ENV101 Final

Transpiration

When plants take up moisture and release water vapor from leaf pores.

Evapotranspiration

The combined processes of evaporation and transpiration.

Residence time

The length of time water typically stays in a compartment.

Water table

The top layer of the zone of saturation.

Zone of aeration

Upper layers of soil.

Zone of saturation

Lower soil layers.

Aquifers

Geologic layers that contain water, may consist of porous layers of sand or gravel or of cracked or porous rock.

Recharge zones

Areas where surface water filters into an aquifer.

Discharge

The amount of water that passes a fixed point in a given amount of time.

Virtual water

Water used in the production of crops; often exported overseas from water-scarce areas.

Subsidence

The gradual sinking of the ground surface, caused by the withdrawal of underground materials.

Point sources

Specific locations of highly concentrated pollution discharge.

Nonpoint sources

Scattered, diffuse sources of pollutants.

Coliform bacteria

Bacteria that live in the intestines of humans and other animals; used as a measure of the presence of feces in water or soil.

Dissolved oxygen

Amount of oxygen dissolved in a given volume of water at a given temperature and atmospheric pressure.

Biochemical oxygen demand

Amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms.

Oxygen sag

Oxygen decline downstream from a pollution source that introduces materials with high biological oxygen demands.

Oligotrophic

Condition of rivers and lakes that have clear water and low biological productivity.

Eutrophic

Rivers and lakes rich in organic material.

Thermal pollution

Artificially raising or lowering the temperature of a water body in a way that adversely affects the biota or water quality.

Primary treatment

A process that removes solids from sewage before it is discharged or treated further.

Secondary treatment

Bacterial decomposition of suspended particulates and dissolved organic compounds that remain after primary sewage treatment.

Tertiary treatment

The removal of inorganic minerals and plant nutrients after primary and secondary treatment of sewage.

Constructed wetlands

A complex of artificial marshes designed to filter and decompose waste.

Living machine

A wastewater treatment system composed of tanks or beds or constructed wetlands in which living organisms remove contaminants, nutrients, and pathogens from water.

Bioremediation

Use of biological organisms to remove pollution or restore environmental quality.

Mineral

A naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solid with definite chemical composition, a specific internal crystal structure, and characteristic physical properties.

Rock

A solid, cohesive aggregate of one or more crystalline minerals.

Rock cycle

The process whereby rocks are broken down by chemical and physical forces.

Igneous rocks

Crystalline minerals solidified from molten magma from deep in the earth’s interior.

Metamorphic rocks

Igneous and sedimentary rocks modified by heat, pressure, and chemical reactions.

Sedimentary rocks

Rocks composed of accumulated, compacted mineral fragments.

Weathering

Changes in rocks brought about by exposure to air, water, changing temperatures, and reactive chemical agents.

Smelting

Roasting ore to release metals from mineral compounds.

Heap-leach extraction

A technique for separating gold from extremely low-grade ores.

Minimills

Mills that use scrap metal as their starting material.

Floodplains

Low lands along riverbanks, lakes, and coastlines subjected to periodic inundation.

Sustainable development

A real increase in well-being and standard of life for the average person that can be maintained over the long term.

Sustainable development goals

A group of 17 global goals aimed at tackling poverty, hunger, and promoting health, education, and gender equality.

National Environmental Policy Act

The law that established the Council on Environmental Quality and requires environmental impact statements for federal projects.

Environmental impact statement

An analysis of the effects of any major program or project planned by a federal agency.

Statutes

Federal Laws passed by the federal legislature and signed by the chief executive.

Regulatory capture

When a regulatory agency comes to be dominated by the industry it is intended to regulate.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

An international convention to protect endangered species.

Montreal Protocol

An international treaty to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons that destroy stratospheric ozone.

Kigali Amendment

Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to control substances depleting ozone.

Basel Convention

Restricts shipment of hazardous waste across international boundaries.

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Directs governments to share data on climate change and develop national plans for controlling greenhouse gases.

Environmental literacy

A basic understanding of ecological principles and the ways society affects environmental conditions.

Citizen science

Projects in which trained volunteers work with scientific researchers to answer real-world questions.

Conspicuous consumption

Buying things we don’t want or need to impress others.

Affluenza

An addiction to spending and consuming beyond one’s needs.

Health

A state of physical and emotional well-being; the absence of disease or ailment.

Morbidity

Illness or disease.

Mortality

Death rate in a population.

Environmental health

The science of external factors that cause disease.

Disability-adjusted life years

A health measure that assesses the total burden of disease.

Pathogens

Organisms that produce disease in other organisms.

Emergent diseases

New diseases or ones that have been absent for at least 20 years.

Conservation medicine

Attempts to understand how environmental changes threaten health.

Acute

Involving a short-term, often single exposure event.

Chronic

Involving repeated exposures over time.

Allergens

Substances that activate the immune system and cause an allergic response.

Antigens

Substances that stimulate the production of, and react with, specific antibodies.

Sick building syndrome

A cluster of allergies and illnesses caused by insufficiently ventilated buildings.

Mutagens

Agents that damage or alter genetic material.

Teratogens

Chemicals that cause abnormalities during embryonic growth.

Endocrine hormone disruptors

Chemicals that interfere with the function of endocrine hormones.

Bioaccumulation

The selective absorption and concentration of molecules by cells.

Biomagnification

Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals in higher trophic levels.

Persistent organic pollutants

Chemical compounds that persist in the environment.

Chlorpyrifos

A pesticide moderately toxic to humans.

Synergistic effects

When the effects of exposure to multiple factors is greater than the sum of individual effects.

Retrospective study

A study that looks back at a group with a specific condition.

Prospective study

A study in which groups are monitored before and after exposure.

Conventional / criteria pollutants

Seven substances identified by the Clean Air Act as serious threats to health.

Ambient air

The air immediately around us.

Point source

Specific locations of highly concentrated pollution discharge.

Fugitive emissions

Substances that enter the air without going through a smokestack.

Primary pollutants

Chemicals released directly into the air in a harmful form.

Volatile organic compounds

Organic chemicals that evaporate readily and exist as gases in the air.

Particulate material

Atmospheric aerosols including dust, ash, and soot.

Aerosols

Minute particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air.

Toxic release inventory

A program that requires reporting on releases of toxic materials.

Catalytic converter

Device that removes harmful emissions from vehicle exhaust.