ENVR 100 exam 1 - provisioning services

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