chapter 1: intro to environmental

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and definitions from the lecture notes on environmental management.

Environment

The surroundings or habitat in which an organism lives.

Species

A group of living organisms made up of individuals that can produce fertile offspring when they reproduce.

Carrying Capacity

The number of species which a region can support without environmental degradation.

Continents

The main continuous expanses of land found on Earth.

Sustainability

The ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Low Income Countries (LICs)

Countries that have weak economies and are least developed.

Gross National Income (GNI)

The total amount of money earned by a nation's people and businesses used to measure a nation's wealth.

Middle Income Countries (MICs)

Countries that have started to develop with growing industry and increasing GNI per capita.

High Income Countries (HICs)

Countries that have strong well-developed economies and good standards of living.

Biodiversity

The number of different living organisms found within an ecosystem or region.

Ecosystem

A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Water Cycle

The process by which water moves from the sea, into the atmosphere, onto land, and back into the sea.

Evaporation

The process by which liquid turns into gas.

Precipitation

Water that falls to the ground as rain, snow, hail, and sleet.

Condensation

The process by which a gas changes into a liquid due to cooling.

Greenhouse Effect

The warming of Earth's surface and surrounding atmosphere due to the absorption of radiation by gases.

Aquifer

An underground layer of permeable rock in which water is stored.

Decomposer

An organism that recycles dead animals and waste back into the environment.

Tertiary Consumer

An animal at the top of the food chain that has no natural predators.

Air Quality

The degree to which the air in the environment is clean or polluted.