AP Environmental Science Vocabulary

air pollution

presence of unwanted substances in air

noise pollution

presence of unwanted noise

Water pollution

presence of unwanted substance in water

Point Source

pollution that can be traced to specific source

Non-point Source

source of pollution is many or specific, but can't be traced

Sustainable Yield

amount of resources that can be removed/harvested w/o compromising ecosystem/initial natural capital

sustainable society

society whose processes/function can continue forever

Sustainability

ability to maintain function, state of being, processes

Greenwashing

marketing term for practices that suggest sustainability when its not

hunter-gather

small, mobile bands of humans that survive on whatever resources they have in territory

pastoralism

herding of animals that have been domesticated/partly domesticated

Agriculture

process of raising crops & livestock in single, sml area

Renewable

Resources that can be replenished at rate =/> rate at which used

Non-Renewable

Resources that cannot be replenished at rate they are used

Potentially Renewable

Resources that are generally renewable, but can become nonrenewable if not used wisely

Reduce

Limiting the consumption of products, decreases amount of trash & resources needed overall

Includes producing and buying fewer goods and services, buying long-lasting products that do not need to be replaced frequently, and buying smaller sizes of items

Reuse

Taking old products and using them again, keep waste out of landfills

•Reusing goods in the way they were intended to be used and repurposing them

Recycle

processing used materials into new materials

Breaking down the original product by some physical or chemical means, retrieving the materials, and using them as raw materials to make new products

Degradable

Resources that break down over shorter amts of time & include biodegradable waste that originates from plants/animals

Slowly Degradable

Resources that break down over long periods of time

Non-degradable

Resources that virtually never break down & have indefinite life spans

Biodiversity

# & variety of species living in area

Public Land

any areas controlled by gov (in city, county, state, federal), funded by taxpayers

Conservationalists

lobby to preserve/maintain land & natural resources so that they may be cont to be used by humans

Preservationists

lobby to preserve lands & resources so they can't be used by humans

Theory

explanation that has been tested & supported by wide variety of observations & that new info in unlikely to discredit

Data

points that are measurable = quantitative or observations w/o numbers = qualitative

Experiment

organic way of testing hypotheses

Environmental Science

interdisciplinary field of study of interactions in the environment

Peer Review

scientific research is evaluated by experts in same field

Technology

application of science to human problems/needs

Model

Representation of process or object

Scientific Law

statement/math relationship that describes single concept & is widely accepted by science community, but is not modified over time

First Law of Thermodynamics

In physical & chemical changes, energy cannot be created/destroyed, only transformed

Boyle's Law

PV = k where P = pressure, V = volume, K = constant

Globalization

process in which countries all over world are related in terms of global market in goods

Natural Resources

resources existing in nature

Manufactured Capital

resources such as tools/factories

Human Capital

human beings w/ skills, talents, abilities

Marginal Cost

Cost of producing 1 additional unit of product

External costs / externalities

Costs that are incurred in the process but not reflected in cost of product

External benefits

benefits that are received by those not immediately involved in economic transaction

Cost-benefit analysis

analysis compares potential cost/benefits of product or process

Full-cost pricing

products that include external costs, especially negative externalities

Economy

system that produces, distributes, & consumes goods/services

Centrally Planned

Economy that relies on gov/another central authority to determine allocation of goods & services & to set prices

Market

Economy that relies on marketplace where buyers & sellers interact to determine allocation of goods/services & to set prices

Mixed

Economy that relies on blend of gov & markets to determine allocation of goods/services & to set prices

Arable

Able to be used for agriculture

Gross Domestic Product

Value of final goods/services produced over time period in county

Gross National Product

value of everything produced by nation's residents, no matter where they live

Sustainable Development

concept that sustainable methods for meeting humans needs & wants are possible

Endangered

organism at risk for extinction in signif # of habitats

Threatened

organism at risk of being endangered in future

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

Required by NEPA (National Environment Policy Act)

Is complex prediction of environmental changes filed for proposed federal action

Second Law of Thermodynamics

when energy is transformed, some useful energy is degraded into a less useful form, like heat

Photosynthesis

Converting the energy in sunlight into food;

Producers take in carbon dioxide, water and light energy to yield glucose and oxygen

Cellular Respiration

process in which cells release energy stored in food

Done by ALL organisms

6CO2 + 6H20 + light energy -> C6H12O6 + 6O2

Chemical Equation for Photosynthesis

C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy

Chemical Equation for Cellular Respiration

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

All energy absorbed by Producers

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Energy available to the next trophic level

Is difference b/t gross primary productivity & cellular respiration

Biotic

Living

Abiotic

Non-living

Producer / Autotroph

Organisms that preform photosynthesis

First level of food chain / web

Heterotroph / Consumer

Organisms that must eat other organisms for energy

Primary Consumer

Eats producers

Secondary Consumer

Eats Primary consumers

Tertiary Consumer

Eats Secondary consumers

Omnivore

Eats both plants and animals

Ten Percent Rule

relates to energy flow in food webs and food chains

only about 10% of useful energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next

Primary Succession

development of communities in a previously lifeless area without soil

Individual

Smallest level of organization of living things;

A single organism

Population

Collection of individuals of same species

Community

Group of populations

Ecosystem

Organization of living things that consists of all living and nonliving things in the area as well as interactions b/t them

Biosphere

Combination of all biomes, highest level of organization of living things

Consumer

Organisms that eat other organisms

Photosynthesizers

Producers that convert sunlight into own food

Chemosynthesizers

Bacteria that have developed the ability to make their own food at deep ocean vents by turning carbon into organic matter using energy from inorganic compounds

CO2 + O2 + 4H2S → CH2O + 4S + 3H2O

Detrivore

Organism that eat dead matter

Decomposer

Organism that breaks down remains of organisms into simpler, inorganic substances

Aerobic Respiration

cellular respiration that uses oxygen to release energy

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O

Anaerobic Respiration

process where kinds of organisms that can break down dead matter w/o oxygen

C6H12O6 + 3NO3 + 3H2O -> 6HCO3 + 3NH4

Watershed

Drainage basin for water

Ecosystem Services

services we get from functioning ecosystems like clean water, soil, air, habitat, timber

Bioaccumulation

buildup of chemical within bodies of organisms

Biomagnification

occurs when toxic substances that are present in small amounts in organisms low in food chain are concentrated in larger amounts in organisms high in the chain

Algal Bloom

growing mass of algae within an aquatic ecosystem; sign of pollution in water; will cont to grow until it covers the stream

Hydrosphere

Zone that includes all waters on Earth (including oceans, lakes, rivers, stream, water vapor)

Atmosphere

zone includes all gases (mostly nitrogen & oxygen) that exists above Earth's surface

Lithosphere

zone includes Earth's crust & upper mantle

Trophic Level

Feeding position in food chain

Biomass

Dry weight of all living things on earth

Entropy

Uncertainty or randomness

Hydrologic Cycle

cont cycle that moves water through atmosphere, on surface of earth, below surface

Evaporation & transpiration (evotranspiration) & sublimation -> Condensation -> Precipitation -> Runoff & infiltration

Closed system

system that cannot exchange matter w/ environment

Open System

system that can exchange matter w/ environment

Evaporation

liquid changes to gas at temp below boiling

Transpiration

process through which plants give off water through leaves