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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.