APES Unit 5: Land and Water Use

clearcutting

cutting down and removing every tree from an area

tree plantations

areas where same tree species are repeatedly grown and harvested

slash & burn land clearing

tearing down and burning land to make space, releases GHGs into atm

The Green Revolution

shift in agriculture away from small, family operated farms to large, industrial scale agribusiness

mechanization

increased use of tractors/heavy machinery for plowing/tilling fields

High-Yield Variety (HYV) Crops

hybrid, genetically modified crops, that produce higher yield

hybrid

cross-pollinated different species of parent plants with ideal traits

GMOs

genetically modified crops with genes that promote tolerance, pest resistance, faster growth, and larger gain

synthetic fertilizers

manmade chemicals with ammonium, nitrate, phosphate to promote plant growth

organic fertilizers

naturally made manure and compost to promote plant growth

irrigation

drawing water from ground or nearby surface waters and distributing on fields

pesticides

chemicals sprayed on crops that kill weeds, insects, rodents, and other pests

monocropping

growing 1 species in a huge quantity (corn, wheat, soy)

tilling

mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier, loosens soil for roots

leaching

water carries excess nutrients into groundwater or surface waters

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

nematicide

designed to kill worms

fungicide

designed to kill fungus

rodenticide

designed to kill rodent

bactericide

designed to kill bacteria and virus

herbicide

designed to kill weeds

insecticide

designed to kill insects

furrow irrigation

trench dug along crops, filled with water

• easy, inexpensive, water seeps in slowly

• 66% efficient, 33% lost

flood irrigation

flood entire field with water

• can waterlog soil and drown plants

• more disruptive to env.

• 80% efficient, 20% lost

spray irrigation

ground/surface water pumped into spray nozzles

• more efficient (less water lost), but more expensive

drip irrigation

holes in hose allow water to slowly drip out

• most efficient, but most costly

• avoids waterlogging and conserves water

• 95% efficient, 5% lost

waterlogging

overwatering soil, filling all pores with water

salinization

process of salt building up in soil overtime

groundwater

H2O stored in pore space of permeable rock and sediment layers

aquifers

useable groundwater deposits for humans

unconfined aquifer

aquifer that exists above surface, no rock layer, recharge quickly

confined aquifer

aquifer that exists between rock, long-term, recharge slowly

desertification

area of land becomes so dry that it can’t support vegetation, soil can’t hold water

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

large scale livestock facilities where animals are confined

free range grazing

animals graze on grass and grow at natural rate without hormones

overgrazing

too many animals grazing land, removes all grass and causes compaction

open pit mining

dig a hole and mine, good if materials are close to surface or if land is cheap

strip mining

dig in horizontal line/plane, good if geology shows material is on horiz. level

subsurface mining

dig underground, last resort, usually coal or gold, extremely dangerous

fracking

combo of high pressure insertion and horizontal drilling, extremely efficient

mountaintop removal mining

removing tops of mountains for material

smelting

heating up ore mineral to remove minerals

pulverizing

crushing ore into small pieces

tailings/slag

leftover waste material separated from valuable metal/mineral in ore

fisheries

population of fish used for commercial fishing

fishery collapse

when overfishing causes 90% population decline in fishery

bottom trawling

dragging net across bottom of ocean, especially harmful

bycatch

unintended species caught and sometimes die

ore

commercially valuable deposit of a specific material

metals

elements that conduct electricity, heat, and have structural properties

reserve

known amount of resource left that can be mined (measured in years)

overburden

soil, vegetation, rocks removed to get to ore deposit

acid mine drainage

rainwater leaks into abandoned mine tunnels and mixes with pyrite, making sulfuric acid

methane release

coal mining releases methane gas from rock from coal

particulate matter (PM) release

soot and other particulates released that irritate human and animal lungs

mine reclamation

restoring land to original state after mining has finished

urbanization

removal of vegetation to convert natural landscape to urban landscape

impervious surfaces

material that doesn’t allow water to infiltrate ground (concrete, asphalt, cement)

saltwater intrusion

excessive groundwater withdrawal near coast, lowering water table pressure, allows saltwater to seep into ground

urban sprawl

population move out of dense, urban centers to less dense suburban areas surrounding cities

blight

unsightly, rundown infrastructure

urban growth boundaries

zoning laws set by cities preventing development beyond certain boundary

mixed land use

residential, business, and entertainment buildings all located in same area of city

ecological footprint

total amount of land taken up by an individual or group, measured in global hectares (gha)

carbon footprint

total amount of CO2 produced/year by an individual or group, measured in tonnes (t)

sustainability

using a space/resource in a way that doesn’t degrade it for future generations

max sustainable yield

max amount of renewable resource that can be harvested without reducing/depleting resource for future use

environmental indicator

factors that help determine health of environment and guide us toward sustainable use of earth’s resources

permeable pavement

specifically designed material that allows stormwater to infiltrate and recharge groundwater

rain garden

garden planted in urban areas, especially around a storm drain to catch runoff

intercropping

“push” plants emit chemicals that repel pests away from crops, “pull” plants emit chemicals that attract moths to lay eggs instead of crops

biocontrol

buying or planting habitat to attract natural predators/parasites to control pests

crop rotation

rotating crops to disrupt pest and weed life cycles