Social studies final terms

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58 Terms

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Biotic resources

are those that are sourced from the biosphere - organic and living parts of the Earth. (e.g., animals, forests, agricultural products, and fossil fuels).

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Abiotic resources

are those that are sourced from the non-organic and non-living parts of the Earth (e.g., fresh water, air, land, and minerals).

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Renewable resources

are those that can replenish naturally after human use (e.g., forests, animal populations, and biofuels).

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Non-renewable resources

are those that do not replenish naturally after human use (e.g., minerals, and fossil fuels).

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Flow resources

are those that are neither renewable or non-renewable and are not exhausted by human use (e.g., solar energy, tidal energy, and wind)

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Subsistence farming

 Small Scale production of crops and raising of livestock to meet the immediate needs of families. Most common in LEDCs.

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Cash cropping

Agricultural activities that aim to produce food for the purpose of selling it to others. This often involves selecting specific crops that can produce the greatest return on investment and, thus, greatest profit

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Intensive farming

High yield farming that occurs on relatively small amounts of land.

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Extensive farming

Low yield farming that occurs on relatively large amounts of land.

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Biotechnology

The application of biological processes for agricultural purposes, which can improve output (e.g., genetically modified organisms).

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Monoculture

Agriculture in which a single crop is planted in a large area (e.g., wheat fields in the Prairie region of Canada).

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Corporate farming

Large scale food production industry that is owned and operated by corporations. These corporations often produce the inputs required for agriculture (e.g., fertilizers, seeds, machinery)

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Land degradation

 the deterioration of the productive capacity of soil for either present orfuture use. In other words, it becomes harder to use soil to meet our needs.

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Erosion

refers to the removal of the nutrient-rich layer of topsoil by either wind or water.

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Chemical deterioration

refers to the breakdown of soil as a result of leaching, salinization, acidification, or pollution.

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Physical deterioration

When the land is degraded due to compaction, waterlogging, or Subsidence.

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Desertification

occurs when human activities reduce the productivity of arid or semi-arid areas to the point where it resembles a desert. In other words, poor management of the land results in a loss of fertile soil.

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Arable land

also known as fertile soil. contains a thick humus layer (decomposed organic matter high in nutrients) and produces better conditions for plant growth

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Arid regions

areas that receive less than 250mm of rain annually

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Semi-arid regions

areas that receive between 250-500 mm of rain annually.

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Tropical regions

areas that receive great amounts of rainfall.

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Terrain deformation

 a change in the physical landscape caused by natural or human forces.

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Leaching

Involves nutrients in soil being washed away or dissolved as a result of too much run-off. This can occur almost anywhere, but is most common in tropical areas.

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Salinization

Involves an increase in the salt content of soil to the point where soil becomes toxic and unable to support plant growth

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Acidification

Involves the acid content of soil increasing as a result of overuse of fertilizers or due to poor drainage.

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Pollution

Involves pollution from industrial emissions or liquid or solid waste that can damage soil or seep into water sources.

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Deforestation

When land is cleared for timber or more usually agricultural use the soilis exposed to erosion. This is particularly damaging in tropical area with higherannual precipitation

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Overgrazing

When too many livestock cattle, sheep, or goats graze on a particulararea destroying the vegetation and exposing the soil to erosion

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Overuse of natural vegetation

When people strip the natural vegetation of an area for fuel and building materials leading to erosion.

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Urban/Industrial pollution

When the productive capacity of soil is reduced by pollution so that it is unusable for farming.

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Urbanization and urban sprawl

When expanding towns and cities take over more land that had been used as form land as well as wildlife habitat.

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Food security

having reliable access to adequate amounts of food in order to maintain one’s health.

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Chronic hunger

People are said to experience this when an insecure supply of food occurs over a long period of time. This affects hundreds of millions of people around the world and causes more deaths than famine.

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Groundwater

An important source of water resources

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Aquifier

this is water that has filtered down through the soil and by the force of gravity is pushed into cavities, fissures in the rock and loose sediments found underground.

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Open aquifier

is open to water percolating down from above.

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Closed aquifier

is surrounded on top and bottom by impermeable rock.

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Fossil water

fell as rain thousands of years ago before the aquifer was closed by geologic activity

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Water security

adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods and human well-being

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Alternative energy sources

sources of energy that are developed to avoid or lessen the impact of fossil fuel use.

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Troposphere

This is the layer of atmosphere that most concerns us, which varies in thickness from 9 to 16 kilometres. It is here that weather occurs and most air pollution is found.

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Carbon source

is anything that provides additional carbon to the atmosphere, for example, when the vegetation in a swamp decomposes and gives off methane.

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Carbon sink

exists when carbon is removed from the atmosphere for a relatively short time, for example, when you plant a tree that takes up carbon as it grows.

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Fixed carbon

is any carbon that has been removed from the atmosphere for a very long time.

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Climate change

The greatest atmospheric issue our planet is facing. 

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Global warming

is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans.

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atmospheric carbon dioxide

increased from 280 parts per million in 1800 to 400 parts per million in 2012, a 43% increase over 200 years. This is directly a result of burning fossil fuels.

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Greenhouse effect

This increase in CO2 gas increases the ________ and leads to increases in global temperature.

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Anthropogenic greenhouse gases

These gases are released by human activity.

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Paris conference

 has set out the following goal to limit global temperature rise to less than 2 C to prevent most of the effects of climate change.

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Cap and trade system

A method for reducing greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions by encouraging producers to sell carbon credits that they do not use

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Carbon tax

A method for reducing greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions by taxing products and services based on their total carbon emissions.

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Geo-engineering

A term used to describe technological responses to the problems of climate change. 

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Biomass

organic matter used as a fuel, especially in a power station for the generation of electricity.

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Solar energy

The energy derived from the sun in the form of light and heat.

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Wind power

 a renewable energy source that utilizes the kinetic energy of moving air (wind) to generate electricity or mechanical power.

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Geothermal energy

Heat from the Earth's interior, a renewable energy source derived from the Earth's core and mantle.

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Hyrdicity

An energy system based on the production and consumption of hydrogen and electricity.