Environmental Science FINALS

Surface Water

Is fresh water on Earth's land surface. Surface water is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

River system

streams and rivers move across the land and form a flowing network of water.

Watersheds

The area of land that is drained by a river.

Ground water

Water stored beneath the Earth's surface in sediment and rock formations

Water table

a level where the rocks and soil are saturated with water

Aquifer

An underground formation that contains groundwater

Porosity

is the amount of space between the particles that make up a rock.

Permeability

The ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it.

Recharge Zone

The area of the Earth's surface where water percolates down into the aquifer

Wells

A hole that is dug or drilled to reach groundwater

Water treatment

the process that removes elements such as mercury, arsenic, and lead, which are poisonous to humans even in low concentrations

Irrigation

is a method of providing plants with water from sources other than direct precipitation.

Dam

is a structure built across a river to control the river's flow

drip irrigation systems

deliver small amounts of water directly to plant roots by using perforated tubing.

Desalination

is the process of removing salt from salt water

Water Pollution

is the introduction of chemical, physical, or biological agents into water that degrade water quality and adversely affect the organisms that depend on the water.

Waste water

water that contains waste from homes or industry.

Artificial Eutrophication

Eutrophication caused by humans

Biomagnification

the accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain

Primary Pollutant

A pollutant that is put directly into the air by human activity

Secondary Pollutant

form when a primary pollutant comes into contact with other primary pollutants or with naturally occurring substances such as water vapor and a chemical reaction takes place.

Zero-emission vehicles

are vehicles that have no tailpipe emissions, no emissions from gasoline, and no emission-control systems that deteriorate over time

Scrubber

is a machine that moves gases through a spray of water that dissolves many pollutants.

Smog

is produced when air pollution hangs over urban areas and reduces visibility.

Sick-building syndrome

is most common in hot places where buildings are tightly sealed to keep out the heat

Radon

is one of the elements produced by the decay of uranium, a radioactive element that occurs naturally in the Earth's crust

Decibels

a measurement units to measure the intensity of sound.

Acid Precipitation

is precipitation such as rain, sleet, or snow that contains a high concentration of acids.

pH(power of hydrogen)

number is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is.

Acid shock

the sudden influx of acidic water that causes a rapid change in the water's pH is

Climate

is the long-term prevailing weather conditions at a particular place based upon records taken

Latitude

The distance from the equator measured in degrees north or south of the equator

Wind

The movement of air within the atmosphere

Prevailing Winds

Winds that blow predominantly in one direction throughout the year

Trade winds

Belts of prevailing winds are produced in both hemispheres between 30° north and south latitude and the equator

El Nino

is the name given to the short-term (generally 6- to 18-month period), periodic change in the location of warm and cold water masses in the Pacific Ocean. During an El Niño, winds in the western Pacific Ocean, which are usually weak, strengthen and push warm water eastward.

La Nina

the water in the eastern Pacific Ocean is cooler than usual. El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. El Niño is the warm phase of the cycle, and La Niña is the cold phase

Pacific Decadal Oscillation

is a long-term, 20- to 30-year change in the location of warm and cold water masses in the Pacific Ocean

solar maximum

the sun emits an increased amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation produces more ozone.

Ozone layer

is an area in the stratosphere where ozone is highly concentrated

Polar vortex

During the dark polar winter, strong circulating winds over Antarctica isolate cold air from surrounding warmer air

greenhouse effect

the process of heat absorption

Greenhouse gases

The gases that do absorb and radiate heat

Global Warming

The predicted increase in global temperature

Kyoto Protocol

requires developed countries to decrease emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases

Urban

Land that is covered mainly with buildings and roads

Rural

Land that contains relatively few people and large areas of open space

Ecosystem Services

The resources that are produced by natural and artificial ecosystems

Urbanization

The movement of people from rural areas to cities

Infrastructure

is all of the things that a society builds for public use

Urban Sprawl

Rapid expansion of a city into the countryside around the city

Land-used planning

is determining in advance how land will be used—where houses, businesses, and factories will be built, where land will be protected for recreation, and so on

Geographic information system

is a computerized system for storing, manipulating, and viewing geographic data.

Open space

is land within urban areas that is set aside for scenic and recreational enjoyment.

Greenbelts

Open spaces left in their natural condition

Farmland

is land that is used to grow crops and fruit.

Rangeland

land that supports different vegetation types like grasslands, shrublands, and deserts and that is not used for farming or timber production.

Clear-cutting

is the process of removing all of the trees from an area of land.

Selective cutting

is the process of cutting and removing only middle-aged or mature trees.

Deforestation

The clearing of trees from an area without replacing them.

Reforestation

is the process by which trees are planted to re-establish trees that have been cut down in a forest land.

Wilderness

is an area in which the land and the ecosystems it supports are protected from all exploitation.

Famine

widespread starvation caused by a shortage of food

Malnutrition

is a condition that occurs when people do not consume enough Calories or do not eat a sufficient variety of foods to fulfill all of the body's needs

Drought

is a prolonged period during which rainfall is below average.

Fertile Soils

Soil that can support the growth of healthy plant

Chemical weathering

the minerals in the rock react chemically with substances such as water to form new materials

Erosion

is the wearing away of rock or soil by wind and water

Land degradation

happens when human activity or natural processes damage the land so that it can no longer support the local ecosystem.

Desertification

is the process by which land in arid or semiarid areas becomes more desert like because of human activity or climatic changes

Compost

is partly decomposed organic material.

Salinization

The accumulation of salts in the soil

Pesticides

chemicals used to kill insects, weeds, and other crop pests.

Pest

is any organism that occurs where it is not wanted or that occurs in large enough numbers to cause economic damage.

Biological pest control

is the use of living organisms to control pests

Pathogens

Organisms that cause disease

Pheromones

chemicals produced by one organism that affect the behavior of another organism, can also be used in pest control.

Integrated pest management

is a modern method of controlling pests on crops.

Genetic Engineering

the technology in which genetic material in a living cell is modified for medical or industrial use.

Overharvesting

Catching or removing from a population more organisms than the population can replace

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming that conserves natural resources and helps keep the land productive

Aquaculture

the raising of aquatic organisms for human use or consumption.

Livestock

Domesticated animals that are raised to be used on a farm or ranch or to be sold for profit

Surface mining

methods are used when ore deposits are located close to Earth's surface

Open-pit mining

is a method that is often used when large quantities of near-surface ore are mined.

Smelting

crushed ore is melted at high temperatures in furnaces to separate impurities from molten metal

Dump

Excess rock from mines is sometimes dumped into large piles

Subsidence

The sinking of regions of the ground with little or no horizontal movement

Reclamation

The process of returning land to its original or better condition after mining is completed

Fossil Fuels

are the remains of ancient organisms that changed into coal, oil, or natural gas.

Electric generator

is a machine that converts mechanical energy, or motion, into electrical energy

Turbine

is a wheel that changes the force of a moving gas or a liquid into energy that can do work. In most power plants, water is boiled to produce the steam that turns the turbine.

Oil Reserves

are oil deposits that can be extracted profitably at current prices using current technology

Nuclear energy

the energy within the nucleus of an atom.

Nuclear Fission

collisions cause the nuclei to split

Nuclear Fusion

occurs when lightweight atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus and release tremendous amounts of energy

Renewable Energy

is energy from sources that are constantly being formed

Alternative Energy

describes energy sources that are still in development.

Tides

the movement of water in the oceans and seas caused by gravitational attraction between the sun, Earth, and moon.

Energy Efficiency

the percentage of energy put into a system that does useful work.