APES Unit Five Vocabulary

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dissolved lead, arsenic or cadmium wash out of mines into nearby waterways

algal bloom

an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorous; bacteria consume the algae and use up all of the dissolved oxygen in the water making it uninhabitable for other aquatic life

aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.

CAFO

concentrated animal feeding operation which is a large feedlot to produce a large amount of meat quickly and cheaply

Desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

drip irrigation

the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

ecological footprint

the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.

Eutrophication

A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water

furrow irrigation

easy and inexpensive; 65% efficient; farmer digs trenches along the crop rows and fills them with water, which seeps into the ground and provides moisture to plant roots

Green Revolution

a large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties.

Groundwater

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Combined use of biological, chemical, and cultivation methods in proper sequence and timing to keep the size of a pest population below the size that causes economically unacceptable loss of a crop or livestock animal.

NPK fertilisers

Fertilisers containing nitrogen in the form of nitrate ions for growth of leaves and stems, phosphorous in the form of phosphate ions for healthy leaves and flowers, potassium in the form of potassium ions for healthy leaves and flowers.

Ranching

A form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over an extensive area.

Salinization

A process in which mineral salts accumulate in the soil, killing plants; occurs when soils in dry climates are irrigated profusely; irrigated water contains more salts than rainwater

tilling

The turning-over of soil before planting.

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities

water table

The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater

Waterlogging

water saturation of soil that fills all air spaces and causes plant roots to die from lack of oxygen; a result of overirrigation

Tragedy of the Commons

the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain

clear-cutting

a method of harvesting trees that involves removing all or almost all of the trees within an area

slash and burn agriculture

a farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land

selective cutting

the removal of select trees in an area; this leaves the majority of the habitat in place and has less of an impact on the ecosystem.

genetically modified organisms

an organism produced by copying genes from a species with a desirable trait and inserting them into another species

pesticide treadmill

process through which a farmer uses more pesticides, with increasing costs, as the effectiveness of pesticides decreases

pesticide resistance

when there is a natural variation (mutation) in insects and the ones with the mutation become resistant to the pesticide; solution to the problem →make a new pesticide

Manure lagoon

large, human made ponds lined with rubber to prevent the manure from leaking into the groundwater

Bycatch

unwanted marine creatures that are caught in the nets while fishing for another species

strip mining

A process whereby miners strip away at the surface of the earth to lay bare the mineral deposits

mountaintop removal

Type of surface mining that uses explosives, massive shovels, and even larger machinery called draglines to remove the top of a mountain to expose seams of coal underneath a mountain.

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

impervious surface

Any surface through which water can NOT seep down into the ground--a surface water can't infiltrate

green roof

roof covered in vegetation - helps combat heat-island effect

dependent variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested.

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

no-till agriculture

growth of crops without plowing the soil to prevent erosion and loss of nutrients

contour plowing

plowing fields along the curves of a slope to prevent soil loss

mitigate

to make less severe