Environmental Science. Chapter 1

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the introductory concepts of environmental science, including historical revolutions, scientific fields, resource management, and economic principles.

Environmental science

The study of the air, water, and land surrounding an organism or a community, which ranges from a small area to Earth’s entire biosphere; it includes the study of the impact of humans on the environment.

Ecology

The study of interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.

Biology

The study of living things and living organisms.

Chemistry

The study of chemicals and their interactions.

Physics

The study of matter and energy.

Earth science

The study of the Earth's nonliving systems and the planet as a whole.

Social sciences

The study of human populations.

Zoology

The study of animals.

Botany

The study of plants.

Microbiology

The study of microorganisms.

Geology

The study of the Earth's surface, interior processes, and history.

Paleontology

The study of fossils and ancient life.

Climatology

The study of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.

Hydrology

The study of Earth's water resources.

Engineering

The science by which matter and energy are made useful to humans in structures, machines, and products.

Biochemistry

The study of the chemistry of living things.

Geochemistry

A branch of geology that is the study of the chemistry of materials such as rocks, soil, and water.

Geography

The study of the relationship between human populations and Earth's features.

Anthropology

The study of the interactions of the biological, cultural, geographical, and historical aspects of humankind.

Sociology

The study of human population dynamics and statistics.

Hunter-gatherers

People who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains.

Agriculture

The raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans.

Agricultural Revolution

A period starting over $10,000$ years ago that allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate and changed the food we eat through domestication.

Slash-and-burn

One of the earliest techniques used to convert land such as grasslands and forests into farmland.

Industrial Revolution

A shift from energy sources such as animals and running water to fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which increased the efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation.

Closed system

A system where only energy from the sun enters in large amounts and heat leaves in large amounts, while waste cannot be disposed of and new supplies cannot be taken on; an example is Earth.

Natural resources

Any natural materials that are used by humans, such as water, petroleum, minerals, forests, and animals.

Renewable resource

A resource that can be replaced relatively quickly by natural processes.

Nonrenewable resource

A resource that forms at a much slower rate than it is consumed.

Resource depletion

The state where a large fraction of a resource has been used up.

Pollution

An undesirable change in the natural environment caused by the introduction of substances harmful to living organisms or by excessive wastes, heat, noise, or radiation.

Biodegradable pollutants

Pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes, such as newspaper.

Nondegradable pollutants

Pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processes and can build up to dangerous levels, such as mercury.

Biodiversity

The variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem.

The Tragedy of the Commons

An essay by Garrett Hardin arguing that the main difficulty in solving environmental problems is the conflict between short-term individual interests and long-term societal welfare.

Law of Supply and Demand

An economic law stating that as the demand for a good or service increases, the value of that food or service also increases.

Cost-benefit analysis

A process that balances the cost of an action against the benefits expected from it.

Risk assessment

A tool that helps create cost-effective ways to protect health and the environment by identifying the risk of undesirable outcomes.

Developed countries

Countries characterized by higher incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support.

Developing countries

Countries characterized by lower average incomes, simple agriculture-based communities, and rapid population growth.

Ecological footprints

Calculations showing the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country, including land for crops, grazing, housing, and forest area to absorb pollution.

Sustainability

The condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely.