Environmental Science

Environmental Science

Environmental Science

the study of how humans interact with the environment.

Geology

is the study of the Earth's surface, interior processes, and history.

Biochemistry

is the study of the chemistry of living things.

Geochemistry

a branch of geology, is the study of the chemistry of materials such as rocks, soil, and water

Geography

is the study of the relationship between human populations and Earth's features.

Anthropology

is the study of the interactions of the biological, cultural, geographical, and historical aspects of humankind.

Sociology

is the study of human population dynamics and statistics.

hunter-gatherers

people who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains

Natural Resources

Any natural material that is used by humans

nonrenewable resource

is a resource that forms at a much slower rate than the rate that it is consumed.

Pollution

is an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.

biodegradable pollutants

pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes

nondegradable pollutants

Pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processes, such as mercury, lead, and some types of plastic.

Biodiversity

refers to the number and variety of species that live in an area

Extinction

is a natural process, and several large-scale extinctions, or mass extinctions, have occurred throughout Earth's history.

Ecology

is the study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment.

Zoology

is the study of animals.

Botany

is the study of plants.

Microbiology

is the study of microorganisms.

Ecology

is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and each other

Paleontology

is the study of fossils and ancient life.

Climatology

is the study of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.

Hydrology

is the study of Earth's water resources.

Sustainability

is the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely.

Ecological Footprints

shows the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country.

Developed countries

have higher average incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support systems

Developing countries

have lower average incomes, simple and agriculturebased economies, and rapid population growth.

Law of supply and demand

which states that the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that thing is worth.

A cost-benefit analysis

balances the cost of the action against the benefits one expects from it

Experimental method

This method consists of a series of steps that scientists worldwide use to identify and answer questions.

Observation

is a piece of information we gather using our senses— our sight, hearing, smell, and touch.

Hyphothesis

is a testable explanation for an observation.

Prediction

a logical statement about what will happen if the hypothesis is correct

Experiment

is a procedure designed to test a hypothesis under controlled conditions

Experimental Group

The group that receives the experimental treatment.

Control

The group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Data

The information that a scientist gathers during an experiment, which is often in numeric form.

Statistics

is the collection and classification of data that are in the form of numbers.

statistical population

is a group of similar things that a scientist is interested in learning about.

Mean

is the number obtained by adding up the data for a given characteristic and dividing this sum by the number of individuals.

Distribution

is the relative arrangement of the members of a statistical population

Probability

The chance that something will happen.

Sample

is the group of individuals or events selected to represent the population.

Models

are representations of objects or systems

Conceptual Model

is a verbal or graphical explanation for how a system works or is organized.

Mathematical Model

is one or more equations that represents the way a system or process works.

Geosphere

The solid part of the Earth that consists of all rock, and the soils and sediments on Earth's surface

Tectonic plates

the rigid, outermost layer of the Earth—is divided into pieces.

Fault

is a break in the Earth's crust along which blocks of the crust slide relative to one another.

Magnitude

The measure of the energy released by an earthquake

Volcano

is a mountain built from magma—melted rock—that rises from the Earth's interior to the surface.

Erosion

The removal and transport of surface material

Ozone

is a molecule that is made up of three oxygen atoms

Radiation

is the transfer of energy across space and in the atmosphere

Conduction

is the flow of heat from a warmer object to a colder object when the objects are placed in direct physical contact.

Convection

is the transfer of heat by air currents.

Convection Current

The continual process of warm air rising and cool air sinking moves air in a circular motion

greenhouse gases

The gases in our atmosphere that trap and radiate heat.

Greenhouse effect

the process, in which gases trap heat near the Earth

Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water into the air, onto land, and then back to water sources.

Evaporation

is the process by which liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises into the atmosphere as water vapor.

Condensation

the process of water vapor forms water droplets on dust particles.

Precipitation

The process in which larger droplets fall from clouds as rain

surface currents

stream like movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean.

tributaries

are smaller streams or rivers that flow into larger ones.

Aquifers

A rock layer that stores and allows the flow of groundwater.

recharge zone

The surface of the land where water enters an aquifer

closed system

energy enters the environment, but matter does not

open system

both matter and energy are exchanged between a system and the surrounding environment.

Ecosystem

is all of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.

Biotic Factors

are the living and once living parts of an ecosystem, including all of the plants and animals.

Abiotic factors

the nonliving parts of the ecosystem.

Organism

is an individual living thing.

Species

is a group of organisms that are closely related and that can mate to produce fertile offspring.

Population

is all the members of the same species that live in the same place at the same time.

Community

a group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other.

Habitat

The place an organism lives

Natural selection

the unequal survival and reproduction that results from the presence or absence of particular traits.

Evolution

A change in the genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next

Coevolution

The process of two species evolving in response to long-term interactions with each other

Artificial Selection

The selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific characteristics

Resistance

is the ability of one or more organisms to tolerate a particular chemical designed to kill it.

Bacteria

are microscopic, single-celled organisms that usually have cell walls and reproduce by dividing in half.

Fungus

is an organism whose cells have nuclei, cell walls, and no chlorophyll (the pigment that makes plants green).

Protists

are a diverse group of organisms that belong to the kingdom Protista.

Gymnosperms

are woody plants whose seeds are not enclosed in fruits.

Angiosperms

flowering plants that produce seeds in fruit.

Invertebrates

Animals that lack backbones

Vertebrates

Animals that have backbones

Mammals

are warm-blooded vertebrates that have fur and feed their young milk.

Photosynthesis

a process to where the energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when a plant uses sunlight to make sugar molecules

Carbohydrates

The result of photosynthesis is the production of sugar molecules

Producer

is an organism that makes its own food also called autotrophs, self-feeders.

Consumers

organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms also called heterotrophs, other-feeders.

Herbivores

Consumers that eat only producers

Carnivores

Consumers that eat only other consumers

Omnivores

eaters of all.

Decomposers

Some consumers get their food by breaking down dead organisms

Cellular respiration

The process of breaking down food to yield energy

Food Chain

is a sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism