IB ESS Flashcards

Flashcards for IB Environmental Systems and Societies, covering key vocabulary and definitions from the lecture notes.

Environmental Value System (EVS)

A worldview or paradigm that shapes how individuals or societies perceive and evaluate environmental issues, influencing sustainability and environmental management choices.

Ecocentric

A nature-centered worldview that prioritizes the intrinsic value of the environment and emphasizes minimal disturbance of natural processes.

Anthropocentric

A human-centered EVS that believes humans must sustainably manage global systems through stewardship, legislation, and debate.

Technocentric

A technology-centered EVS that believes environmental problems can be solved using scientific and technological innovation.

Storages

Areas where energy or matter is kept in a system (e.g., carbon stored in trees or oceans).

Flows

Movements of energy or matter between storages in a system, often represented by arrows in diagrams.

Open System

A system that exchanges both energy and matter with its surroundings (e.g., most ecosystems).

Closed System

A system that exchanges only energy, not matter, with its surroundings (e.g., the Earth as a whole).

Positive Feedback Loop

A process that amplifies change in a system and leads to a new equilibrium (e.g., melting ice reduces albedo, causing more warming).

Negative Feedback Loop

A process that counteracts change and maintains stability in a system (e.g., predator-prey population balance).

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

When energy is transformed, some is lost as heat, increasing disorder (entropy) in the system.

Sustainability

The use of resources at a rate that allows natural regeneration and minimizes environmental degradation for future generations.

Natural Capital

The world's stock of natural resources, including geology, soil, air, water, and all living organisms, that provide ecosystem services.

Ecological Footprint

The area of land and water required to provide the resources an individual or population consumes and to absorb the wastes they generate.

Species

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Population

All individuals of a species living in the same area at the same time.

Community

A group of different populations living and interacting in a given area.

Habitat

The physical environment in which a species normally lives.

Niche

An organism's role within its ecosystem, including its use of resources and interactions.

Biotic Factors

Living components of an ecosystem (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria).

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components of an ecosystem (e.g., temperature, water, sunlight).

Food Chain

A sequence of organisms where each is a food source for the next.

Food Web

A complex network of interrelated food chains in an ecosystem.

Trophic Level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain.

Pyramid of Numbers

A diagram showing the number of organisms at each trophic level.

Pyramid of Biomass

Shows the total biomass (mass of living matter) at each trophic level.

Pyramid of Productivity

Represents the flow of energy through trophic levels over time.

GPP (Gross Primary Productivity)

Total energy captured by producers through photosynthesis.

NPP (Net Primary Productivity)

GPP minus energy used by producers for respiration (NPP = GPP - R).

NSP (Net Secondary Productivity)

Energy gained by consumers after respiration (NSP = GSP - R).

Succession

Natural changes in ecosystems over time.

Primary Succession

Succession starting from bare rock or water with no life.

Secondary Succession

Succession in areas where a disturbance has cleared life but soil remains.

Zonation

Changes in community composition across a spatial gradient.

Simpson’s Index

A measure of biodiversity that accounts for species richness and evenness.

Ecosystem Resilience

An ecosystem's ability to recover after disturbance.

Tipping Point

A threshold where small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in ecosystem behavior.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in all forms: genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

Causes of Biodiversity Loss

Habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, overexploitation, and climate change.

IUCN Red List Categories

A classification of species based on extinction risk (e.g., endangered, vulnerable).

Species-Based Conservation

Focuses on protecting individual species (e.g., breeding programs).

Habitat-Based Conservation

Preserves whole ecosystems (e.g., national parks).

Mixed Conservation Strategies

Combines species- and habitat-based approaches.

Protected Areas

Regions designated for conservation (e.g., nature reserves, parks).

CITES

An international agreement to prevent the trade of endangered species.

NGOs

Non-governmental organizations that support conservation (e.g., WWF).

IGOs

Intergovernmental organizations that make binding agreements (e.g., UN, IUCN).

Island Biogeography Theory

Explains species richness based on island size and isolation.

