Agriculture and Climate Change

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the lecture on agriculture and climate change, focusing on the impact of farming practices, fertilizer use, and greenhouse gases.

Farm Population

The percentage of the population that is directly involved in farming, which is approximately 6% in the US.

Agricultural Production

The total amount of crops produced in a specific area, remaining relatively constant in land area used from 1900 to now.

Yield

The amount of crop produced per unit of land, significantly increasing for corn from 28 bushels per acre in the 19th century to about 160 bushels per acre now.

Fertilizer

Substances added to soil to increase crop yield, including historical use of guano from Peru as one of the first forms.

Dead Zone

A region in an aquatic environment with low oxygen levels, detrimental to marine life, caused by nutrient runoff from fertilizers, as found in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sulfur Dioxide

A primary pollutant originating from the burning of coal, responsible for causing acid rain.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and global temperature rise.

Keeling Curve

A graph that represents the ongoing change in concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere since the late 1950s.

Milankovitch Cycles

Long-term changes in the Earth's orbit and axial tilt that impact climate patterns over thousands of years.

Carbon Footprint

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event, or product.

Algal Blooms

Rapid increase in algae growth in water bodies due to surplus nutrients from fertilizer runoff, leading to ecological imbalances.