to reduce population growth rates and set the maximum allowable population size or carrying capacity of an ecosystem
Environment
All the living and nonliving things around us with which we interact.
Biosphere
All the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of all earth's ecosystems
Artesian aquifer
Also called a confined aquifer, a water-bearing, porous layer of rock, sand, or gravel that is trapped between an upper and lower layer of less permeable substrate, such as clay. the water in a confined aquifer is under pressure because it is trapped between two impermeable layers
Phylogenetic trees
Also called cladograms, a treelike diagram that represents the history of divergence of species or other taxonomic groups of organisms
Swidden Agriculture
Also called slash and burn agriculture, it is a form of cultivation in which forrested or brushy plots are cleared of vegetation burned then planted to crops only to be abandoned a few years later when soil fertility declines. Prevalent in rain forests.
B Horizon
Also called, "subsoil" (right below the E Horizon) and usually consists of clay and other particles washed down from the topsoil layer(A Horizon).
Population dispersion
Also known as distribution, the way in which individuals of a population are spread in an area or volume; the three types are clumped, uniform, and random
Edwin Drake
American oil driller, popularly credited with being the first to drill for oil in the United States.
Convention on Biological Diversity
An 1992 international treaty that aims to conserve biodiversity, use biodiversity in a sustainable manner, and ensure the fair distribution of biodiversity's benefits.
Center pivot irrigation
An irrigation system comsisting of a spray arm several hundred meters long supported by wheels pivoting around a central well from which water is pumped.
Radon
An odorless, tasteless naturally occurring gas found in certain types of soil and rock that can cause lung cancer if present in large quantities.
Ecosystem engineers
An organism that causes changes in the physical environment sufficient to influence the structure of landscapes, ecosystems, or communities.
Heterotroph
An organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products.
Parasitiods
An organism that spends a significant portion of its life attached to or within a single host...ultimately kills host
Environmental economists
Believe that economies are unsustainable if population growth is not reduced and resource use is not made more efficient but believe that steady-state economics are not required.
Lipids
Biochemicals that do not dissolve in water (fats, oils, and waxes) make up cell membranes, store energy
Biodiversity
Biological diversity; the sum total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere, has been in decline.
Temperate Grasslands
Biome covering huge areas with low annual rainfall or uneven seasonal rainfall, not good for forests. Grazing animals. Also known as steppes or prairies.
Fredrick Clements
Botanist who attempted to understand community structure and the first to write about succession. He claimed communities developed and grew mature like a living organism.
Habitat heterogeneity
Describing a habitat or community that has a complex physiognomy or structure, including in the distribution, density, and relative heights of plants within it.
Biosphere Reserves
Designated by the UN, these are regions intended to maintain biodiversity and evaluate techniques for sustainable human development while maintaining local cultural values.
Fredrick Olmsted
Designed Central Park in New York City, and Prospect Park. First person to use the term Landscape Architect as a profession, , leader of the "City Beautiful" movement".
Overgrazing
Destruction of vegetation when too many grazing animals feed too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a rangeland or pasture area.
Scrubbers
Desulfurization systems that are used in smokestacks to decrease the amount of sulfur released in the air by 90% or more.
risk assessment
Determining the damage that would result from an attack and the likelihood that the vulnerability is a risk to the organization.
Ecological Footprint
Developed by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees, it expresses the environmental impact of an individual or population in terms of biologically productive land(in terms of surface area) and water.
Sparse street network
Development in which roads are far enough apart to remain undeveloped but not far enough apart to function.
Leapfrog development
Development that occurs well beyond the limits of the current urbanized area, usually to take advantage of less expensive land
Photovoltaic cells
Devices that capture the energy from light and convert it into electricity. Ex: some calculators, the sun.
Overnutrition
Diet so high in calories, saturated (animal) fats, salt, sugar, and processed foods and so low in vegetables and fruits that the consumer runs high risks of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other health hazards.
Extinction
Disappearance of a species from all parts of its geographical range
Taxonomy
Discipline of classifying organisms and assigning each organism a universally accepted name
Oil Shale
Fine-grained rock containing various amounts of kerogen, a solid, waxy mixture of hydrocarbon compounds. Heating the rock to high temperatures converts the kerogen into a vapor that can be condensed to form a slow-flowing heavy oil.
Gifford Pinchot
First chief of the US Forest Service under Teddy Roosevelt.; advocated managing resources for multiple use using principles of sustainable yield, founder of conservation ethic.
Pioneer Species
First species to populate an area during primary succession. Usually lichen.
Primary Treatment
First step of sewage treatment; eliminates most particulate material from raw sewage through mainly physical methods using grates, screens, and gravity (settling).
Disruptive selection
Form of natural selection in which a single curve splits into two; occurs when individuals at the upper and lower ends of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals near the middle
Directional selection
Form of natural selection in which the entire curve moves; occurs when individuals at one end of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals in the middle or at the other end of the curve
Stabilizing selection
Form of natural selection in which the entire curves area begins to form in the middle. Favors intermediate types of the species.
Command and control
Forms of regulation that depend on government laws and agencies to enforce rules, including such things as regulated limits on pollution or fuel efficiency standards; contrasts with market-based or incentive-based approaches.
cold front
Forms when cold air moves under warm air which is less dense and pushes air up (produces thunderstorms heavy rain or snow).
Coal
Fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period, the most abundant fossil fuel. 25% in the United States.
Macromolecules
Four main classes of large biological molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) are called this because of their large size.
FCCC
Framework convention on climate change, Outlined a plan for reducing freenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000 throiugh a voluntary, nation-by-nation approach.
Green manure
Freshly cut or still-growing green vegetation that is plowed into the soil to increase the organic matter and humus available to support crop growth.
Biofuels
Fuels, such as ethanol or methanol, that are created from the fermentation of plants or plant products.
Solar panels
Generally consisting of dark-coloured, heat-absorbing metal plates mounted in flat boxes covered with glass panes, often installed on rooftops to harness solar energy.
Bottleneck effect
Genetic drift resulting from the reduction of a population, typically by a natural disaster, such that the surviving population is no longer genetically representative of the original population.
Golden Rice
Genetically modified rice that produces edible beta-carotene, which the body can turn into vitamin A.
Target size effect
More species tend to colonize colonize larger islands (more food/resources, more habitat area for different characteristics).
Thermohaline Circulation
Movement of ocean water caused by density difference brought about by variations in temperature and salinity. As ocean water freezes at the poles it concentrates salt, and the colder, denser water sinks.
Conservation concession
Nations get money in exchange for not using/selling the resources associated with biodiversity hotspots like tropical rain forests.
Renewable natural resources
Natural resources that are replenished over short periods.
ecosystem services
Natural services or natural capital that support life on the earth and are essential to the quality of human life and the functioning of the world's economies.
greenhouse effect
Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases
Driftnets
Nets that drift free in the water and indiscriminately catch everything in their path, used for schools of herring, sardines, mackerel.
Food Web
Network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem (Just look at Pg.151)
Control Rods
Neutron-absorbing material inserted into spaces between fuel assemblies in nuclear reactors to regulate fission reactions.
Emergent properties
New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.
Food Security Act
Nicknamed the Swampbuster; Discouraged conversion of wetlands to nonwetlands; 1990 federal legislation denied federal farm supplements to those who converted wetlands to agriculture; provided restoration of benefits to those who unknowingly converted lands-->wetlands
Land Trusts
Nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to conserving land for the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services
Doomsday vault
North of Norway and near the North Pole, a tunnel carved into a mountain that will contain numerous seed varieties of crops and plants that are predicted for possible extinction.
Breeder Reactors
Nuclear fission reactors that produce more nuclear fuel than they consume by converting nonfissionable uranium into fissionable plutonium. Most are out of commission.
closed cycle approach
OTEC approach where warm surface water evaporates chemicals which spin turbines and generate electricity.
Open cycle approach
OTEC approach where warm surface water is evaporated in a vacuum and its steam turns turbines.
Harmful algal blooms
Occurs when a unicellular species experiences rapid pop. growth and reaches high densities in an aquatic environment. Due to photosynthetic protists called Dinoflagellates.
feedback loop
Occurs when an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system.
Thermal Inversion
Occurs when weather conditions trap a layer of cool, dense air under a warm air layer. This has been the cause of major air pollution disasters. Example is the 1952 "Killer Smog" disaster in London.
OTEC
Ocean thermal energy conversion uses the difference between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface ocean waters to run a heat engine and produce useful work , usually in the form of electricity.
One Child Policy
Official policy launched by China in 1979 to induce married couples to have only one child in an effort to control population growth, some exceptions.
Passenger pigeon
Once most abundant bird in N. America; more than all other N.A. birds combined. Last flock destroyed in 1896; last one died in 1914 in a Cincinnati Zoo. Humans killed species in just 50 years
Cassandra
One who predicts disasters or negative results; the predictions are often disregarded
Yucca mountain
Only candidate for permanent underground storage site for 70,000 tons of high-level radioactive wastes from commercially operated power plants
Plastics
Organic compounds produced by polymerization, that can be molded, cast into shapes or drawn into fibers.
Autotroph
Organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer
Detritivores
Organisms that feed on the detritus and decomposing organic material of living organisms. Recycle nutrients and make soil richer.
r selected
Organisms that reproduce early in life and often and have a high capacity for reproductive growth(biotic potential). Populations usually fluctuate greatly.
k selected
Organisms that reproduce later in life, produce fewer offspring and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring. Populations usually stabilize at carrying capacity.
Eukaryotes
Organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane bound organelles.
OPEC
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; international cartel that inflates price of oil by limiting supply; Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and UAE are prominent members
Political Action Committees
Organizations that collect money to distribute to candidates who support the same issues as the contributors
effluent
Outflow of water from a treatment process
negative feedback loop
Situation in which a change in a certain direction provides information that causes a system to change less in that direction.
