Models for Environmental Compartments and Sustainability Management

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering environmental compartments, atmospheric layers, geochemical models of the Earth, ecological concepts, agricultural impact, and global quality/environmental management standards.

Scientific model

A simplified representation of a phenomenal reality based on the model maker's ideas, used to explain systems that cannot be fully described by direct observation and measurements.

Reference models

Models considered as specimens to be imitated, reproduced (prototypes), or exhibited (fashion or art models).

Simulation models

Scientific tools used for representing phenomena through qualitative or quantitative simulation of interacting components, which can be conceptual, physical, mathematical, animal, or cellular.

Theory-driven (Hard) models

Models based on consolidated natural laws of physics, chemistry, or biology to establish relationships between variables.

Data-driven (Soft) models

Models formulated by recording data and using fitting algorithms in the absence of well-established natural laws.

Internal Working Models

Cognitive frameworks proposed by John Bowlby that comprise mental representations for understanding the world, self, and others, formed through early childhood experiences with caregivers.

Positivism

A scientific approach that makes empirical testability the key criterion for verifying the validity of a hypothesis.

Epistemology

The study of knowledge which posits that science proceeds by conjectures and refutations, resulting in temporary and evolving knowledge.

Reserve compartment

Also called a reservoir pool, this is an abiotic, large, and stable area (like the lithosphere) where substances are stored in stable chemical forms and are not immediately available to organisms.

Fruition compartment

Also called an exchange pool, this is an unstable and small-sized area where chemical processes and transformations occur, making substances available for living organisms.

Anthroposphere

The human-generated equivalent to the biosphere, representing the physical and social environment where human activities develop.

Technosphere

A concept suggested by Peter Haff and Mark Williams referring to the summed material output of contemporary human enterprise, including raw materials, productive activities, and process waste.

Atmosphere

The mixture of gaseous substances that surrounds a planet, held in place by gravity.

Troposphere

The lowest layer of the atmosphere (up to $12\,km$) which contains $80\%$ of total gaseous mass and $99\%$ of water vapour; it is the site of most meteorological phenomena.

Stratosphere

The atmospheric layer from $12$ to $50\,km$ containing the ozonosphere, where temperature increases with altitude and air flow is horizontal.

Mesosphere

The atmospheric layer from $50$ to $80\,km$ where gas becomes rarefied and temperature decreases with altitude.

Thermosphere

The upper atmosphere layer (from $80$ to $600\,km$) where temperature rises to about $1200\,^\circ C$; it contains the ionosphere of electrically charged gases.

Ionosphere

A region within the thermosphere where solar radiation produces a sea of plasma made of ions and free electrons (e.g., $O + \text{energy} \rightarrow O^+ + e^-$).

Aerosol

A heterogeneous mixture containing tiny solid particles or liquid droplets (Particulate Matter) dispersed in a gas medium.

Smoke

A solid aerosol and heterogeneous mixture where the dispersed phase is solid and the dispersion medium is air.

Fog

A liquid aerosol consisting of a heterogeneous mixture of liquid droplets in gas, typically forming near the ground.

Smog

A term coined to refer to smoky fog; a type of air pollution that reduces visibility, often resulting from dust, soot, and exhaust fumes.

Greenhouse gas

Gases like $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $H_2O$ that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, contributing to the planet's thermal stability.

Carbon cycle

The natural process by which carbon dioxide is produced (e.g., volcanic emissions, respiration) and consumed (e.g., photosynthesis, seawater absorption).

Hydrosphere

The collective set of water present in all states of aggregation (gas, liquid, solid) on the planet, from the subsoil to the atmosphere.

Salinity

The concentration of salts in seawater, measured at approximately $35\,g/L$, primarily composed of sodium chloride ($NaCl$).

Cryosphere

A sub-compartment of the hydrosphere consisting of frozen water, including snow, lake ice, icebergs, glaciers, and permafrost.

Minamata disease

A neurological syndrome caused by methylmercury ($CH_3Hg^+$) poisoning, resulting from consuming contaminated seafood, first identified in Japan in the 1950s.

Bioconcentration

The retention of a substance by an organism directly from the surrounding environment (water or air) rather than through ingestion.

Bioaccumulation

The time-dependent phenomenon of an organism taking in and retaining a substance through all means, including contact, respiration, and ingestion.

Biomagnification

The process by which the concentration of a contaminant increases at each higher trophic level of the food chain.

Geosphere

In Earth science, the solid parts of the planet (crust and mantle), including rocks, minerals, sediments, and soils.

SIAL

A geochemical layer proposed by Eduard Suess based on silicon and aluminium (aluminium silicates), which corresponds to the Earth's crust.

SIMA

A geochemical layer based on silicon and magnesium (magnesium silicates), corresponding to the Earth's mantle.

NIFE

The geochemical term for the Earth's metallic core, primarily composed of nickel ($Ni$) and iron ($Fe$).

Lithosphere

The rigid rocky shell of the Earth composed of the brittle crust and the uppermost part of the solid mantle.

Asthenosphere

The weaker, hotter, and deeper portion of the upper mantle below the lithosphere that is involved in plate tectonic movements.

Pedosphere

The outermost layer of the lithosphere composed of soil, existing at the interface of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Biosphere

The portion of the planet that can sustain life, encompassing all biological communities and the abiotic factors they interact with.

Ecosystem

A concept coined by Arthur Tansley referring to plants, animals, and other organisms working with weather and landscape to form a structured bubble of life.

Ecosphere

A planetary-scale ecological system consisting of all living things plus their life-support systems; the global ecosystem.

Biome

A large geographical region with a specific climate and distinct resident biota (flora and fauna), categorized as aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, or tundra.

Milankovitch cycles

Small, slow, and regular changes in the Earth's orbit and axis tilt that act as the main natural driver of alternating warm and cold climate periods.

Natural resource

A component of nature, such as oil, gas, minerals, or agricultural products, used by humans to meet their needs independent of human intervention.

Intensive agriculture

Practices aimed at maximizing crop production and profit through synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and high-efficiency machinery, often utilizing monocultures.

Eutrophication

Correctly described as the process where a body of water becomes enriched with mineral nutrients ($N$ and $P$), leading to algal blooms and oxygen ($O_2$) depletion.

Desertification

The process by which drylands lose biological productivity and turn into desert biomes due to factors like overgrazing, urbanization, and climate variability.

Agrochemicals

Chemical products used in industrial agriculture, categorized into biocides (pesticides) and biogenic substances (synthetic fertilizers).

Taylorism

A scientific management theory proposed by Frederick W. Taylor asserting 'one best way' to do a job through timed tasks and efficiency metrics.

Toyotism

A management approach based on Lean Thinking and the concept of Kaizen (continuous improvement), where work is viewed as a process and customer value is the priority.

Accreditation

The formal recognition by an authoritative body (like ACCREDIA) that a certification body or laboratory has the technical competence to perform specific tasks.

Standard

A document providing requirements and guidelines to ensure materials and products are fit for purpose, acting as the core of a quality system.

Deming Cycle (PDCA)

A management method for continuous improvement consisting of four steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Act.

Environmental Management System (EMS)

A voluntary structured framework, such as the ISO 14001 standard, that helps organizations manage environmental interactions and reduce their environmental impact.

EMAS

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme; a premium EU management instrument for evaluating and reporting environmental performance, requiring public environmental statements.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

A methodology for identifying and quantifying the environmental impacts of a product from 'cradle' (extraction) to 'grave' (disposal).