AP Environmental Science Unit 5 - Land Use

AP Environmental Science Unit 5 - Land Use

Tragedy of the Commons

Individuals using shared/public resources in their own self-interest, leading to degradation of the resources.

Externalities

Negative costs associated with human actions that aren't accounted for in the price, leading to unintended side-effects.

Ecological Footprint

Measure of how much a person/group consumes, expressed in area of land.

Green Revolution

Shift in agriculture towards large-scale industrial farming, utilizing mechanization, GMOs, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Monocropping

Growing one single species of crop, leading to decreased biodiversity and increased soil erosion.

Irrigation

Drawing water from the ground or nearby surface waters to increase plant growth, with potential negative impacts such as groundwater depletion and soil salinization.

Pest Control Methods

Various approaches to controlling pests, including the use of pesticides and genetic modification.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Using a variety of pest control methods that minimize environmental disruption and pesticide use.

Biocontrol

Introducing natural predators, parasites, or competitors to control pest populations.

Crop rotation

Planting different crops each season to disrupt pest life cycles and prevent establishment.

Intercropping

Using "push-pull" systems where certain plants repel pests and others attract them.

Ladybugs

Natural predators that control aphid populations.

Spiders

Natural predators that control many pest insects.

Parasite wasps

Natural predators that control caterpillar populations.

CAFOs

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, densely crowded method of raising animals for meat production.

Manure lagoons

Large open storage pits for animal waste that can contaminate water sources.

Free range grazing

Animals graze on grass naturally without growth hormones, but require more land.

Overgrazing

Too many animals grazing an area can lead to topsoil erosion and desertification.

Rotational grazing

Moving animals periodically to prevent overgrazing and promote grass growth.

Bottom trawling

Harmful fishing method that destroys habitats and catches unintended species.

Surface mining

Removing overburden to access ore near the surface.

Subsurface mining

Drilling vertical shafts underground to access deeper ore deposits.

Mine reclamation

Restoring land to its original state after mining has finished.

Urbanization

Converting natural landscapes to cities, impacting water infiltration and increasing CO2 emissions.

Saltwater intrusion

Infiltration of saltwater into freshwater sources due to excessive groundwater withdrawal and sea level rise.

Urban sprawl

Movement of population from dense urban centers to less dense suburban areas, causing infrastructure decline.

Clearcutting

Logging method that leads to soil erosion, increased stream temperature, and flooding.

Tree Plantations

Areas where the same tree species are repeatedly planted, grown, and harvested, leading to a decrease in biodiversity.

All the Same Age

All trees in a plantation are planted at the same time, further reducing biodiversity and habitat diversity.

Forest Benefits

The benefits provided by forests, including filtering air pollutants, storing carbon, providing habitats for organisms, and more.

Sustainability

Consuming resources or using space in a way that does not deplete or degrade them for future generations.

Maximum Sustainable Yield

The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without reducing or depleting the resource for future use.

Environment Indicators of Sustainability

Factors that help determine the health of the environment and guide towards sustainable use of Earth's resources, such as biodiversity.

Soil Conservation

Agricultural techniques that minimize erosion and prevent loss of nutrients, soil moisture, decomposers, and organic matter.

Contour Plowing

Plowing parallel to natural slopes of the land to prevent water runoff and soil erosion.

Perennial Crops

Crops that live year-round and are harvested numerous times, with longer, more established roots and prevention of bare soil.

Windbreaks

Using trees or other plants to block the force of the wind from eroding topsoil, providing habitat and other benefits.

No Till

Leaving leftover crop remains in the soil instead of tilling under to add organic matter and prevent erosion.

Strip Cropping

Alternating rows of dense crops with rows of less dense crops to prevent runoff and erosion.

Improving Soil Fertility

Methods of restoring nutrient levels in the soil, such as crop rotation and green manure.

Aquaculture Benefits

The benefits of raising fish or other aquatic species in cages or enclosures underwater, including reduced water, space, and fuel requirements.

Sustainable Forestry Practices

Practices such as using recycled wood, reforestation, and selectively removing diseased trees to preserve forest health and productivity.

Fire Suppression

The practice of putting out all natural forest fires, which can lead to more biomass buildup and worse fires in the future.

Prescribed Burns

Controlled fires that burn dead biomass, preventing larger forest fires, promoting nutrient recycling, and preventing disease spread.

Watersheds

All the land that drains into a specific body of water, impacted by slope, vegetation, soil composition, and human activities.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A 6-state region that drains into Chesapeake Bay, with estuaries and wetlands providing ecosystem services and facing nutrient pollution.

Human Impacts on the Chesapeake Bay

Nutrient pollution, endocrine disruptors, sediment pollution, and their effects on the bay's ecosystem.

Solution to Watershed Pollutants

Reducing urban runoff through permeable pavement, rain gardens, public transit, and building vertically.

Runoff

The flow of water, such as rainwater, over the surface of the ground, which can be reduced by combining with "green roof" or rooftop gardens.

Green roof

A roof covered with vegetation, which can be combined with other measures to decrease runoff and also has the ability to sequester CO2 and filter air pollutants.

Sequester

The process of capturing and storing a substance, such as CO2, in a different form or location to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere.

Stomata

Small openings on the surface of plant leaves that allow for gas exchange, through which plants can absorb pollutants like NO2 and PM.

Air pollutants

Substances present in the air that can be harmful to human health or the environment, which can be filtered out by green roofs and stored in plant tissues or soil.