Convective Circulation
Situation where air rises and once it cools, it forms clouds and precipitates. Cool dry air then descends and the process repeats.
Divergent plate boundaries
Situation with tectonic plates spreading apart, new crust being formed (ex. mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys).
Tributary
Small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream; a branch of the river
Gully Erosion
Soil erosion produced by running water and resulting in the formation of gullies, Occurs when rivulets of fast-flowing water join together to cut wider and deeper ditches or gullies.
Silt
Soil with particles between 0.002 and 0.05 mm in diameter.
Bedrock
Solid unweathered rock lying beneath surface deposits of soil.
Allopatric Speciation
Speciation due to organisms of a species being separated by geographical barriers so that eventually they become so different that they cannot interbreed.
Sympatric Speciation
Speciation that occurs within one area - some factor other than geographical separation has prevented free interbreeding between members of the species.
Generalists
Species with a broad niche who are able to live in a large variety of habitats or use a wide variety of resources.
Specialists
Species with a narrow niche and thus having very specific requirements to survive in their ecosystem.
Transgenes
Specific genes from other organisms genetically engineered into them.
Point sources
Specific locations of highly concentrated pollution discharge, such as factories, oils wells, etc.
Regulations
Specific rules based on more broadly written statuary laws
George Bissell
Started the commercial industry for oil in Western PA when he showed it could be used for lamps. Also he showed it could yield in some products like paraffin, naphtha, and lubricating oil. He raised money and began drilling in 1859.
Environmental Impact Statement
Statement required by Federal law from all agencies for any project using Federal funds to assess the potential affect of the new construction or development on the environment. Consequence of NEPA.(EIS)
Polluters-pay principle
States that whoever is responsible for the damage to the environment should bear the costs associated with it
second law of thermodynamics
States that with each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do work. Entropy increases.
Trophic level
Step in the movement of energy through an ecosystem; an organism's feeding status in an ecosystem. Each successive level only contains approximately 10% of previous level.
Mimicry
Structural adaptation that enables one species to resemble another species; may provide protection from predators or other advantages
Toxicology
Study of poisonous substances and their effects upon body parts
Carcinogens
Substances known to produce or promote the development of cancer.
Allergens
Substances that overactivate the immune system and cause an allergic response.
Aquifers
Subterranean, porous, water-holding rocks that provide millions of wells with steady flows of water.
aquifers
Subterranean, porous, water-holding rocks that provide millions of wells with steady flows of water.
zooxanthellae
Symbiotic dinoflagellates that live within the tissues of cnidarians, Forms an endosymbiotic relationship with corals and performs photosynthesis.
Lichens
Symbiotic organism between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism
Mutualism
Symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit, example is pollination
Commensalism
Symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. Example is facilitation
Parasitism
Symbiotic relationship in which one organism(parasite) lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it
PBDEs
Synthetic compunds that provide fire retardant properties and are used in a diverse array of consumer products including computers tvs plastics and furniture. Hormone disruptor and can affect infant nervous system development.
net metering
System of metering and billing that allows on-site generators to send excess electricity flows to the regional power grid; these electricity flows offset a portion of the electricity flows drawn from the grid.
Nichomachean ethics
Ta Ethika, is a work by Aristotle on virtue and moral character which plays a prominent role in defining Aristotelian ethics. It consists of ten books based on notes from his lectures at the Lyceum and were either edited by or dedicated to Aristotle's son, Nicomachus. Tells of the life of moderation that dictates reason for humans.
Salt Marshes
Temperate-zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line, and by seagrasses under water
Resistance
Term given to a community that resists change and remains stable despite a disturbance.
Green Revolution
Term used to describe the transformation of agriculture in many developing nations that led to significant increases in agricultural production between the 1940s and 1960s.
Ames Test
Test used to determining whether a particular substance is mutagenic, based on its ability to induce mutations in auxotropheric bacteria
Cap and trade
The "cap" sets a nationwide limit on emissions, which is lowered over time to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere. The "trade" creates a market for carbon allowances, helping companies innovate in order meet, or come in under, their allocated limit. The less they emit, the less they pay, so it is in their economic incentive to pollute less.
Criteria Pollutants
The 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act required EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for certain pollutants known to be hazardous to human health. EPA has identified six of them: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and particulate matter.
Percy Schmeiser
The Canola Case , Monsanto sued him for using their GMO seeds. Later on he sued Monsanto for contaminating his plants.
Global Warming potential
The ability of a substance to warm the atmosphere by absorbing and emitting thermal energy
Sustainability
The ability to meet humanities current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs
Bioaccumulation
The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.
Bioremediation
The act of treating waste or pollutants by the use of microorganisms (as bacteria) that can break down the undesirable substances, like in the aftermath of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
Dose
The amount of a chemical to which one is subjected
effective dose
The amount of a drug, or dose, that produces a desired effect only if the amount of the test drug causes a defined effect in 50% of the animals that receive it (ED50)
Proven recoverable reserve
The amount of any fossil fuel in a deposit that is technologically and economically feasbile to remove under current conditions.
Radiative forcing
The amount of change in energy that a given factor (auch as aerosols, albedo, or greenhouse gases) exerts over Earth's energy balance. Positive=warming, negative=cooling
Secondary production
The amount of chemical energy in consumers' food that is converted to their own new biomass during a given time period
Heat Capacity
The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a specified amount of a substance by 1°C or 1 K. Reason for low variability in Ocean temperatures as water has a very high value.
Genetic diversity
The amount of variation in the genetic material within all members of a population.
Coriolis Effect
The apparent curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to the earth's rotation. Causes surface water to move away from the coast and aids in upwelling off of California's coast.
Landscape Ecology
The application of ecological principles to the study of land-use patterns; the scientific study of the biodiversity of interacting ecosystems
Environmental Ethics
The application of ethical standards to relationships between humans and their environment.
Watershed
The area of land that is drained by a river
Pelagic Zone
The area of the ocean past the continental shelf and between the ocean floor, with areas of open water often reaching to very great depths.
Deposition
The arrival of eroded material at its new location.
Nitrogen fixation
The assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by soil bacteria and its release for plant use on the death of the bacteria
Front
The atmospheric phenomenon created at the boundary between two different air masses
Ecosystem based management
The attempt to supervise the harvesting of resources in ways that minimize impact on the environment and the ecological process that provide the resources.
Life Expectancy
The average number of years an individual(usually a newborn infant) can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions.
Background extinction rate
The average rate at which species go extinct over the long term. Approximately 10 per year.
residence time
The average time a given particle will stay in a given system
Climate
The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
Genes
The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein. Basic building blocks of heredity.
Tropical Rainforest
The biome characterized by highest rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year; believed to contain at least half of Earth's biomes, poor acidic soils. Most nutrients in plants.
Temperate deciduous forest
The biome characterized by warmer temperatures than the boreal forest and plenty of precipitation thats huge forests of broadleaf trees; covers regions in southeastern Canada, and eastern United States
Statutory Law
The body of law enacted by legislative bodies (as opposed to constitutional law, administrative law, or case law).
Judicial Branch
The branch of government, including the federal court system, that interprets the nation's laws
Ethics
The branch of philosophy that involves the study of good and bad, of right and wrong. Consist of relativists and universalists.
Tropopause
The region of discontinuity between the troposphere and the stratosphere where temperature remains constant.
Littoral
The region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
Tides
The regular rise and fall of the ocean's surface influenced by the moon's gravity pulling on earth, occur every 6 hours.
Upwelling
The rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away, the site of very high primary productivity.
Light pollution
The scattering of human made light that obscures our view of the sky and so hinders astronomical observations
Forestry
The science of planting and caring for forests and the management of growing timber
Calvin cycle
The second of two major stages in photosynthesis (following the light reactions), involving atmospheric CO2 fixation and reduction of the fixed carbon into carbohydrate.
transitional stage
The second stage of the demographic transition model, which occurs during the transition from the pre-industrial stage to the industrial stage. , death rate lower, better health care, population grows fast
Artificial selection
The selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits.
Secondary Succession
The series of changes that occur in an area where the ecosystem has been disturbed, but where soil and organisms still exist
Littoral Zone
The shallow zone of a lake or pond where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants
Terracing
The shaping the land to create level shelves of earth to hold water and soil; requires extensive hand labor or expensive machinery, but it enables farmers to farm very steep hillsides.
Industrial Revolution
The shift from rural life, animal powered agriculture, and manufacturing by craftsmen to an urban society powered by fossil fuels that began in England in the mid 1700s. (Picture of Slater's Mill in RI).
molecule
The simplest structural unit of an element or compound
Cogeneration
The simultaneous production of electricity and steam or hot water in the same plant. May double efficiency.
Plasmids
The smalll, circular segments of DNA that are found in bacteria and that stay sparate from the bacterial chromosomes; used in genetic engineering.
Lithosphere
The solid, outer layer of the earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
Sprawl
The spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from an urban center. Can also be defined as the physical spread of development faster than the rate of population growth.
carbon neutrality
The state in which an individual, business, or institution emits no net carbon to the atmosphere.
Demography
The statistical study of human populations
Continental Slope
The steeply inclined section of the continental margin located between the continental rise and the continental shelf
Light reactions
The steps in photosynthesis that occur on the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast and that convert solar energy to the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH, evolving oxygen in the process.
Competition
The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources
Environmental Health
The study and management of environmental conditions that affect the health and well-being of humans
Ecosystem Ecology
The study of energy flow and the cycling of chemicals among the various biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem.
Community Ecology
The study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization.
Environmental Science
The study of how the natural world works, how our environment effects us, and how we effect the environment.
Population ecology
The study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure, and variations in population size.
