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ecology
the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
pseudoscience
claims that are not the result of scientific inquiry or are derived by a process that is not open to scientific scrutiny
ecosystem services
a concept that assigns a value to human benefits derived from naturally functioning ecosystems
Anthropocene
the modern geological era during which humans have dramatically affected the environment
sustainability
management of natural resources in ways that do not diminish or degrade Earth's ability to provide them in the future
3 Es
environment, economy, and equity
sustainable development
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
ecological resistance/resilience
ability of an ecosystem to remain unchanged in the face of disturbance/ability to recover from damage and return to its pre-disturbed state
1st law of thermodynamics
energy is conserved: it cannot be created or destroyed
2nd law of thermodynamics
overall quality of energy is degraded/wasted as it is transferred or transformed (increasing entropy in environment)
4 dimensions of ecosystem services
provisioning, regulating, cultural, & supporting
ecosystem
all abiotic factors in addition to the entire community of species that exist in a certain area
reservoir
a part of Earth where a material (such as water) remains for a period of time
aquifer
a subsurface area of rock or sediment where water can accumulate or pass through
groundwater
water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.
surface water
freshwater sources visible to us, such as rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands
glacier
a mass of ice that flows over land surfaces and lasts all year
sea ice
frozen ocean water that is usually seasonal
permafrost
water perpetually frozen in soil or rock
lentic ecosystem
an ecosystem in a lake or pond or other relatively still water
lotic ecosystem
an ecosystem in flowing water such as a river or stream
water security
reliable access to adequate safe and affordable water
water scarcity
not having access to enough clean water supplies
fossil fuel
fuel formed from organisms from earlier geologic eras
hydrocarbon
material made of hydrogen and carbon molecules derived from ancient, solar energy-capturing photosynthesis
reserves
a known resource of a fossil fuel that can be economically accessed with current technology at current prices
mountaintop removal
a mining process commonly used to extract coal, where entire mountaintops are removed to scoop out the underlying resource
hydraulic fracturing
a process using a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals pumped at high pressure into an oil or gas well to fracture the rock and release the fuel locked up inside
tar sand
a type of loose-grained rock deposit bonded with oil
wind turbine
a machine that uses winds to turn large blades that, in turn, power a generator and creates electricity
variable generation
a power source with generating capacity that changes according to the time of day, weather conditions, and other factors
What is PV and CST solar and what is the difference between them?
PV = photovoltaic, CST = concentrated solar thermal; PV produces electric charge when exposed to sunlight, CST captures heat using mirrors to focus sunlight towards liquid-filled pipes or a centrally located "power tower"
hydropower
power generated when water is used to spin turbines and generate electricity
nuclear power
power generated when the nuclei of atoms are split, releasing a large amount of energy
fission
a process where the nuclei of atoms are split, releasing a very large amount of energy
geothermal energy
power generated by hear from below the Earth's surface
biofuels
recently living matter or by-products of its decomposition used as an energy source
ethanol
a type of biofuel made of alcohol and produced by fermenting sugars in plants such as corn or sugarcane; often blended with gasoline
fuel cell
a device that creates an electric current by stripping electrons from hydrogen molecules
EVs (vs ICE)
EV = a vehicle powered by an electric motor using a magnetic field to generate motion; ICE = internal combustion engine, generates motion by producing many controlled explosions to move metal parts
RECs
Renewable Energy Certificates
offsets
a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide/GHG made in order to compensate for/offset an emission made somewhere else
species
a group of organisms that are closely related to each other and are usually able to breed with each other to produce viable offspring
population
a collection of the same species living in a given area
community
in biology, populations of different species living and interacting in a particular place
evolution
the process of genetic change in populations over generations
natural selection
the process where organisms better adapted to their environment survive and tend to produce more offspring
adaptive radiation
an evolutionary process where, over many generations, an ancestral species diversifies, producing a variety of new species adapted to specific sets of conditions (niches) of an ecosystem
gene
an organism's basic unit of inheritance between a parent and its offspring
allele
alternate form of a gene
gene flow
ability for genes to exchange between individuals/populations
provisioning services
goods humans consume that are directly provided by ecosystems (ex: food, fresh water, fuel, etc)
regulating services
natural processes of ecosystems that provide favorable conditions for humans (ex: climate, flood, disease, water regulation)
cultural services
benefits to humans from the environment that may not be essential to survival but that greatly enhance our quality of life (ex: aesthetic, spiritual, educational, recreational)
supporting services
the fundamental natural conditions on which many other ecosystem services depend
genetic drift
changes in gene pool due to random chance