REN R 105: Lectures 1-8 Key Concepts and Terminology

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering prioritized core concepts, environmental history, scientific literacy, geological time, glacial geomorphology, limnology, meteorology, and climatology from REN R 105 (Lectures 1-8).

Environmental Science

An interdisciplinary field for understanding and managing environmental systems.

Pinchot vs. Muir

Pinchot championed utilitarian conservation and resource use, whereas Muir advocated preservation and wilderness protection.

Aldo Leopold

Pioneering thinker associated with the Land Ethic, trophic cascades, and recognizing the critical ecological value of top predators.

Rachel Carson

Author of Silent Spring who catalyzed public awareness regarding DDT, synthetic chemical pesticides, and chemical pollution.

Tragedy of the Commons

An environmental and economic dilemma where individual short-term self-interest degrades and depletes a shared, limited resource for everyone.

Malthusian Trap

The condition where population grows faster than available food and resources, creating a substantial risk of societal collapse.

Borlaug and Haber

Borlaug contributed high-yield crop breeding, while Haber developed the process for synthesizing industrial ammonia fertilizer.

Schindler's Lake 226 Experiment

A whole-lake experiment that proved adding phosphorus drove cultural eutrophication, demonstrating that phosphorus inputs required management and control.

Diamond's 'Evil Quartet'

Four major drivers of extinction: overexploitation, introduced species, habitat loss, and linked extinctions.

James Lovelock (Lecture 1)

Scientist linked to discoveries involving chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), stratospheric ozone depletion, and the global ozone-protection story.

1992 Rio Earth Summit Themes

Four primary themes that emerged: climate, biodiversity, sustainable development, and recognition of Indigenous knowledge.

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Scholar associated with integrating Indigenous knowledge and Western science, emphasizing reciprocity and relational ecology.

Scientifically Valid Hypothesis

A scientific hypothesis that meets the mandatory criteria of being both testable and falsifiable.

Hypothesis Proving

In scientific inquiry, a hypothesis cannot be proven; it can only be supported or disproven/eliminated.

Hypothesis vs. Prediction

A hypothesis explains why a phenomenon occurs, whereas a prediction specifies what should be observed if the hypothesis is correct.

Induction vs. Deduction

Induction moves from specific observations to general principles, whereas deduction moves from general principles to specific predictions.

Reductionism vs. Holism

Reductionism holds that components explain the entire whole, whereas holism views the whole as an interacting system characterized by emergent properties.

Emergence

A higher-level system or group property that cannot be fully explained solely by individual constituent components.

Normative vs. Descriptive Science

Normative science focuses on what should be, whereas descriptive science investigates what is.

Karl Popper

Philosopher of science linked to the key phrase and principle of falsification of hypotheses.

Thomas Kuhn

Philosopher of science associated with paradigms, normal science, and scientific revolutions.

Michael Polanyi

Thinker associated with the concept and phrase 'Republic of science.'

Imre Lakatos

Philosopher of science associated with the scientific research program, where multiple competing hypotheses are systematically tested against empirical data.

T. C. Chamberlin

Geologist who developed the method of multiple working hypotheses to reduce personal attachment and bias toward a single ruling theory.

Study Designs (Hierarchy of Control)

Three scientific study types ranked from strongest control downward: manipulative experiment $\rightarrow$ natural experiment $\rightarrow$ observational study.

Meta-analysis

The highest evidence level in scientific hierarchies because it statistically synthesizes findings and effect sizes across multiple studies.

Replication

The repetition of scientific investigations to obtain similar, repeated results that support reliability and drive science's self-correction.

Publication Bias, P-hacking, and HARKing

Publication bias preferentially favors positive results; p-hacking manipulates data to hunt for statistical significance; HARKing involves hypothesizing after results are already known.

Scientific-Literacy Competencies

Three foundational competencies: explaining phenomena, evaluating and designing inquiry, and interpreting data and evidence.

Dimensions of Science Literacy

Three core dimensions: civic science literacy, digital media science literacy, and cognitive science literacy.

Civic Science Literacy

Understanding how scientific knowledge, methodologies, and factual consensus are produced.

Digital Media Science Literacy

The ability to access, understand, critically assess, and produce science-related media content.

Cognitive Science Literacy

Recognizing how personal beliefs, emotions, heuristics, and subconscious biases impact human judgment and decision-making.

Six Media-Check Categories

Evaluation criteria for science journalism: source, author, missing/highlighted info, fact vs. opinion, headline, and original study.

Predatory Journal

An exploitative publisher that charges publication fees to authors without providing legitimate quality control or peer editorial review.

Peer-Reviewed Paper Evaluation Factors

Critical attributes to evaluate in published research: testability, methods/replication, effect size, overreach, and generalizability.

Earth-History Sequence

The chronological order of origin: Big Bang $\rightarrow$ Sun/solar system $\rightarrow$ Earth $\rightarrow$ LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor).

Four Earth Spheres

The major interconnected systems of the planet: lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere.

Lithosphere

The solid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust plus the rigid upper mantle.

Geological Time Hierarchy

The divisions of geologic time ordered from broad to narrow: Eon $\rightarrow$ Era $\rightarrow$ Period $\rightarrow$ Epoch.

Geological Eons

The four eons of Earth history ordered from oldest to youngest: Hadean $\rightarrow$ Archean $\rightarrow$ Proterozoic $\rightarrow$ Phanerozoic.

Phanerozoic Eras

The eras comprising the Phanerozoic Eon ordered from oldest to youngest: Paleozoic $\rightarrow$ Mesozoic $\rightarrow$ Cenozoic.

Mesozoic Periods

The geologic periods comprising the Mesozoic Era ordered from oldest to youngest: Triassic $\rightarrow$ Jurassic $\rightarrow$ Cretaceous.

Quaternary Epochs

The recent geological epochs emphasized in order: Pleistocene $\rightarrow$ Holocene.

Plutonic vs. Volcanic Igneous Rock

Plutonic igneous rock cools slowly from magma underground; volcanic igneous rock cools rapidly from lava at the Earth's surface.

Craton

The ancient, structurally stable interior foundation of a continent.

K-Pg Boundary Evidence

A globally distributed high-iridium anomaly coupled with the Chicxulub impact crater, supporting the Alvarez asteroid impact hypothesis.

Pleistocene Epoch Timing

Geological epoch lasting from approximately $2.58\text{ Ma}$ to $11.7\text{ ka}$.

Glacial Period Ice Core Conditions

Climatic conditions during glacial cycles characterized primarily by low global temperatures and low atmospheric $CO_2$ concentrations.

Milankovitch Cycles

Three cyclical orbital perturbations driving glacial-interglacial cycles: eccentricity, obliquity, and precession.

Milankovitch Periodicities

Approximate astronomical cycle lengths: eccentricity is approximately $100\text{k yr}$; obliquity is approximately $41\text{k yr}$; precession is approximately $26\text{k yr}$.

Glacial Sea Level Decline

Global drop in sea level occurring during glaciation because massive volumes of ocean water are locked up and stored in continental ice sheets.

Beringia

A largely unglaciated, subaerial geographic region spanning Siberia, Alaska, and the Yukon exposed during times of lowered global sea level.

Post-Glacial Isostatic Rebound

The gradual uplift and vertical rise of the Earth's crust following the deglaciation and removal of the immense gravitational mass of glacial ice.

Proglacial Lake

A freshwater lake that forms directly at the front margin or terminus of a retreating glacier.

Younger Dryas

A rapid, abrupt cooling interval occurring from approximately $12.9\text{ ka}$ to $11.7\text{ ka}$, where $11.7\text{ ka}$ formally marks the end of the last ice age.

Ice-Margin Moraines

Glacial depositional landforms formed at glacier edges: push moraines, dump moraines, and ablation moraines.

Subglacial Landforms

Subsurface features sculpted underneath flowing glaciers: flutes/megaflutes, drumlins, and Rogen (ribbed) moraines.

Glaciofluvial Landforms

Landforms created by glacial meltwater: outwash fans/plains, eskers, kames/kame terraces, and kame-kettle topography.

Glacial Erratic

A large boulder transported and deposited by glacial ice that differs in lithology and mineral composition from the underlying local bedrock.

Hydrosphere

The combined mass of all water present on, within, and above the Earth's surface.

Water Cycle Drivers

The two primary physical forces propelling the hydrologic cycle: solar energy (powering evaporation) and gravity (powering precipitation and flow).

Evapotranspiration (ET)

The combined flux of water returned to the atmosphere via direct surface evaporation plus plant transpiration.

High Evapotranspiration Environments

Ecosystems characterized by warm temperatures, abundant moisture, and high standing plant biomass.

Groundwater vs. Aquifer

Groundwater refers to any subsurface stored water; an aquifer is a permeable, water-bearing geological formation capable of storing and yielding water.

Aquifer Recharge

The hydrologic process by which water infiltrates and is added back into an aquifer storage zone.

Mixed Layer vs. Thermocline

The mixed layer is the isothermal upper water layer; the thermocline is the intermediate aquatic layer showing a rapid decline in water temperature with depth.

Lentic vs. Lotic

Lentic environments comprise still or standing freshwater bodies; lotic environments comprise actively moving and flowing water channels.

Limnology

The scientific discipline focused on the physical, chemical, and biological study of inland freshwater systems.

Oligotrophic vs. Eutrophic Lakes

Oligotrophic lakes possess low nutrient levels and low biological productivity; eutrophic lakes feature high nutrient concentrations and high biological productivity.

Cultural Eutrophication

Anthropogenic, human-accelerated nutrient enrichment of water bodies that stimulates excessive algal blooms and subsequent dissolved oxygen loss.

Dimictic Lake

A lake system that undergoes complete vertical turnover and mixing twice per calendar year, typically during spring and fall.

Summer Thermal Lake Layers

The three stratified vertical lake layers in summer: epilimnion (warm surface), metalimnion (middle thermocline), and hypolimnion (cold bottom).

Atmospheric Layers (Ascending)

The vertical sequence of atmospheric layers moving upward from Earth's surface: troposphere $\rightarrow$ stratosphere $\rightarrow$ mesosphere $\rightarrow$ thermosphere.

Stratospheric Ozone Layer

The beneficial concentration of ozone located specifically in the stratosphere that absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation.

Coriolis Deflection

The apparent deflection of moving winds and currents caused by planetary rotation: deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Global Circulation Cells

The three meridional atmospheric convection cells operating in each hemisphere: Hadley cell, Ferrel cell, and Polar cell.

Subtropical Aridity (30° N/S)

The formation of major deserts near $30^\circ\text{ N}$ and $30^\circ\text{ S}$ driven by high-pressure zones of dry, descending air along the margins of the Hadley cells.

Rossby Waves

Large meanders and planetary-scale waves in upper-tropospheric jet streams caused by differential solar heating and large-scale continental topography.

El Niño vs. La Niña

El Niño is characterized by warm sea-surface temperature anomalies in the central/eastern equatorial Pacific, whereas La Niña features unusually cool conditions in that region.

Orographic Lift

A process where an air mass is forced upward over mountainous terrain, cooling adiabatically to potentially generate condensation, clouds, and precipitation.

Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate

The rate of adiabatic cooling for an unsaturated rising air parcel, specified as $9.8\,^\circ\text{C}\,\text{km}^{-1}$.

Chinook / Föhn Wind

A warm, dry downslope wind occurring on the leeward side of a mountain barrier caused by compressional adiabatic warming.

Thermal Inertia

The physical lag or time delay in a material or system's temperature response when subjected to heating or cooling forces.

Keeling Curve

The continuous observational graph of atmospheric $CO_2$ from Mauna Loa displaying a long-term upward trajectory superimposed on an annual seasonal oscillation.

Stratospheric vs. Ground-Level Ozone

Stratospheric ozone shields the Earth's surface from destructive UV rays; ground-level (tropospheric) ozone functions as a toxic secondary air pollutant.

Acid Rain

Atmospheric deposition acidified by $SO_2$ and $NO_x$ emissions from fossil-fuel burning, whose environmental impacts were demonstrated by Likens at Hubbard Brook.

Weather vs. Climate

Weather denotes short-term atmospheric states; climate represents the long-term statistical average of atmospheric conditions, traditionally assessed over a 30-year span.

Paleoclimatology

The study of past historical and geological climates utilizing natural proxy archives such as tree rings, lake sediments, and ice cores.

Climate Anomaly

The mathematical deviation calculated as the observed meteorological measurement minus the baseline climate-normal mean.

MAT, MAP, and CMI

Climate metrics representing Mean Annual Temperature (MAT), Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP), and the Climate Moisture Index (CMI), defined as precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration (PET).

Continentality

A climate metric of temperature range calculated as the warmest-month mean temperature minus the coldest-month mean temperature.

Köppen Climate Classes (First-Level)

Five major climate zones: A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar/alpine).

Edmonton's Köppen Class

Designated as Dfb, describing a continental climate lacking a dry season with warm summers.

Microclimate

Fine-scale local atmospheric conditions that diverge significantly from the surrounding regional macroclimate.

Microclimate Buffering vs. Decoupling

Buffering reduces local temperature and moisture fluctuations; decoupling makes the microclimate functionally independent of the surrounding macroclimate.

Gaia Hypothesis

The scientific hypothesis proposing that biota and the physical Earth environment interact through active feedbacks to help sustain habitable biosphere conditions.

Albedo

The fraction or proportion of incoming solar radiation reflected back by a surface, quantified on a scale from 0 to 1.

Daisyworld Model

A feedback model where black daisies exhibit low albedo to warm the planet, and white daisies exhibit high albedo to cool the planet, producing homeostatic negative feedback.

Holocene Climate Sequence

The post-glacial sequence of climatic intervals: Younger Dryas $\rightarrow$ Holocene Optimum $\rightarrow$ Neoglacial/Little Ice Age $\rightarrow$ recent warming.