Hydrological Cycle

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Water Stores

Places where water is held (e.g., lakes, aquifers, glaciers).

Water Flows

Processes moving water (e.g., infiltration, percolation, transpiration).

Human Impact on Water Cycle

Includes deforestation, agriculture, urbanization, and dam building.

Water Scarcity

Lack of sufficient water to meet demand.

Water Management Strategies

Strategies to use water sustainably (e.g., desalination, conservation, greywater reuse).

Eutrophication

Nutrient pollution leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion in water.

Indicator Species

Organisms sensitive to environmental changes, used to assess ecosystem health.

Biotic Index

A scale that rates water quality by examining aquatic organisms.

Pollution Management Strategies

Includes prevention (altering human behavior), control (regulation), and cleanup (restoration).

Soil Composition

The mix of mineral particles, organic matter, water, and air in soil.

Soil Texture Triangle

A diagram used to classify soil types based on sand, silt, and clay percentages.

Soil Degradation

Loss of soil quality due to erosion, compaction, or nutrient depletion.

Soil Erosion

The removal of soil by wind, water, or human activity.

Terrestrial Food Production Systems

Agricultural systems including commercial and subsistence farming.

Inputs and Outputs (Farming)

Inputs: seeds, water, fertilizers; Outputs: crops, waste, emissions.

Food Security

Access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

Food Security Indicators

Availability, access, utilization, and stability of food supply.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming methods that protect the environment and conserve resources.

Structure of the Atmosphere

Layers include the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Gases that trap heat (e.g., CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, water vapor).

Natural Greenhouse Effect

The warming of Earth due to naturally occurring GHGs.

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

Extra warming due to human-released GHGs.

Climate Change Impacts

Includes sea-level rise, species migration, coral bleaching, and extreme weather.

Mitigation Strategies

Actions to reduce climate change causes (e.g., carbon taxes, renewable energy).

Adaptation Strategies

Adjustments to climate impacts (e.g., sea walls, drought-resistant crops).

International Agreements

Efforts like the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement to limit emissions.

Population Dynamics

Patterns of population growth (J-curve = exponential; S-curve = logistic).

Carrying Capacity

Maximum population an environment can sustainably support.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of how much nature we use compared to how much is available.

Biocapacity

The Earth’s capacity to regenerate resources and absorb waste.

Renewable Resources

Resources that replenish naturally (e.g., solar, wind, forests).

Non-Renewable Resources

Resources that cannot be replaced on human timescales (e.g., coal, oil).

Malthusian Theory

Population grows faster than food supply, leading to collapse.

Boserup Theory

Technology and innovation will allow food production to keep pace with population growth.

Solid Domestic Waste

Household garbage, including biodegradable and non-biodegradable items.

Waste Management

Includes landfills, recycling, composting, and incineration.

Energy Sources

Includes fossil fuels (coal, oil), nuclear, and renewables (solar, wind, biomass).

Point Source Pollution

Pollution from a single identifiable source (e.g., factory pipe).

Non-Point Source Pollution

Pollution from diffuse sources (e.g., runoff).

Acute Pollution

Pollution with sudden and severe impact (e.g., oil spill).

Chronic Pollution

Pollution from long-term, low-level exposure.

Primary Pollutants

Pollutants released directly into the environment (e.g., CO).

Secondary Pollutants

Pollutants formed from reactions in the environment (e.g., ozone from NOx and VOCs).

Pollution Management TRAP

Technology, Regulation, Awareness, Penalties.

DDT Case Study

A pesticide that caused bioaccumulation and biomagnification, harming birds and ecosystems.

Bioaccumulation

The buildup of toxins in an organism over time.

Biomagnification

The increase in toxin concentration as it moves up the food chain.

E-Waste

Discarded electronic devices, often dumped in the Global South, causing environmental harm.

GEESE (Goals of Sustainability)

Generational equity, Environmental protection, Economic viability, Social justice, Efficiency

POP (Productivity Formulas)

NPP = GPP - R, NSP = GSP - R