Chapter 9: Land and Water Use

Tragedy of the commons

A shared resource that no one owns and everyone can use is overexploited and eventually unavailable to all

Clear-cutting

An economically viable way of cutting down all the trees in an area of a forest for human use. This leads to erosion, flooding, and increased soil and water temperatures, and it removes the carbon sink that forests provide.

Mechanization

Using mechanical means like tractors and farm equipment to harvest crops

Fertilization

Using man-made, chemical fertilizers on crops to help them grow better

Tilling

Turning the land over so you can plant crops, but this can lead to erosion of the soil from both water and wind

Slash-and-burn farming

This is an agricultural method for taking wild land such as a forest, and clearing it to grow crops. Usually this method involves slashing (cutting down) and burning the plants that were found there and planting a crop.

Drip irrigation

Using hoses that slowly drip water onto the roots of plants.

Flood irrigation

Flooding an entire crop with water.

Furrow irrigation

Building rows between crops and flooding those rows with water.

Spray irrigation

Using sprinkler-type devices to water crops. Pro: less water lost to evaporation. Con: expensive.

Waterlogging

When soil gets so flooded with water, and the water then evaporates but the salt is left behind. After many years of this, the land is so salty that most plants can’t grow.

Salinization

Salt in the soil that limits plant growth

Aquifers

A layer of rock that is filled with water

Pesticides

A generic term to describe any herbicide, fungicide, rodenticide, or insecticide

Herbicides

A chemical that kills unwanted plants

Fungicides

A chemical that kills unwanted fungi

Rodenticides

A chemical that kills unwanted rodents such as mice and rats

Insecticides

A chemical that kills unwanted insects

Concentrated animal feeding operations

Large feeding operations with many animals in a small area. Pro: increased profits. Cons: disease can spread so large amounts of antibiotics are used and manure and urine can run off into local waterways.

Free-range grazing

Allowing animals to roam free and eat on grassy pastures

Overgrazing

When too many animals are allowed to eat in an area and the grass/plants cant recover. This often leads to desertification.

Desertification

When an area is so overgrazed it cant recover and the area can become a desert

Overfishing

Taking too many fish at one time by commercial fishing and not allowing the breeding stock to reproduce and replenish

Surface mining

A type of mining where minerals are found near to the surface with only soil and small amounts of rock above it so it is inexpensive and relatively easy to obtain

Overburden

The rock and soil found above a mine that must be removed to get to the mineral resource

Slag and tailings

The waste from mining that must be dealt with and can be an environmental problem if it is not

Subsurface mining

Digging deep into the Earth to get to the mineral resource. Pro: can get to a resource that is abundant deep within the Earth. Con: expensive and sometimes dangerous.

Urbanization

People moving from rural areas and into cities looking for jobs or other opportunities

Saltwater intrusion

Occurs when too many people living in cities close to the coastline draw on an aquifer for fresh water. The freshwater is removed and the salt water can move into the aquifer, destroying the aquifer.

Impervious surfaces

Surfaces like concrete or asphalt that dont allow for water to infiltrate into the ground

Permeable surfaces

Surfaces that do allow water to seep into the ground and replenish aquifers or water plants

Urban sprawl

Term used to describe cities as they expand more and more into the surrounding ecosystems/habitats

Ecological footprint

The area of land (measured in hectares) that a person or society uses due to the pressures it puts on the environment. In other words, the amount of natural resources that it takes to support one person or one society. People living in developed nations have a greater ecological footprint than people living in developing nations.

Urban runoff

Occurs when cities are so covered with concrete, asphalt, buildings, and so on, that water cant infiltrate into the land and runs off instead

Infiltration

The ability of water to move through the soil and perhaps into an aquifer

Integrated pest management

The method of killing pests without using as much pesticide; for example, using predator bugs and rotating crops

Biocontrol

A method of integrated pest management that uses predator bugs to control pest species

Intercropping

A method of integrated pest management where rows of crops that repel pests are planted next to the row of crops the farmer wants to sell

Crop rotation

A method of rotating crops to different fields so the soil has a chance to recover and minerals are not depleted

Contour plowing

Planting crops with the contour of the land to prevent erosion

Windbreaks

Planting trees or shrubs next to crops to prevent wind erosion

Perennial crops

Planting crops that dont need to be replanted each year but can be harvested multiple times throughout the year

Terracing

Creating flat terraces on mountainsides to plant crops and prevent erosion

No-till agriculture

Planting crops without tilling, or churning the soil, before you plant

Strip cropping

Planting crops in strips with one strip having a crop with deep, extensive roots and one that doesnt. The crop with roots will hold in the soil and prevent erosion that the other crop doesn’t do.

Rotational grazing

Moving animals around to various pastures to allow the grass to recover from grazing

Aquaculture

Farm raising fish, shellfish, or aquatic plants to sell.