Environmental Science: Human Population, Pollution, and Urban Growth Concepts

Bioaccumulation

The build up of chemical substances into large concentrations within an organisms body.

Biomagnification

A process where each step of the food chain magnifies the concentration of toxins.

Demography

Study of human population statistics.

Demographic Transition

A model used to explain the change of high birth rates and death rates to a condition of low birth rates and death rates.

Dose-Response Relationship

Toxicologist determines toxicity by evaluating the relationship between the amount (dose) an organism is exposed to and the effect (response) an organism shows as a result.

Environmental Health

The study of how environmental history affects human health and our quality of health.

Epidemiology

The study of disease within human populations.

Greenway

Strips of vegetation that connect parks and neighborhoods, usually along rivers or canals.

Infrastructure

Surfaces that prevent cooling and promote flooding, turns once permeable lands into impermeable.

Pollution

Waste, air, noise, light, water/soil.

Rural Area

An area with fewer than 2500 people of mostly undeveloped land.

Smart Growth

Philosophy of urban growth that focuses on economic and environmental approaches that lead to sustainable approaches and avoid sprawl.

Sprawl

The spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward of a city center.

Toxicity

Determines how harmful a substance is to an organism.

Urban Area

Mostly developed area within at least 2500 people occupying it.

Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)

A line that city planners draw on a map to separate urban areas from areas they want to remain rural.

Urbanization

The shift of population from the countryside to urban and suburban areas.