Environment and Ecology Vocabulary

A comprehensive list of English vocabulary terms and definitions related to environment and ecology as found in the lecture notes.

biome

Quần xã sinh địa

carbon footprint

dấu chân carbon

arid

khô hạn

barren

cằn cỗi

carnivorous

Ăn thịt

climate

Khí hậu

conservation

Bảo tồn

coral

San hô

cycle

chu kỳ

decay

The state or process of rotting or decomposition.

biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

deforestation

The action of clearing a wide area of trees.

ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

endangered

A species at serious risk of extinction.

environment

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

extinction

The state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming extinct.

fossil fuel

A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

global warming

A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect.

greenhouse effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun.

habitat

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

pollution

The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

renewable energy

Energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.

sustainability

The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level; avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.

atmosphere

The envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

biosphere

The regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms.

ecology

The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

emission

The production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.

erosion

The process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

fertilizer

A chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility.

run off

The draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land.

geothermal

Relating to or produced by the internal heat of the earth.

glacier

A slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.

retreat

The process by which a glacier shrinks or moves back due to melting.

herbicide

A substance that is toxic to plants, used to destroy unwanted vegetation.

irrigation

The supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.

landfill

A site for the disposal of waste materials by burial.

marine

Relating to or found in the sea.

pesticide

A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.

sewage

Waste water and excrement conveyed in sewers.

aquatic

Relating to water.