Environmental toxicology
The study of toxicants that come from or are discharged into the environment, including the study of health effects on humans, other animals, and ecosystems
carbon capture
The technique of capturing CO2 from coal or oil fired power plants and burying it deep underground, to keep it out of the atmosphere
Character displacement
The tendency for characteristics to be more divergent in sympatric populations of two species than in allopatric populations of the same two species.
Maquiladoras
The term given to zones in northern Mexico with factories supplying manufactured goods to the US market
Panspermia Hypothesis
The theory that life was seeded on Earth and other planets from outer space, term coined by Tyndall, but originally meant that the air on earth was full of microscopic organisms riding on tiny particles of dust
Plate tectonics
The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle
Boreal Forest
A broad band of mixed coniferous and deciduous trees that stretches across northern North America (and also Europe and Asia); its northernmost edfe, the taiga, intergrades with the artic tundra
Global Climate Change
A broad term that refers to changes in the earth's climate mostly as a result of changes in temperature and precipitation.
Superfund
A fund created by Congress in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites. Money for the fund comes from taxing chemical products.
CITES
(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) An international agreement between 175 governments that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
O Horizon
(Organic) top layer, Surface plant and animal litter forms hummus. Able to retain water and nutrients. Has an organic composition from 20%-30%
UNEP
(United Nations Environment Program) An intergovernmental organisation that aims to "provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment"
Mineral Lands Act
1866 act that provided land for $5 per acre to promote mining and settlement. It also allowed the mining to occur under local customs with no governmental oversight.
General Mining Law
1872 act that grants free access to individuals and corporations to prospect for minerals in public domain lands and allows them, upon making a discovery, to stake a claim on that deposit
Timber Culture Act
1873 Act of Congress which added to the Homestead Act stating a person who planted 40 acres of trees and maintained timber for 10 years were granted 160 acres of land.
Taylor Grazing Act
1934 United States federal law that regulates grazing on federal public land(140 million acres). The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to handle all of the regulations, and he became responsible for establishing grazing districts. Before these districts are created there must be a hearing held by the state.
Soil Conservation Act
1935 Act that established the soil conservation service, which deals with soil erosion problems, carries out soil surveys, and does research on soil salinity., Also appropriated funds for soil conservation paymnets to farmers who would remove land from production.
Wilderness Act
1964 Act that authorized the government to protect undeveloped tracts of public land as part of the national wilderness system.
Wilderness Act
1964 act that authorized the government to protect underdeveloped tracts of public land as part of the National Wilderness System unless Congress decides they are needed for the national good.
National Environmental Protection Act
1970 Act which was passed nearly unanimously by Congress in 1970, and signed by Nixon. Established the Commission on Environmental Quality, in the Executive branch. Requires an assessment of environmental impact for any project undertaken by any agency of the federal government.(NEPA)
Boomer v. Atlantic Clement Company
1970 New York court case that considered whether permanent damages were appropriate in lieu of a permanent injunction. Effectively ended tort laws viability as a tool for preventing pollution.
Clean Air Act
1970 law that established national standards for states, strict auto emissions guidelines, and regulations, which set air pollution standards for private industry.
Clean Water Act
1972 law that aimed to control pollution caused by the discharge of industrial and municipal wastewater, and provided for grants to build better sewage-treatment facilities.
Endangered Species Act
1973 Act which prohibits importing or trading products made from threatened or endangered species from being bought, sold, captured, or killed. Also requires the development of plans to save endangered species.
National Forest Management Act
1976 Act that stated that every National Forest must have a specific amount of sustainable resources. These plans were to derived from the concepts multiple use & sustainable development. Must also comply with NEPA.
Montreal Protocol
1987 meeting where 160 nations met in Canada and agreed to take steps to fight against Ozone Depletion-CFC's banned.
Montreal Protocol
1987 treaty requiring reductions in use of CFCs and, later, almost all ozone-depleting substances.
Organic Food Protection Act
1990 Act that established national standards for organic products ... food can be labled organic.
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
1990 Act which would act to compensate $150,000 to former miners who are eligible for negligence on the part of the US Gov. in informing Navajo miners of radiation for over 30 years. RECA.
Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council
1992 case in which the Supreme Court of the United States established the "regulatory takings" test for evaluating whether a particular regulatory action constitutes a regulatory taking that requires compensation.
National Invasive Species Act
1996 Act that directed the Coast Guard to ensure that ships dump their water ballast at sea and exchange it with salt water before entering the Great Lakes.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
2005 United Nations Report concluding irreversible loss of biodiversity and acting as a blueprint for future sustainable development - Our current path of resource consumption and alterations to ecosystems will threaten sustainability and exacerbate poverty; however, sustainable practices will improve standard of living
RecycleMania
A 10 week competition among Ohio colleges to see which one can recycle the most.
John Wesley Powell
A U.S. soldier, geologist, and explorer of the American West. He is famous for his 1869 Geographic Expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers that included the first passage through the Grand Canyon. He warned that traditional agriculture could not succeed west of the 100th meridian.
Norman Borlaug
A US scientist who worked on wheat in Mexico during the 1940s and 1950s; is credited with beginning the green revolution. Won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
Desert
A barren biome with less than 10 inches of precipitation each year with little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation.
Predation
An interaction between species in which one species, the predator, eats the other, the prey.
Talloires Declaration
A commitment of College and University presidents to pursue and foster sustainability. Signed by 437 university presidents including 37 Canadian universities/colleges campuses are microcosms of society with their own impacts, outlines ten steps of social, economic, and environmental goals for sustainability with specific targets and timelines.
Soil
A complex mixture of weathered mineral materials from rocks, partially decomposed organic molecules, and a host of living organisms
Thermal Mass
A component of a building (such as concrete) that absorbs and stores heat or thermal energy during the day and releases it slowly at night, used in passive solar.
Breakdown products
A compound that can result from the break down of a toxicant. Often, it is less harmful than the original substance, but it can also be just as toxic.
Coupled general circulation models
A computer program that combines what is known about weather patterns, atmospheric circulation, atmosphere-ocean interactions, and feedback mechanisms to simulate climate process
Categorical imperative
A concept developed by the philosopher Immanuel Kant as an ethical guideline for behavior. In deciding whether an action is right or wrong a person should evaluate the action in terms of what would happen if everybody else in the same situation, or category, acted the same way.
Demographic fatigue
A condition characterized by a lack of financial resources and an inability to deal effectively with threats.
Oxbow Lake
A crescent-shaped lake (often temporary) that is formed when a meander of a river is cut off from the main channel
Meltdown
A dangerous condition caused by overheating inside a nuclear reactor which melts the metal around fuel rods and releases radiation.
deep-well injection
A deep well is drilled and the waste is injected into it, below the water table to prevent contamination.
Crypsis
A defense against predators in which prey species have a shape or coloration that provides camouflage and allows them to avoid detection.
Reverse osmosis
A desalinization process that involves forcing salt-water through a membrane permeable to water but not to salt.
Solar cookers
A device which uses sunlight as its energy source. Because they use no fuel and they cost nothing to run, humanitarian organizations are promoting their use worldwide to help slow deforestation and desertification, caused by using wood as fuel for cooking.
Biodiesel
A diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources (such as vegetable oils), that can be used in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles.
Endemic
A disease that is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location
Particulate matter
A diverse mixture of fine particles, both solid and aerosol, that impact human health. Shortened term is "PM.", Sources include burning fossil fuels and car exhaust. Effects include reduced visibility, respiratory irritation. Methods of reduction include filtering, electrostatic precipitators, alternative energy).
Organic fertilizer
A fertilizer made up of natural materials (largely the remains or wastes of organisms), including animal manure, crop residues, fresh vegetation, and compost.
Inorganic fertilizer
A fertilizer that consists of mined or synthetically manufactured mineral supplements. Generally more susceptible than organic fertilizers to leaching and runoff and may be more likely to cause unintended off-site impacts.
bottom trawling
A fishing technique in which the ocean floor is literally scraped by heavy nets that smash everything in their path. This is very detremental to the ecosystem.
Primary Forest
A forest in its more natural state, and undergoing only normal ecological processes
Seed tree approach
A forestry strategy that leaves a few mature trees to produce seeds for next generation leave behind trees that will make seeds so you can come back and get many years later (lead to even-aged stands) Little ecological value of forest (--Many of the same impacts as clear cutting)
Sustainable forestry certification
A form of ecolabeling that identifies timber products that have been produced using methods the consider sustainable.
Kwashiorkor
A form of protein deficiency, most often seen in starving children, characterized by retarded growth and abdominal distention caused by liver enlargement.
Intensive agriculture
A form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land.
Biotechnology
A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify plants and animals, or to develop other microorganisms for specific purposes.
Ecotourism
A form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecologically unique areas.
Policy
A formal set of general plans and principles that are intended to address specific problems and guide decision making in specific instances.
IPAT Model
A formula that represents how humans' total impact (I) on the environment results from the interaction among three factors: population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T). Proposed by "Population Bomb" Ehrlich. Sometimes includes sensitivity factor(S).
warm front
A front along which a warm air mass overrides a retreating mass of cooler air
Organ
A fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
ecofeminism
A pluralistic, nonhierarchical, relationship-oriented philosophy that suggests how humans could reconceive themselves and their relationships to nature in nondominating ways as an alternative to patriarchal systems of domination. Basically men are the root of all social and environmental problems.
New source review
A policy whereby old polluting facilities were exempted from pollution requirements introduced in 1977, as long as they installed the "best available" current technology for pollution control when upgrading their plants in the future
Sinks
A pool(Reservoir) that accepts more nutrients than it releases
Logistical growth curve
A population graph that initial shows exponential growth and then plateaus because the population maxes out the ecosystems carrying capacity.
Stabilization triangle
A portfolio of strategies, each one feasible in itself, that could stabilize CO2 emissions. Divided into 7 wedges and a total of 15 strategies. (Pg.533)
Wind Farm
A power plant that uses wind turbines to generate electricity, Cluster of small to medium-sized wind turbines in a windy area to capture wind energy and convert it into electrical energy.
Drip irrigation
A process by which precisely controlled amounts of water drip directly onto plants from pipes, thus preserving precious water resources in dry areas
co-firing
A process in which biomass is combined with coal in coal-fired power plants; can be a relatively easy and inexpensive way for fossil-fuel-based utilities to expand their use of renewable energy
Cation exchange
A process in which positively charged minerals are made available to a plant when hydrogen ions in the soil displace mineral ions from the clay particles.
Peer Review
A process in which the procedures used during an experiment may be repeated and the results are evaluated by scientists who are in the same field or are conducting similar research
Life cycle analysis
A process that attempts to identify the effect a product has on resources over its entire lifetime.
Haber-Bosch process
A process to synthesize ammonia on an industrial scale. The process has enabled humans to double the natural rate of nitrogen fixation on Earth and thereby increase agricultural productivity, but also altered the nitrogen cycle.
Green Scissors Report
A project o 22 nongovernmental organizations that advocates the use of subsides to solve environmental problems.
Material recovery facilities
A recycling facility where items are sorted, cleaned, shredded, and prepared for reprocessing into new items
Red tides
A red, orange, or brown coloration of water caused by a bloom, or population explosion of algae; many cause serious environmental harm and threaten the health of humans and animals
Profundal Zone
A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes.
Convergent plate boundary
A region where plates are pushing together and where a mountain range, island arc, and/or trench will eventually form; often a site of much seismic and volcanic activity.
Biodiversity hotspot
A relatively small area with an exceptional concentration of endemic species, at least 0.5 % of the worlds total plant species.
Climax community
A relatively stable long-lasting community reached in a successional series; usually determined by climax and soil type
Stern Review
A report written by British economist Sir Nicholas Stern in 2006 about the economics of climate change. The main conclusion was that was that the cost to the world's economy of not acting immediately to fight climate change is far greater than the cost of taking action now.
Containment building
A safety feature of nuclear power plants that provides an additional line of defense against any accidental leak of radiation. Reinforced with concrete
Chaparral
A scrubland biome of dense, spiny evergreen shrubs found at midlatitudes along coasts where cold ocean currents circulate offshore; characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers.
Trophic cascade
A series of changes in the population sizes of organisms at different trophic levels in a food chain, occurring when predators at high trophic levels indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels by keeping species at intermediate trophic levels in check. Trophic cascades may become apparent when a top predator is eliminated from a system. Also gives evidence for the existence of keystone species.
Northwest Forest Plan
A series of federal policies and guidelines governing land use on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It covers areas ranging from Northern California to western Washington. Basically allowed limited logging and let science guide management.
Smart growth
A set of principles for community planning that focuses on strategies to encourage the development of sustainable, healthy communities. Aims to create "walkable" neighborhoods, preserve open space, and strengthen existing communities.
Malnutrition
A shortage of nutrients that are essential. Some diseases that may result are maramus or kwashiorkor
Undernourished
A situation in which a human receives less than 90% of their daily caloric needs. Mainly occurs in the developing world.
Atoll
A small island the shape of a ring or horseshoe formed by deposits of coral sea animals
Environmentalism
A social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life support systems for us and other species.
Peat
A soft, brown material made up of partly decayed plants; first stage of coal formation
Biopiracy
A term describing the ways that corporations from the developed world allegedly claim ownership of, free ride on, or otherwise take unfair advantage of, the genetic resources and traditional knowledge and technologies of developing countries
Tropical Dry Forest
A terrestrial biome characterized by relatively high temperatures and precipitation overall but with a pronounced dry season lasting around 7 months.
Ozone hole
A thinning of stratospheric ozone that occurs over the poles during the spring.
Siberian tiger
A tiger of a large and threatened race with a long thick coat, found in southeastern Siberia and northeastern China. Also called the Amur Tiger it is the largest cat in the world.
Fossil
A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock
Basel Convention
A treaty developed in 1989 by the UN Environment Program to restrict the international transport of hazardous waste. It allows couries to export hazardous waste only with the prior informed consent of the importing country as well as of any countries that the waste passes through in transit.
Ethanol
A type of biofuel produced from plant materials; flammable, colorless chemical compound
intrusive
A type of ingneous rock that generally contains large crystals and forms when magma cools slowly beneath Earth's surface. Best example is Granite
Batesian mimicry
A type of mimicry in which a harmless species looks like a species that is poisonous or otherwise harmful to predators
Thermogenic gas
A type of natural gas created by the compression and heat deep underground; contains methane and small amounts of other hydrocarbon gases
RNA
A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U); usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis and as the genome of some viruses.
Asbestosis
A type of pneumoconiosis that develops from collection of asbestos fibers in the lungs; may lead to the development of lung cancer.
Metamorphic rock
A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions
igneous rock
A type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface.
sedimentary rock
A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together
Sheet Erosion
A type of surface water erosion caused by runoff that occurs when water flowing as sheets picks up sediments and carries them away
hydrogen bond
A type of weak chemical bond formed when the slightly positive hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond in one molecule is attracted to the slightly negative atom of a polar covalent bond in another molecule.
Freshwater marsh
A type of wetland in which shallow, fresh (non-saline) water allows plants such as cattails to grow above the water's surface.
Soil profile
A vertical section through a soil showing its succession of horizons and the underlying parent material.
Climatographs
A visual representation of a region's average monthly temperature and precipitation
El Nino
A warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time
Ecological Footprint
A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth. Someone who uses more natural resources will have a bigger footprint than someone who uses less.
Age Pyramids
A way to display information about the number of organisms alive in particular age groups of a population.
Polar Cells
A weak, anticyclonic, thermally produced pressure system positioned roughly over each pole; the region of the lowest temperatures on Earth.
Naphthalene
A white aromatic compound with 10 carbon atoms and 8 hydrogen atoms; 2 benzene fused-ring structure; used in moth balls, C₁₀H₈
Shelterbelts
A wider area than a windbreak that contains trees as well as shrubs to help reduce wind erosion, retain soil moisture, provide habitats for wildlife and fuel.
Maramus
A widespread human protein deficiency disease caused by a diet low in calories and protein or imbalanced in essential amino acids.
Agricultural revolution
About 10,000 years ago when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering. Huge effect on population growth.
Beach Sewage Cleanup Act
Act passed in 2000 that along with the Tijuana River Valley Estuary Act helped fund the treatment of sewage flowing into the US from the Tijuana River.
Healthy Forest Restoration Act
Act which allows timber companies to cut down medium and large trees in 71% of the country's forests in return for clearing away smaller, more fire prone trees and underbrush
Teratogens
Agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.
An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore made the documentary about global warming and its affects on ocean temperature, permafrost thawing, and temperatures
Nutrients
All the chemical substances that an organism needs to sustain life
Watershed
All the land from which water drains into a river.
Kyoto Protocol
An 1997 international treaty according to which developed countries that signed the treaty agree to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that may contribute to global warming by 2012. Started to take place in 2005 after Russia ratified.
Three Mile Island
An accident at the nuclear plant at this location that caused a radiation leak and forced the evacuation of 140,000 people near the site. The story made headlines around the world and seemed to confirm people's fears about nuclear power.
Environmental Protection Agency
An agency of the federal government created in 1970 and charged with administering all the government's environmental legislation. It also administers policies dealing with toxic wastes. It is the largest federal independent regulatory agency.
Intercropping
An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction and reduce erosion.
No till agriculture
An agriculture process where weeds are killed, usually with chemicals, without tilling the land to reduce erosion.
Floodplain
An area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks.
Patches
An area of habitat that differs from its surroundings and has sufficient resources to allow a population to persist
Low Pressure Systems
An area of lower than normal atmospheric pressure, usually associated with frontal systems and cloudy or rainy weather. Wind circulates around low pressure cells, or lows, in a counterclockwise direction..... tend to have unstable and quickly changing weather
Wilderness areas
An area of undeveloped land affected primarly by the forces of nature where man is a visitor who does not remain,most areas meeting these standards are in the Western US and Alaska.
National Wildlife Refuge
An area set aside to serve as a haven for plants and animals and also sometimes to encourage hunting, fishing, photography, environmental education, and other public uses
Single use development
An area where only one land use is allowed, such as a residential development OR a commercial development (but not both at the same time).
Carpooling
An arrangement by two or more people to travel to and from work, school or other activities together in one automobile. Helps decreases air pollution
primary producers
An autotroph, usually a photosynthetic organism. Collectively, autotrophs make up the trophic level of an ecosystem that ultimately supports all other levels.
Primary Succession
An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed or no vegetation or soil life remains.
Paul Ehrlich
An ecologist who wrote "The Population Bomb" in (1968) and predicted that rapidly increasing human population would unleash famine and conflict that would consume civilization by the end of the 20th century.
capitalist economy
An economy in which buyers and sellers interact to determine which goods and services to produce, how much of them to produce, and how to distribute them.
Steady-state economics
An economy that is seen as stable and does not fluctuate too much and are intended to mirror ecological systems.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
An emergency supply of up to one billion barrels of oil that is stored in underground salt caverns along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, as mandated by the U.S. Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
Phytoremediation
An emerging nondestructive technology that seeks to cheaply reclaim contaminated areas by taking advantage of the remarkable ability of some plant species to extract heavy metals and other pollutants from the soil and to concentrate them in easily harvested portions of the plant.
Xeriscaping
An environmentally friendly form of landscaping that uses a variety of indigenous and drought-tolerant plants, shrubs, and ground cover.
conservation ethic
An ethic holding that humans should put natural resources to use but also have a responsibility to manage them wisely, espoused by Gifford Pinchot
preservation ethic
An ethic holding that we should protect the natural environment in a pristine unaltered state, espoused by John Muir.
Focus the Nation
An event held on January 31, 2008, at over 1,900 schools across the US, to educate students & campus & community members about global climate change
Growth rate
An expression of the increase in the size of an organism or population over a given period of time. (Sorry but this time I'm too lazy to add the formula)
Primary consumer
An herbivore; an organism in the trophic level of an ecosystem that eats plants or algae
Thermogram
An image that shows regions of different temperatures in different colors.
Anthropocentrism
An inclination to evaluate reality exclusively in terms of human values, especially by measuring costs and benefits exclusively on their impact on people.
Global Warming
An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes)
Urbanization
An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.
Cornucopian
An individual whose point of view on world population growth is that technological advances will rescue us from exceeding the world's carrying capacity. People who are optimists about world population growth.
PCB
An industrial compound that accumulates in animal tissue and can cause harmful effects and birth defects;banned in 1977.
Methane hydrate
An unconventional gas trapped in icy, cagelike structures of molecules. Deposits of these icy crystals are buried under arctic permafrost and deep beneath the ocean bottom. Currently, it is costs too much natural gas from these sources, but technology is rapidly developing for ways to safely tap this ample energy supply and prevent potential environmental hazards.
Tar Sands
An underground sand deposit permeated with a thick, asphalt-like oil known as bitumen. The bitumen can be separated from the sand by heating.
Tertiary consumers
Animals that feed on animal-eating animals. They feed at high trophic levels in food chains and webs. Examples are hawks, lions, bass, and sharks.
Vector
Any agent (person or animal or microorganism) that carries and transmits a disease.
Marine protected areas
Any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by Federal, State, territorial, tribal or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein.
aquifer recharge zone
Any area where water infiltrates earth's surface and reaches an aquifer below
limiting factors
Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms
Source reduction
Any change in design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials or products to reduce their amount of toxicity before they become municipal solid waste
Adaptive trait
Any heritable trait that enables an organism to survive through natural selections and reproduce better under prevailing environmental conditions
Biological Hazards
Any living organisms or its properties that can cause an adverse response in humans.
Run of river approach
Any of several methods used to generate hydropower without greatly disrupting the flow of water.
element
Any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter
Pesticides
Any one of various substances used to kill harmful insects (insecticide), fungi (fungicide), vermin, or other living organisms that destroy or inhibit plant growth, carry disease, or are otherwise harmful.
By-catch
Any other species of fish, mammals, or birds that are caught that are not the target organism.
Genetic engineering
Any process that involves the direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes.
Aerosols
Any small (microscopic) liquid or solid particle coming from land or water surfaces that are carried into the atmosphere. Reflect sunlight back into space and cool atmosphere.
Fertilizer
Any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile.
Waste
Any unwanted material or substance that results from a human activity or process.
Hazardous Waste
Any waste that poses a danger to human health; it must be dealt with in a different way from other types of waste.
Restoration ecology
Applying ecological principles in an effort to return ecosystems that have been disturbed by human activity to a condition as similar as possible to their natural state.
Organic agriculture
Approach to farming and ranching that avoids the use of herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, and other similar synthetic inputs.
Plan of Chicago
Architect Daniel Burnham's 1909 plan that is recognized as the first thorough plan for an American city. It expanded parks and playground, improved living conditions, and cleared industry and railroads from the shores of Lake Michigan. Also called the Burnham Plan.
carbon offsets
Are projects that compensate for all or part of a company's greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating the CO2 equivalent of those emissions from another source. Sometimes with the goal of carbon neutrality.
Benthic Zone
Area along the ocean floor that consists of sand, silt, and dead organisms.
Bogs
Areas of water-saturated ground usually composed of deep layers of undecayed vegetation, called peat.
Continental Shelves
Areas where continental surfaces extend under the shallow ocean water around the continents.
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Aromatic compounds with 2 or more aromatic rings that fused together. Highly volatile and carcinogenic. (PAHs)
isotopes
Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.
Thomas Malthus
Author of "An Essay on the Principle of Population" (1798) who claimed that population grows at an exponential rate while food production increases arithmetically and therefore population growth would outpace food production.
E.O Wilson
Author of Sociobiology. Talks about the 'selfish gene' i.e. natural selection favors those genes that increase the expected relative reproductive success of their bearers. (guppy experiement)
E.O Wilson
Author of Sociobiology. Talks about the 'selfish gene' i.e. natural selection favors those genes that increase the expected relative reproductive success of their bearers. Applied the principles of evolutionary biology to the study of social behavior in animals, also coined " biophilia", which he says is innate.
nitrogen fixing bacteria
Bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air into forms that can be used by plants and animals.
denitrifying bacteria
Bacteria which often live in damp soil, and which convert nitrates into nitrogen gas
Parent material
Basic geological material in a particular location from which soil is made through the weathering process.
Henry Gleason
Botanist who disagreed with Clements and believed in the individualistic hypothesis. He argued that communities were not cohesive units, but temporary associations of individual species that can reassemble into different combinations.
Benthic zone
Bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms
Moho discontinuity
Boundary between the crust and the mantle where seismic waves speed up
John Ruskin
British art critic, poet and writer who criticized industrialized cities and their pollution. Believed that people no longer appreciated the environments spiritual or aesthetic benefits.
Arthur Tansley
British ecologist who counted the term "ecosystem", particular portion of the world which forms a home for the organisms which inhabit it
Our Stolen Future
By Theo Colburn in 1996 it widely promoted idea that synthetic chemicals may be altering hormones and integrated scientific work from various fields as proof.
Doldrums
Calm, windless part of the ocean near the equator.
Burgess Shale
Canadian fossil formation that contains Cambrian soft-bodied organisms as well as organisms with hard parts. Fossils date from approximately 530 million years ago.
Bisphenol A
Chemical building block in certain plastics used in a variety of products such as dental fillings, baby bottles, and beverage cans. Now banned.
Hadley Cells
Circulation cells exist at the equator,warm air rises and cools dropping rains at equator, cooled air is pushed polewards, dense, dry air descends warms and absorbs moisture
Regional Planning
City planning done on broader geographic scales, generally involving multiple municipal governments
Stern Review
Climate change will happen, but if we wait to reverse it, then climate change will be more costly. 20% change in world GDP caused by climate change by 2050.1-8% of world GDP to mitigate climate change now.
Currents
Cold or warm stream of seawater that flows in the oceans, generally in a circular pattern
Recycling
Collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products
Polyculture
Complex form of intercropping in which a large number of different plants maturing at different times are planted together. Seen mainly in traditional agriculture.
Carbohydrates
Compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body.
Volatile organic compounds
Compounds including hydrocarbons, produced by combustion of gasoline, from surface coatings and from electric utility combustion; participates in the production of PAN through reactions with nitric oxides.
Organic compounds
Compounds that contain carbon
CERCLA
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) 1980; To facilitate the cleanup of any abandoned or uncontrolled sites containing hazardous substances and to impose strict liability for cleanup costs on potentially responsible parties
Soil Conservation Service
Conducted research into controlling wind and water erosion, set up demonstration project and technical assistance to farmers. Now called the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
neo-malthusians
Contemporary believers in Thomas Malthus's original ideas. They call for sustainable population growth to be achieved through birth control teachings and regional attention to birth patterns. Examples are the Club of Rome and the "Ehrlichs"
CAFE standards
Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards enacted into law in 1975, established fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The fuel economy ratings for a manufacturer's entire line of passenger cars must currently average at least 27.5 mpg for the manufacturer to comply with the standard.
Biogenic gas
Created at shallow depths by bacterial anaerobic decomposition of organic matter "swamp gas"
National forest system
Created in part by Pinchot. Expanded by Roosevelt as a way to protect the landscape for continued, rational lumbering. Contains 155 national forests and 22 national grasslands which are managed by the US Forest Service. Approximately 8% of nation's land area,
Recombinant DNA
DNA produced by combining DNA from different sources.
Soil degradation
Damage to soil - for example, as a result of deforestation or the removal of topsoil from bare land by water and wind erosion.
Bjorn Lomborg
Danish statistician and author of " The Skeptical Environmentalist". Argues that general conditions of human life are increasing despite environmental problems.
SLOSS Dilemma
Debate over whether its better to make reserves large in size and few in number or many in number but small in size
Fresh Water
Defined as water having a low salt concentration (less than 1%). Includes ponds and lakes, streams and rivers, and estuaries.
Desertification
Degradation of land which results in a loss of 10% or more in productivity, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.
Triple Bottom Lineo
Demand that our current human population limit its environmental impact while also promoting economic well-being and social equity.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic material that carries information about an organism and is passed from parent to offspring.
cellulosic ethanol
Derived from inedible cellulose of plants; possibly has less negative aspects than conventional ethanol, more net energy production.
Sanitary landfills
Disposal sites for non-hazardous solid waste that is spread in layers and compacted to the smallest practical volume. The sites are typically designed with floors made of materials to treat seeping liquids and are covered by soil as the wastes are compacted and deposited into the landfill.
Random distribution
Distribution in which the location of members in a population is totally random, location of each individual is determined by chance.
Zoning
Dividing an area into zones or sections reserved for different purposes such as residence and business and manufacturing
threshold dose
Dose below which, little effect is seen, but after which the effects begin to show.
Horizon
Each layer of soil is termed a __________.
command economy
Economic system in which a central authority is in command of the economy; a centrally planned economy
mixed economies
Economic systems in which some allocation of resources is made by the market and some by the government.
ENSO
El Nino Southern Oscillation, trade winds weaken & warm surface water moves toward South America. Diminished fisheries off South America, drought in western Pacific, increased precipitation in southwestern North America, fewer Atlantic hurricanes.
Revolving Door
Employment cycle in which individuals who work for government agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern.
Active Solar
Energy collection, which makes use of technological devices to focus, move, or store solar energy.
Biomass energy
Energy derived from burning organic material such as wood, alcohol, and garbage.
Geothermal energy
Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.
kinetic energy
Energy in motion
Nuclear Energy
Energy released when atomic nuclei undergo a nuclear reaction such as the spontaneous emission of radioactivity, nuclear fission, or nuclear fusion.
potential energy
Energy that is stored and held in readiness
Lobbying
Engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.
John Stuart Mill
English Philosopher who wrote "On Liberty" also predicted that resources would become increasingly hard to extract and find.
Alfred Russell Wallace
English naturalist who proposed, independently of Charles Darwin, the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution and as a way to explain the great variety of living things
Charles Darwin
English naturalist. He studied the plants and animals of South America and the Pacific islands(Galapagos), and in his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) set forth his theory of evolution.
Terry Erwin
Entomologist who used "bug bombing" to estimate 30 million unknown insect species in a rainforest.
Endocrine disruptors
Environmental contaminants that mimics hormones and interferes with endocrine functioning in animals.
Splash erosion
Erosion caused by the direct force of falling drops of rain on bare soil. Causes splashing in which soil particles are lifted and then dropped into a new position.
Rill Erosion
Erosion where numerous small channels are formed serveral inches deep, occcurs mainly in recently cultivated soils. May later form gullies.
Flagship Species
Especially interesting or attractive organisms that people respond to emotionally. Motivate public to preserve biodiversity and contribute to conservation. EX: giant panda (youtube.com: panda sneezing)
Mullerian mimicry
Evolution of two species both of which are unpalatable and have poisonous stingers or some other defense mechanism to resemble each other.
neoclassical economics
Examines the psychological factors underlying consumer choices, explaining market prices in terms of consumer preferences for units of particular commodities
Surface impoundments
Excavated depressions sucH as ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liquid hazardous wastes are drained and stored.
Storm surge
Excess seawater driven landward by wind during a storm; the low atmospheric pressure beneath the storm allows sea level to rise locally, increasing the surge.
chronic exposure
Exposure for long periods of time to a toxicant occurring in low amounts.
acute exposure
Exposure to a hazardous substance over a short period of time or at a high dose
Subsurface mining
Extraction of a metal ore or fuel resource such as coal from a deep underground deposit.
Sustainable agriculture
Farming methods that preserve long-term productivity of land and minimize pollution, typically by rotating soil- restoring crops with cash crops and reducing in-puts of fertilizer and pesticides.
Monoculture
Farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year. Seen mainly in industrialized agriculture.
Alvarez
Father/son team that first proposed that a giant asteroid caused the K-T extinction.
Clean Water Act
Federal Law setting a national goal of making all natural surface water fit for fishing and swimming by 1983, banned polluted discharge into surface water and required the metals be removed from waste.
extrusive
Fine-grained igneous rock that forms when magma cools quickly at or near Earth's surface. Best example is Basalt.
Albert Bierstadt
German painter known for his large landscapes of the American west, foremost painter of Westward Expansion scenes, part of Hudson River School, "Storm in the Rocky Mountains", "Looking Down Yosemite Valley", "The Oregon Trail"
Crude oil
Gooey liquid consisting mostly of hydrocarbon compounds and small amounts of compounds containing oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen. Extracted from underground accumulations, it is sent to oil refineries, where it is converted to heating oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, tar, and other materials.
Sludge
Gooey mixture of toxic chemicals, infectious agents, and settled solids removed from wastewater at a sewage treatment plant.
Bitumen
Gooey, black, high-sulfur, heavy oil extracted from tar sand and then upgraded to synthetic fuel oil. See tar sand.
Regulatory Taking
Government regulation of property so extensive that government is deemed to have taken the property by the power of eminent domain, for which it must compensate the property owners.
Population Pyramids
Graphs showing the percentages of males and females by age group in a country's population
Tropospheric ozone
Ground level ozone; is considered bad because it is closer to the earth making it more likely for someone to breathe it in. It is also more dangerous because it is made up of particulate matter.
CFCs
Group of compounds that contain carbon, fluorine and chlorine that absorb infrared energy so they are greenhouse gases that destroys ozone
Exponential Growth
Growth of a population that multiplies by a constant factor at constant time intervals(geometric increases). Forms J-shaped curve.
Fifth Amendment
Guarantees the requirements of a grand jury indictment; Cannot be compelled to be a witness against oneself; Must be given due process. No private property can be taken without "just compensation"; One cannot be punnished more than once for the same crime. Used as argument against "regulatory taking".
Salvage logging
Harvesting timber killed by fire, disease, or wind throw. May increase erosion and lead to soil damage.
Aldo Leopold
He wrote the 1949 essay "The Land Ethic" and the book "A Sand County Almanac. Was a pioneer in the conservation movement. He was the founder of the wilderness society, created in 1935.
sick-building syndrome
Headaches, allergies, chronic fatigue and other symptoms caused by poorly vented indoor air contaminated by pathogens or toxins.
Factory fishing
Highly industrialized, huge vessels use powerful technologies to capture fish in huge volumes. Even process and freeze their catches while at sea
Easter Island
Highly populated and successful culture until they overused their limiting factors and cut down their trees to create farmland which collapsed their civilization
Roderick Nash
Historian who in 1989 wrote "The Rights of Nature" which illustrated the historical expansion of ethics from living to non-living things.
Ecological economists
Hold view that economics is a sub-system of the Earth and that resources, goods, services, and money flow impact not only homes and businesses but all of Earth's systems. Advocate sustainability(some steady-state economics) and argue that growth paradigm will eventually fail.
Soil Structure
How the particles that make up a soil are organized and clumped together.
Cultural hazards
Human health hazards that result from the place we live, our socioeconomic status, our occupation, or our behavioral choices, include smoking, unsafe working conditions, poor diet, drugs, drinking, driving, criminal assaults, unsafe sex, and poverty.
Storage technique
Impounding water in reserviors behind concrete dams that block the flow of river water and then letting that water pass through the dam
Thomas Kuhn
In 1962 he published "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" which argued that science goes through periodic revolutions, in which a scientific paradigm is abandoned for another.
Limnetic zone
In a lake, the well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore. Within this zone sunlight intensity and water temperature decrease with depth.
Facilitation
In ecological succession, the phenomenon in which early-arriving species make conditions more favorable for later-arriving species
Hypoxia
In ecology a low concentration of dissolved oxygen in the bottom waters of a lake or ocean.
Distance effect
In island biogeography theory, the pattern that islands far from a mainland host fewer species because fewer species tend to find and colonize it.
Area effect
In island biogeography theory, the pattern that large islands host more species than smaller islands, because larger islands provide larger targets for immigration and because extinction rates are reduced.
Rudolf Diesel
In late 1800's, developed an oil-burning internal-combustion engine that could run factories, ships, and locamotives. This would soon usher in the invention of the motor car.
Surface Zone
In the open ocean this is only zone that has enough sunlight to grow algae. Approx 2% by volume.
Aerobic decomposition
In the presence of air, bacteria and other organisms that use oxygen break down plant and animal remains into simpler molecules that are recycled through the ecosystem.
Biomagnification
Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals (for example, heavy metals or fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web
Fossil Record
Information about past life, including the structure of organisms, what they ate, what ate them, in what environment they lived, and the order in which they lived.
Septic systems
Installed in homes that do not have access to municipal sewers. Used to dispose of wastewater. Wastewater runs into a underground tank, the solids precipitates out while the water proceeds downhill to gravel fill trenches and microbes decompose the remaining waste
Seed Banks
Institutions that preserve seed types as a kind of living museum of genetic diversity
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, panel of scientists and researchers has been one of the main bodies in environmental control and standards in the international community
Cartegena Protocol
International agreement that states countries have the right to decide on safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organism resolution from modern biotechnology(Including GM)
Customary Law
International law that arises from long-standing practices held in common by most cultures
Conventional Law
International law that arises from treaties that nations agree to enter into.
Golden Toad
Is now extinct, used to live in the Costa Rican cloud forests; could be due to El Nino, fungus or Global climate change, restricted range of its habitat, airborne pollution, lower pH levels
Radioisotopes
Isotopes that have unstable nuclei and undergo radioactive decay
Rangeland
Land that supplies forage or vegetation (grasses, grasslike plants, and shrubs) for grazing and browsing animals and is not intensively managed. Also known as pasture
Cropland
Land used to raise plants for human use
Safe harbor agreements
Landowners voluntarily agree to take specified steps to restore, improve, or maintain habitat for threatened or endangered species located on their land
Polymers
Large compound formed from combinations of many monomers.
Non-point sources
Large or dispersed land areas such as crop fields, streets, and lawns that discharge pollutants into the environment over a large area
Bottle bills
Laws that mandate that consumers get money back fro returing bottles & cans to retail locations
Ozone Layer
Layer of the stratosphere with a high concentration of ozone; absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation
LEED
Leadership in energy and environmental design builds "green" buildings to reduce energy use and protect the environment
density independent factors
Limiting factor that affects all populations in similiar ways, regardless of population size.
density dependent factors
Limiting factors (such as competition, predation, parasitism, and disease) that are affected by the number of individuals in a given area
Shelf slope break
Line marking a change from the gently inclined continental shelf to the much steeper depth gradient of the continental slope.
Lava
Liquid magma that reaches the surface; also the rock formed when liquid lava hardens.
Symbiosis
Living together in mutually helpful association of two dissimilar organisms.
Species area curves
Lnear number of species to area on log-log axes; Shows that as area increases by 10 , species double.
pH scale
Logarithmic measurement system used to indicate the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in solution; ranges from 0 to 14.
