Land and Water Resources Vocabulary Overview

cost-benefit analysis

the process of evaluating the beneficial and detrimental impacts of a particular plan of action

demand

the quantity of a resource that people seek to use

economics

the study of how individuals and groups choose to allocate resources when producing and consuming goods or services

effective resource management

a procedure in which people develop plans to reduce resource waste and degradation

externality

an impact of industry on a third party that is not reflected in the price of the product

law of supply and demand

states that people will be willing to supply more but demand less as price increases

limited resource

a useful item that exists in finite quantities and can run out over time

natural resource

a natural material provided by processes on Earth; examples include water, lumber, oil, air, soil, metals, plants, and animals

negative externality

a cost of a good or service that is not paid by the user but by other people or the environment

supply

the amount of a resource that is available for use or purchase

tragedy of the commons

describes the tendency for a shared, limited resource to decline over time when people use the resource without considering its long-term availability

carbon sequestration

the storage of carbon

forestry

the science or practice of caring for, planting, and managing forests

infiltration

the movement of water from the soil surface into the ground

logging

the process of cutting trees and transporting wood for processing and sale

plantation

an area of land where all the trees have been planted for commercial purposes

prescribed burn

a fire that is intentionally ignited for forest management

selective harvesting

chooses only certain trees or groups of trees to cut down; often, the most valuable trees are harvested

shelterwood harvesting

leaves the most valuable trees in the forest

silviculture

the cultivation and growth of certain species of trees for timber production

slash-and-burn

an agricultural method often used in areas with tropical rain forests to produce more agricultural land

strip harvesting

removes narrow corridors of trees, leaving other strips of trees intact

timber

wood used in building and carpentry

wildfire

an unplanned, out-of-control fire

agricultural pests

living organisms that are harmful to crops or livestock

agricultural productivity

the ratio of agricultural outputs to inputs

agriculture

cultivating crops and raising livestock

central pivot irrigation

a watering system that has a central point for water delivery

crop yield

the amount of grain or other crops produced in a given period of time or growing season

gathering

foraging for wild plants that could be used as food

Green Revolution

the spread of new agricultural technologies and methods to Mexico, India, China, and other countries around the world (also see Third Agricultural Revolution)

Haber-Bosch process

a chemical process that uses pressure and temperature to drive the production of ammonia from the reaction of nitrogen gas with hydrogen gas

hunting

killing animals

irrigation

any human-devised method of watering crops

mechanization

the introduction of automated devices or machines into a place, activity, or process

Neolithic Revolution

the shift toward agriculture; also known as the first Agricultural Revolution

Paleolithic period

the period lasting about 2.5 million years, in which humans began to craft tools out of stone in addition to wood and bone

selective breeding

a process in which a person chooses parents with desirable characteristics and breeds them to produce offspring that have more desirable characteristics

terrace farming

an early innovation in agriculture that makes it possible to grow crops on very steep slopes not otherwise suitable for farming

Third Agricultural Revolution

the spread of new agricultural technologies and methods to Mexico, India, China, and other countries around the world (also see Green Revolution)

agroforestry

the practice of planting trees in crop fields and animal grazing areas

aquaculture

farming fish and other seafood to meet commercial demand

bioaccumulation

occurs when an animal takes in a toxin faster than that toxin can be removed from the body as waste

bycatch

unwanted marine organisms caught during commercial fishing for another species

commercial fishing

the process of catching large numbers of fish or other seafood to make a commercial profit

crop rotation

varying the type of crop in a field year by year

discards

caught organisms that are thrown away as trash

domesticated

bred wild plants for specific traits, such as color or size

drip irrigation

involves pipes or hoses with small holes that run close to the ground and close to the crop rows

flood irrigation

the practice of causing fields to flood with water

food deserts

areas that do not have access to a variety of fresh foods because of a lack of grocery stores

fungicide

a pesticide that controls fungi

furrow irrigation

involves digging trenches, or furrows, through the crop fields, and then releasing water into these trenches

genetically modified

an organism that has had its genetic code somehow changed or modified

genetic engineering

the process of modifying the DNA of an organism

gillnet

a long, wall-like net with floats at the top

herbicide

a pesticide that controls unwanted plants

industrial-scale operation

operations that cover a large area and/or a large section of the market for a product

insecticide

a pesticide that controls insects

integrated pest management (IPM)

a multi-pronged approach to pest control that uses biological and physical methods

livestock

farm animals raised for food or other purposes

longline

a commercial fishing method that uses very long fishing lines that dangle hooks down into the water, about one hook per meter along the length of a line

longwall mining

a method by which coal is mined when it is below the surface; in this method, machines shear coal from a seam in the ground

mine reclamation

returning land to a state of beneficial use and minimizing damage from surface mining

mine tailings

a mix of ground rock, water, metals, and chemicals involved in processing a mineral; waste materials that remain once the mineral is extracted

mining

the process of extracting naturally occurring minerals, such as metals, coal, or sand and gravel, from Earth's crust

monoculture

planting one type of crop in a field for ease of cultivation and harvest

ore

a mineral that is mined for profit

overgrazing

occurs when too many animals graze on a piece of land

overharvesting

harvesting more from the crop field than can be replaced at the same rate

permaculture

a way of farming that seeks to model human-designed systems after nature

pest

an organism that threatens the growth of the intended crop

photochemical smog

a brownish haze that hangs over urban areas on hot days

placer mining

takes place at Earth's surface using screens and sieves and is used to separate a valuable mineral from sediment

polyculture

farming in which different crops are planted together in the same field

purse seine fishing

a commercial fishing method in which fishers locate a school of fish using sonar or aerial images from a spotter plane or helicopter; a crane or small boat encircles the school with a large net that can be pulled close, like a drawstring purse

ruminants

mammals with special digestive systems that can extract nutrients from grass

runoff

water that falls on the ground and flows over the ground for a time before permeating the soil or flowing into a body of water

slag

a solid waste product of smelting

smelting

a process in which metallic ores are heated to high temperatures to separate the metal from other unwanted materials in the ore

solar evaporation

uses energy from the sun to evaporate water, leaving behind minerals

solution mining

also called in-situ mining, involves pumping chemicals underground to dissolve the mineral and then bringing the solution back up to Earth's surface

spray irrigation

water is sprayed over a crop field by some means

subsidence

the sinking or caving in of surface land due to lack of support below

subsurface mining

also called underground mining, involves digging into Earth's crust and creating tunnels, or shafts, and rooms to reach more valuable deposits

suburban areas

locations with a high amount of residential housing that surround urban areas; also known as suburbs

surface mining

involves the removal of plants, soil, and rocks, referred to as overburden, to reach mineral deposits below

sustainable agriculture

systems of agriculture that can be practiced over and over without harming the very environment that allows agriculture to occur

sustainable yield

the number of individuals that can be collected without causing a decline in population size

trawling

a commercial fishing method that catches fish by dragging a net behind the boat at different depths

urban farming

using space inside cities to grow crops

urban growth

the increase in population in cities

urban runoff

surface water from precipitation, and residential, commercial, and industrial use that flows into storm drains and eventually reaches streams, rivers, and other bodies of water

urban sprawl

the spread of urban development onto undeveloped land around a city

waste lagoons

outdoor pits, in which waste from a CAFO is put

biocapacity

the productivity of the parts of Earth's surface that can produce resources and/or absorb wastes

biological control

the use of natural predators to reduce pest populations

carbon footprint

measures the amount of greenhouse gases released through the burning of fossil fuels

chemical control

the use of pesticides to reduce the pest populations

concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)

industrial livestock operations, where large numbers of cattle and poultry are raised with efficiency in mind