Studied by 7 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
poverty
unable to meet basic needs
consumption
human use of materials
highly developed countries
complex industry, low population growth + high economies (make up 18% of people)
moderately developed
less econ/edu opportunities (ie Mexico, Thailand, Turkey)
less develoiped
unskilled labor econ, little investment, agrarian
affluence
consumption ability based on money
sustainability
meeting current needs w/o compromising future generations
environmental science
interdisc study of human relationships with each other and the environment
ecology
study of interactions among and b/tw organisms and their abiotic environment
biotic
living
abiotic
nonliving
population
groups of individuals of a species
community
group of populations
ecosystem
biotic + abiotic (everything)
landscape
a region including several ecosystems
biosphere
all of the earth
hydrosphere
part of earth covered in water
atmosphere
air/sky
energy
capacity to do work
potential energy
stored ability to do work
kinetic energy
motion
first law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. It is also known as the law of conservation of energy.
second law of thermodynamics
energy change always looses heat
producers
get energy from sun
consumers
eat other organisms
decomposers
eat dead things
trophic level
each link in food chain progressing upward
Gross Primary Productivity
rate of energy capture
Net Primary Productivity
energy left over/available as food for other organisms
ecosystem services
benefits produced by healthy ecosystems
monoculture
eco simplification in which one plant is cultivated over a large area
sustainable forestry
use + management of forest ecosystem in a balanced + enduring way
selective cutting
harvest mature trees, allow natural regeneration
shelterwood cutting
removal of all mature trees at once
clear cutting
removal of all trees in a forest
deforestation
temporary or permanent clearing of large forests for agriculture or development
rangeland
grasslands used for livestock
carrying capacity
max # of animals that can be sustained by environment
desertification
too much grazing in tropical dry arras overwhelms grassland
undernutrition
deficit in calories/nutrients leaves the body weak and prone to disease
food insecurity
a state in which people lack secure and reliable access to sufficient amounts of food
food security
all people always have access to adequate food (would require elimination of poverty)
industrial agriculture
requires large capital inputs to create a larger harvest with less land + people
subsistence agriculture
traditional producing food for oneself with little surplus
domestication
process of taming wild animals/plants to serve human needs
Green Revolution
more industrial food production worldwide
genetic engineering
manipulation of genes to produce a trait
pesticide
chemical used to kill insects
degredation
reduction of potential ability of land
habitat fragmentation
isolating patches of habitat from each other
broad spectrum pesticides
chemicals that kill other organisms along with target pests
surface water
water that does not seep through soil
runoff
movement of water from rain to bodies of water
groundwater
the supply of freshwater under the surface in aquifers
aquifer depleation
removal of groundwater faster than recharge
salinization
gradual accumulation of salt in soil due to irrigation
microirrigation
irrigation that conserves water by piping directly to crops (aka drip)
water pollution
physical, biological, or chemical change to water that is bad for people and living things
sewage
wastewater from drains including human waste and soaps/detergents
biochemical oxygen demand
amount of O2 micro-orgs need to decompose biological waste
eutrophication
enrichment of a body of water w nutrients, can be caused by industrial fertilizer and sewage
groundwater pollution
pollution from landfills, chemical storage, and agriculture that seeps into aquifers
primary sewage
treatment that removes suspended sediment mechanically
secondary sewage
reduces BOD through microorganisms in treatment
tertiary sewage
advanced treatment that reduces eutrophication
Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)
uniform federal standards that set max contamination levels for water
biodiversity
the # and variety of earth’s organisms
Clean Water Act
legislative goal to reduce pollutants and make waterways safe for recreation
species richness
number of different species in a community
genetic diversity
genetic variation w/in populations
endangered
faces threats to existance
threatened
classification when numbers of a species are dwindling
conservation biology
study of how humans affect organisms and how to protect biodiversity
restoration ecology
study of the historical environment to try and bring it back to its original state
sustainable development
economic growth that meets needs of present without taking from the future
sustainable consumption
goods and services that meet needs and improve quality of life and minimize resource use (goal → eradicate poverty)
voluntary simplicity
actively choosing less consumption for own happiness and sustainability goals
environmental ethics
a field of applied ethics for environmental responsability
environmental worldview
view of how environment works and our place in it
western worldview
human centered and utilitarian, frontier attitude with instrumental value
deep ecology worldview
harmony and spiritual respect for the world + environment
environmental justice
rights of every citizen to protection in the environment
carrying capacity
max population sustained by environment
municipal solid waste
waste from commercial and institutional facilities including homes, schools, restaurants, prisons
non-municipal solid waste
waste from industry, agriculture, and mining
sanitary landfill
most common, trash is compacted and buried
leachate
liquid that seeps out of landfills and infiltrates water sources
source reduction
products designed and made to decrease waste
hazardous waste
discarded chemicals that threaten human health
CERCLA
holds polluters accountable and makes a superfund to address environmental damages
RCRA
identifies hazardous waste
superfund program
under CERCLA, investigates polluted areas and remediates, very little money available
sacrifice zones
places deemed less valuable; able to be offered up for waste disposal
surface mining
used to extract minerals near surface (includes strip mining)
subsurface mining
deep underground mineral extraction
acid mine drainage
pollution from sulfuric acid and other toxins that wash away into streams
fluidized-bed combustion
clean coal tech in which crushed coal is mixed with limestone to neutralize acid compounds
nuclear energy
energy released during fission/fusion
enrichment
process by which uranium is refined to U 235 for use in nuclear energy
nuclear reactor
initiates and maintanes controlled nuclear fission
Note 
Flashcard (100)