AICE Environmental Management Unit 1 Vocab

Environment

The surroundings or habitat in which an organism lives

Species

A group of living organisms made of up individuals that can produce fertile offspring when they reproduce

Carrying capacity

The number of species which a region can support without environmental degradation

Continents

The main continous expanses of land found on

Earth

Low-income Countries (LIC)

Countries that have the weakest economies and are the least developed. The category is determined by the GNI per capita (number varies depending on the economy)

Gross National Income (GNI)

The total amount of money earned by a nation's people and businessess. This is used to measure a nation's wealth

Middle-income Countries (MIC)

Countries that have started to develop, with growing industry and GNI per capita increasing

High-income Countries (HIC)

Countries that have strong, well-developed economies and a good standard of living

Sustainability

The ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Ecosystem

A biological community of organisms interacting with each other and the physical environment

Pollution

The presence or introduction into the environment of a substance which is harmful or has poisonous effects, for example polluted water is harmful to drink

Biodiversity

The number of different living organisms foud within an ecosystem or region

Water cycle

The process in which water moves from sea, into the atmosphere, onto and into land and back to the sea

Evaporation

The process by which liuid turns to gas

Precipitation

Water that falls to the ground as rain, snow, hail, and sleet

Transpiration

Water lsot through the leaves of plants

Humidity

The percentage of water vapr in the air

Condensation

The process by which a gas changes into a liquid due to cooling

Runoff

The draining away of water as overland flow

Aquifer

An underground layer of permeable rock in which water is stored in the rock pores

Infiltration

The movement of water into the soil from the surface

Through-flow

The lateral transfer of water downslope through the soil

Groundwater

The water found underground in cracks and spaces in the soil, sand, and rocks

Groudwater Flow

Water which flows under the ground until it reaches the surface, often through boreholes or wells

Atmosphere

The envelope of gases, vapour and dust, that surround Earth

Troposphere

The lowest zone of the atmosphere that extends from Earth surface to a height of aproximately 10 km

Stratosphere

The zone of the atmosphere above the troposphere where the ozone layer is located

Ozone Layer

A layer of the stratosphere rich in ozone (O3) molecues, which absorb much of the incoming UV radiation

Mesosphere

The zone of the atmosphere above the stratosphere

Cataracts

A cloudiness of the lens of the eye which makes vision blurry

Natural Greenhouse Effect

The warming of the atmosphere by gases, found naturally in the atmosphere, trapping the heat from the sun

Greenhouse Gases

Gases in the atmosphere that absorb infrered radiation

Chlorofuorocarbons (CFCs)

Nontoxic, nonflammable, chemicals containing carbon, chlorine, and flourine, that are used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, foams and packaging materials, solvents, and refrigerants

Enhancced Greenhouse Effect

An increase in the warming of the atmosphere, over and above the natural greenhouse effect, through gases produced by human activities. These gases increase the amount of infrared radiation being retained in the atmosphere, trapping heat from the sun

Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of Earth

Biomes

LArge-scale ecosystems that are typically defined by climate and the dominant vegetation type - for example, tropical rainforests or hot deserts

Biotic

Living organisms

Abiotic

Climate, soil tpe, slope angle and non-living things or things without life are all abiotic factors that influence the structure of an ecosystem

Population

A group of organisms of the same species living within an ecoystem

Intra-specific

Between individuals of the same species

Inter-specific

Between individuals of different species

Food Chain

The feedingsequence of organisms indicating the flow of energy as one species is consumed by the next, from the primary producer through to the apex predator

Trophic Level

A group of organisms within an ecosystem which fill the same level within a food chain

Ecological Pyramid

A graphic representation of the relationship between organisms at different tropic levels in an ecosystem

Primary Producer

The organism within a food chain that produces its own food source through photosynthesis

Consumer

An organism that cannot produce its own food, and must eat other organisms in order to obtain nutrients

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down organic material

Limiting Factor

Anything that may slow population growth, or constrain population size. The term limiting factor can also be used in other contexts to refer ro any factor that can slow or reduce the chance of an event occuring

Food Web

The connection of all the individual food chains within a community

Biomass

The total quantity or weight of organic material in an ecosystem (1), or, plant material used as an energy source (2)

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants synthesise glucose using carbon dioxide, water, and energy from sunlight

Aerobic Respiration

The chemical reactions in cells that break down glucose molecules and release enery, carbon dioxide, and water

Chlorophyll

Green pigment in the leaves of all green plants, which is responsible for the absorption of light to provide enery for photosynthesis

Carbon Cycle

The flow of carbon between various carbon stores

Combustion

The burning of an item, e.g. the burning of fossil fuels to use their energy

Carbon Stores

Carbon is stored in carbon sinks, as organic material in organisms, soil, fossil fuels, and the oceans

Carbon Sink

This is anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases

Carbon Source

Carbon store that releases more carbon than it stores

Fossilisation

The process through which orgainc material is replace with mineral substances in the remains of an organism. It is a physical, chemical, and biological process the preserves the plant and annimal remains over time

Cryosphere

Parts of Earth's surface that are made up of ice, including ice, snow, glaciers, ice sheets, and areas of permafrost

Pedosphere

The outermost layer of Earth that is made up of soils

Range

The difference between the upper and lower limits on a particular scale

Open System

A system in which material can either be lost or gained

Closed System

A system in which material is neither being created or lost

Through-fall

Rain that falls through the leaves and branches of plants

Stem-flow

Rainfall that reaches the ground in a forest by draining down the trunks of plants

Abstraction

The process of taking water from a ground water source

Variable Gases

The concentration of the gas can differ either spatially or over time

Phytoplankton

Algae found in the upper parts of the ocean, the algae photosynthesise, capturing energy from the sun to live and grow

Biosphere

The zones of Earth where living organisms can survive

Hydrosphere

All the water on Earth's surface, including lakes, seas, ground water and atmospheric water such as clouds

Herbivore

An organism that only eats plants, also known as a primary consumer

Omnivore

An organism that eats both meat and plants, also known as secondary consumer

Carnivore

An organism that only meats, also known as a tertiary consumer

Hydrophilic

A water-loving material which attracts water, and is capable of holding onto it

Mucus

A slimy, sticky substance that coats, protects and moistens the surface it covers

Hibernation

A period of time when a plant or animal remains in a dormant or inactive state resembling sleep