Atlantic Cod
Long lived species that people overfished. Killed almost all of the adults and caused the fish to start maturing earlier. Resulted in a stock collapse. Probably one of the most important fish species in history.
Proteins
Macromolecules that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxyge, and nitrogen. Source of energy and needed by tissue for repair and growth. Made up of 20 amino acids.
Controlled burns
Managed fires that are set periodically to control the amount of vegetation underneath the dominant forest tree species
Marine Reserves
Marine area where no extraction of any resources are allowed, biotic or abiotic.
Natural Resources
Materials that humans can take from the environment to survive and satisfy their needs
Tidal Creeks
Meandering creek-like channels within salt marshes and mud flats, through which seawater enters and leaves as the tide rises and falls.
Food security
Means that every person in a given area has daily access to enough nutritious food to have an active and healthy life. The goal of agricultural scientists and policymakers.
Wind turbines
Mechanical assemblies that convert wind's kinetic energy, or energy of motion, into electrical energy
Murchison Meteorite
Meteorite that broke up in Australia in 1969 that demonstrated the same components in the same proportions as Miller-Urey, with several amino acids and with similar oily organic goo like used in Miller's apparatus
Coalbed methane
Methane trapped in strata too deep to be reached by mining. Retrieving the methane requires drilling.
Ferrel Cells
Mid-latitude convection cells that create westerlies between 30 and 60 degrees latitude.
Asbestos
Mineral used extensively in insulation; inhaling fibers can cause sever respiratory diseases; particularly dangerous if friable, i.e., easily crumbled.
Adaptive management
Monitoring and assessing a project over time to determine relevant policies and regulations as impacts may arise. Examples include Forest Service management plans or other plans involving wildlife habitat that require monitoring.
Dust Bowl
Parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas that were hit hard by dry topsoil and high winds that created blinding dust storms; this area of the Great Plains became called that because winds blew away crops and farms, and blew dust from Oklahoma to Albany, New York.
Homestead Act
Passed in 1862, it gave 160 acres of public land to any citizen who paid a $16 fee who would also farm the land for five years.
Antiquities Act
Passed in 1906, this act allows the President to protect areas of scientific or historical interest on federal lands as national monuments
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Passed in 1976, enabled the EPA to have a "cradle to the grave" control over hazardous waste. Pertained to generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. The act also created a framework for the proper management of non-hazardous waste materials. Led to development of "Sanitary Landfills".
Loam
Perfect agricultural soil with equal portions of sand, silt, and clay.
Mass extinction
Period of time when global environmental changes lead to the elimination of a large number of species throughout Earth. 5 have passed.
Milankovitch cycles
Periodic variations in tilt, eccentricity, and wobble in the earth's orbit, possibly responsible for cyclic weather changes.
transform plate boundary
Places where crustal plates shear laterally past one another. Crust is neither produced nor destroyed at this type of junction.
Feedlots
Places where livestock are concentrated in a very small area and raised on hormones and hearty grains that prepare them for slaughter at a much more rapid rate than grazing; often referred to as factory farms.
Rosy Periwinkle
Plant found to be effective in treating some forms of leukemia, especially childhood leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. Active components are the alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine. These inhibit cell division and slow tumor growth
Invasive Species
Plants and animals that have migrated to areas where they did not originate; often displace native species by outcompeting them for resources
Cover crops
Plants such a rye, alfalfa, or clover, that can be planted immediately after harvest to hold an protect the soil.
p-type layer
Plate of a PV cell that is electron poor and frequently doped with boron. (positive)
n type layer
Plate of a PV cell with added electrons by doping with arsenic or phosphorous (negative charge).
Dose response curve
Plot of data showing effects of various doses of a toxic agent on a group of test organisms.ne approach is to determine the lethal dose—the amount needed to kill an animal.
Contour Farming
Plowing and planting across the changing slope of land, rather than in straight lines, to help retain water and reduce soil erosion.
Nuclear fuel cycle
Pocesses involved with producing nuclear power from the mining and processing of uranium to control fission, reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, decommissioning of power plants, and disposal of radioactive waste
Lead poisoning
Poisoning caused by an elevated level of lead in the human body that can result in damage to the brain, nervous system, kidneys, and blood.
Public Policy
Policy made by government. Consists of laws, regulations, orders, incentives, and practices intended to advance social welfare.
Environmental Policy
Policy that pertains to human interactions with the environment.
Primary pollutants
Pollutants that are put directly into the air by human or natural activity, (CO, CO2, SO2, NO, hydrocarbons, particulates).
toxic air pollutants
Pollutants that cause serious illness or death to humans, must be identified by EPA and sets standards for their emmision; asbestos, mercury, lead, benzene, lead, etc
Secondary pollutants
Pollutants that form from chemical reactions that occur when primary pollutants come in contact with other primary pollutants or with naturally occuring substances, such as water vapor.
Leachate
Polluted liquid produced by water passing through buried wastes in a landfill.
Acid drainage
Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams.
Sources
Pools(Reservoirs) that release more nutrients than they accept.
Photic Zone
Portion of the marine biome that is shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate. Most productive, generally near or continental shelves.
Hydroelectric power
Power that is derived from a moving body of water, such as a river or waterfall.
Resource Management
Practice of harvesting potentially renewable resources in ways that do not deplete them.
Liquified natural gas
Pressurized natural gas that is highly volatile but helps in transport or storage.
Westerlies
Prevailing winds that blow from west to east between 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude in both hemispheres.
Trade Winds
Prevailing winds that blow northeast from 30 degrees north latitude to the equator and that blow southeast from 30 degrees south latitude to the equator
tort law
Prior to the passage of federal legislation, pollution problems were subject to this kind of law which addresses harm caused by one entity to another, and individuals suffering external costs from pollution were limited to seeking redress through lawsuits.
Adaptive radiation
Process by which a single species or small group of species evolves into several different forms that live in different ways; rapid growth in the diversity of a group of organisms. Example of this is birds with different beaks adapted to different beaks.
Photosynthesis
Process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
Chemosynthesis
Process in which certain organisms (mostly specialized bacteria) extract inorganic compounds(like hydrogen sulfide) from their environment and convert them into organic nutrient compounds without the presence of sunlight. Compare photosynthesis.
Strip mining
Process in which rock and soil are stripped from earths surface to expose the underlying materials to be mined
Leaching
Process in which various chemicals in upper layers of soil are dissolved and carried to lower layers and, in some cases, to groundwater.
Salinization
Process that occurs when soils in arid areas are brought under cultivation through irrigation. In arid climates, water evaporates quickly off the ground surface, leaving salty residues that render the soil infertile.
Physical Hazards
Processes that occur naturally and pose health hazards include discrete events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions.
Sulfur dioxide
Produced by chemical interacting between sulfur and oxygen. Contributes to acid rain. Harm plant life, irritates respiratory system.
Traditional agriculture
Producing enough food for a farm family's survival and perhaps a surplus that can be sold.
classical economics
Promotion of free enterprise and capitalism regulated by the market, not the government. Also known as Laissez-faire.
Differential extinction effect
Proportionately fewer species go extent on larger islands (small islands - more likely to go extinct)
Garrett Hardin
Published "The Tragedy of the Commons" in 1968; Argued that resources that are open to unregulated exploitation would be eventually depleted. According to neo-keynesian economic theory it can be resolved by Coase theorem.
Brundtland Report
Published in 1987 in the influential report "Our Common Future" and created by World Commision on Environment and Development of the UN. Discusses sustainable development and the triple bottom line for the first time.
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson wrote in this 1962 about her suspicion that the pesticide DDT, by entering the food chain and eventually concentrating in higher animals, caused reproductive dysfunctions. In 1973, DDT was banned in the U.S. except for use in extreme health emergencies.
Mutations
Random errors in gene replication that lead to a change in the sequence of nucleotides; the source of all genetic diversity
Temperate Rainforest
Rare biome characterized by abundant moisture, mild climate, think and rish soil, and the growth of shrubs and small trees; currently found only in British Columbia, Alaska, and Chile, and parts of pacific north.
Triple Bottom Line
Recognition of the need for organizations to improve the state of people, the planet, and profit simultaneously if they are to achieve sustainable, long-term growth
Benthic
Relating to the bottom of a lake or sea or the organisms that live there.
Amensalism
Relationship between two species in which one is inhibited or harmed, while the other is unaffected, an example may be allelopathy
Green tags
Represent a validation that renewable energy was produced and made available on the electric grid, commit energy producers and consumers alike to renewable zero commission energy
Suburbs
Residential areas surrounding a city.
Nonrenewable natural resources
Resources in finite supply that are formed much slower than we use them. Like Oil/ Natural Gas.
Humus
Rich, dark organic material formed by decay of vegetable matter, essential to soil's fertility.
High Pressure Systems
Rotating body of air that exerts high pressure on surface of earth because air descends towards the surface in the centre, usually signifying dry and stable conditions
Waterlogging
Saturation of soil with irrigation water or excessive precipitation so that the water table rises close to the surface which then makes plant roots unable to make adequate gas exchanges and ultimately leads to plant death.
Ecology
Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
Adam Smith
Scottish political economist and philosopher. His Wealth of Nations (1776) laid the foundations of classical free-market economic theory, government should not interfere with economics. Advocates Laissez Faire and founder of "invisible hand"
Aral Sea
Sea east of the Caspian sea, in the heart of Central Asia. It was the fourth largest inland sea until the 1960's and it supported a healthy fishing community. It has lost over 80% of its volume in 45 years because of irrigation projects.
Industrial Ecology
Seeks to redesign industrial systems to reduce resource inputs and to maximize both physical and economic efficiency.
World heritage sites
Sites receiving designation from the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of their high cultural or biological significance.
positive feedback loop
Situation in which a change in a certain direction provides information that causes a system to change further in the same direction. For example erosion and population growth.
Stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere that is above the troposphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases. Pollutants that enter this zone tend to remain for a very long time because of a lack of vertical mixing. Contains Ozone layer.
Gestation period
The length of time between fertilization and birth
Nitrogen
The limiting nutrient go marine systems.
Phosphorous
The limiting nutrient of freshwater systems.
Deforestation
The loss or destruction of forests, mainly for logging or farming. Adds carbon dioxide to environment and can result in a rapid decrease in biodiversity in an area.
R Horizon
The lowermost layer of pure parent material.
Troposphere
The lowest layer of the atmosphere. Air movement in this layer is largely responsible for the planet's weather. Although thin it contains 75% of the atmospheres mass.
GDP
The market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time
Moderator
The material used to slow down the fast neutrons produced by fission
Maximum sustainable yield
The maximum level at which a natural resource can be routinely exploited without long-term depletion. A guideline in resource management. (At the inflection point -Pg.331).
Biotic potential
The maximum reproductive rate of an organism, given unlimited resources and ideal environmental conditions
Bathymetry
The measurement of ocean depths and the charting of the shape or topography of the ocean floor
Turbidity
The measurement of water cloudiness; it may be affected by such things as sediment and plankton concentrations
Pycnocline
The middle zone of the ocean in which density increases rapidly with depth. Temperature falls and salinity rises in this zone. Approx. 18% of ocean water by volume.
Atmosphere
The mixture of gases that surrounds Earth
Clumped distribution
The most common type of population distribution where many members of the population live close together(usually near resources), humans for example. Also called patchy.
Cellular respiration
The most prevalent and efficient catabolic pathway for the production of ATP, in which oxygen is consumed as a reactant along with the organic fuel.
Flux
The movement of nutrients between different reservoirs.
Immigration
The movement of organisms INTO a population
Emigration
The movement of organisms OUT of a population
Phosphorous cycle
The movement of phosphorus from the nonliving environment into living things and then back into the nonliving environment
Plasmodium
The multinucleate cytoplasm of a slime mold that is surrounded by a membrane and that moves as a mass, causes malaria
New Forestry
The name for a new variety of timber harvesting practices to increase the likelihood of sustainability, including recognition of the dynamic characteristics of forests and of the need for management within an ecosystem context .
Chernobyl
The nuclear power plant in the Ukraine that suffered two large explosions which released massive amounts of radioactive materials. It is the worst nuclear accident in history and thousands were and continue to be impacted by the disaster.
Age structure
The number and proportion of people at each age in a population
Species diversity
The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.
Replacement fertility
The number of children a couple must have to replace themselves (averages 2.1 in more developed nations, 2.7 in less developed nations).
Total Fertility Rate
The number of children born to an average woman in a population during her entire reproductive life
Crude death rate
The number of deaths in a given time span per 1,000 organisms.
Minimum viable population size
The number of individuals needed for long-term survival of rare and endangered species
Crude birth rate
The number of live births in a given period of time per thousand organisms.
Population density
The number of organisms per unit area.
Species richness
The number of species in a biological community
Rotation time
The number of years that pass between the time a forest stand is cut for timber & the next time it is cut
Subsistence economy
The oldest economy, one in which people meet most of their needs directly from nature and do NOT purchase or trade for most of life's nessecities.
Crust
The outer layer of the Earth
Thermosphere
The outermost shell of the atmosphere, between the mesosphere and outer space, where temperatures increase steadily with altitude.
nitrification
The oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants)
ground water
The part of the subsurface water that is in the zone of saturation, including underground streams.
Hydrological Cycle
The paths water take through its various states-vapor, liquid, solid- as it moves throughout the oceans, atmosphere, groundwater, streams, etc...
Hubbert's Peak
The prediction that U.S. oil production would reach its peak in the early 1970's. The methodology is now being used to predict the timing of a downturn in global annual oil production as well as to forecast when we could run out of oil.
Atmospheric pressure
The pressure exerted by the atmosphere on all objects within it.
Free Rider Problem
The problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups.
coal gasification
The process behind the concept of "clean coal," and is designed to remove carbon dioxide from the emissions produced by burning coal and turn coal into liquid gas fuel
Speciation
The process by which a new species evolves from a prior species, the most basic process in macroevolution.
Habitat selection
The process by which organisms actively select habitats in which to live
Natural Selection
The process by which traits that enhance survival and reproduction are passed on more frequently to future generations than those that do not, thus altering the genetic makeup of populations through time.
Evaporation
The process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas
Erosion
The process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another
Carbon cycle
The process in an ecosystem in which producers take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and consumers, having eaten producers, release carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide
Electrolysis
The process in which an electric current is used to produce a chemical reaction, such as the decomposition of water
Nuclear Fusion
The process in which two atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus, forming a heavier element and releasing huge amounts of energy.
Ecological Restoration
The process of altering a site or area with the objective of reestablishing indigenous, historical ecosystems
Habit Restoration
The process of bringing a damaged habitat back to a healthy condition
Demographic Transition
The process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and a higher total population. (Just look on Pg. 220 and 221)
Clear cutting
The process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once.
Composting
The process of mixing decaying leaves, manure and other nutritive matter to improve and fertilize soil.
Debeaking
The process of removing chickens beaks with a hot blade to aviod cannibalism between the starving chickens.
Desalination
The process of removing salt from seawater so that it can be used for drinking and irrigation, can be accomplished through distillation or reverse osmosis.
selective breeding
The process of selecting a few organisms with desired traits to serve as parents of the next generation.
Irrigation
The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.
lithification
The process that converts sediments into solid rock by compaction or cementation.
Allelopathy
The production of chemicals by plants that inhibit the growth of neighbouring plants.
Bioluminescence
The production of light by means of a chemical reaction in an organism
City Planning
The professional pursuit that attempts to design cities in such a way as to maximize their efficiency, functionality, & beauty
Sex ratio
The proportion of males to females. To maximize population growth needs to be 50/50.
Albedo
The proportional reflectance of Earth's surface; glaciers and ice sheets have high values of this and reflect most of the sunlight hitting their surfaces, whereas the ocean and forests have low values.
Coase Theorem
The proposition that if private parties can bargain without cost over the allocation of resources, they can solve the problem of externalities on their own
greenwashing
The public relations practice of covering up environmental problems by associating a client with beneficial environmental actions
Toxic Substances Control Act
The purpose of this law was to give the Environmental protection agency the ability to report, record, and testing requirements of chemical substances. The law also allows the environmental protection agency to say how they are produced, their importance and how the chemicals are to be disposed.
Aquaculture
The raising of plants or animals, such as fish or shellfish, in or at the bottom of the sea, a lake, a river, or other body of water
Realized niche
The range of resources and conditions a species actually uses or can tolerate at optimal efficiency; smaller than fundamental niche
Resilience
The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance
Natural rate of population change
The rate of change in a population's size resulting from birth and death rates alone, excluding migration
EROI
The ratio of the energy return to the energy invested and it sands for energy returned on investment. ER/EI
isotopic signature
The ratios of different isotopes that allow scientists to date events.
Indoor Air Pollution
Usually is a much greater threat to human health than outdoor air pollution. The four most dangerous indoor air pollutants in developed countries are tobacco smoke, formaldehyde found in a variety of building materials and household products, radioactive radon-222 gas that can seep into houses from underground rock deposits, and very small fine and ultra fine particles.
Subspecies
Variations of a species that live in different geographic areas
Ecosystem diversity
Variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere
flexible fuel vehicles
Vehicles that run on 85% ethanol. But very few gas stations offer this fuel
nucleic acids
Very long organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and phosphurous, contain instructions that cells need to carry out all the functions of life. Direct protein synthesis.
Industrial solid waste
Waste from production of consumer goods, mining, agriculture and petroleum extraction and refining
Groundwater
Water found in the spaces between soil particles and cracks in rocks underground (located in the saturation zone).
Runoff
Water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground.
Wastewater
Water that runs into drains that may contain sewage and chemicals from homes and businesses or pollutants from industry
Swamps
Wetlands occurring where freshwater collects in shallow pools in an especially forested area.
Selection System
When only some of the trees in a forest are cut at once. They include single tree selection in which trees are spaced widely apart are cut at one time and group selection in which small patches of trees are cut at once. Results in uneven aged stands.
anaerobic decomposition
When oxygen is gone in the water and breakdown of matter is turned into noxious gases, including hydrogen sulfide, and methane. May create fossil fuels over time.
Secondary Extraction
When solvents are used and underground rocks are flushed with water or steam to remove additional oil. More costly than primary extraction.
Uneven aged
When stands of trees in timber plantations that are of different ages; this type of stands more closely approximate a natural forest.
Even aged
When trees in a stand are planted at the same time, they are all trees with the same age. Seen more as crop agriculture than ecologically functional forests.
Shelterwood approach
Where smalls numbers of trees were left in place to provide shelter for seedlings as they grow. Similar to Seed tree approach.
Ogallala Aquifer
World's largest aquifer; under parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas (the Midwest). Holds enough water to cover the U.S. with 1.5 feet of water. Being depleted for agricultural and urban use. Also called the High Plains aquifer.
Tokyo
World's largest city and capital of Japan, Population of 35 million people.
E Horizon
Zone of Leaching, Light in color, composed of coarse silt. Fine particles are removed by eluviation, which is materials being removed by sinking downward.
Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare
adjusts the per capita GNP according to inequalities in income distribution, resource depletion, loss of wetlands, loss of farmland, and the cost of air and water pollution. (ISEW)
matter
anything that occupies space and has mass
Wise use movement
favors extracting more resources from public lands, obtaining greater local control of lands, and obtaining greater motorized recreational access to public lands.
Herbivory
interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)