Environmental Science Key Terms: Alluvium, Biomes, El Nino, and More

alluvium

loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water.

animism

The worldview that nonhuman entities, including animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and weather systems, possess a distinct spiritual essence, soul, or personal agency.

anthropogenic

Caused, created, or influenced by human activity.

authoritarianism

a form of government that concentrates power in a single leader or a small elite group, rejecting political pluralism and limiting citizen freedoms.

autonomous

Operating independently and making decisions or governing oneself without direct outside control.

biome

a large, naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major regional habitat, defined primarily by its climate and vegetation.

biomes

The collective group of various large life zones found across the planet, such as combining deserts, forests, and grasslands together.

deciduous

falling off or shedding seasonally

demography

the scientific and statistical study of human populations, including their size, structure, and distribution

desalinate

to remove salt and minerals from seawater or soil to make it fresh and safe for drinking or farming

desalination

is the artificial process of removing salt and minerals from saltwater or brackish water to produce clean, drinkable fresh water

dodrums

an equatorial ocean region characterized by low pressure, calm winds, and unpredictable squalls

El Nino

a natural climate pattern characterized by the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean

environmental determinism

the belief that the physical environment—such as climate, landforms, and geography—directly shapes and controls human culture, societal development, and individual behavior

escarpment

a long, steep slope or cliff that separates two relatively level areas of land at different elevations

evergreen

a plant that keeps its green leaves or needles all year long instead of losing them during cold or dry seasons

fracking

an industrial method used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground rock formations by injecting a high-pressure liquid mixture.

free trade agreement

a formal pact between two or more countries to reduce or remove taxes, quotas, and other trade barriers on goods and services

globalization

the increasing connection and reliance between countries, economies, and cultures around the world.

gross domestic product

the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country during a specific time period

gross national product

the total market value of all final goods and services produced by the residents and businesses of a nation, wherever they are located in the world

histogram

a graph that shows how often numerical data appears within specific value ranges

indigenous

the original, earliest known inhabitants of a region and their descendants who maintain strong cultural, historical, and spiritual ties to their ancestral lands.

intra- vs inter-

Inter- means "between" or "among" two or more distinct entities, while intra- means "within" or "inside" a single entity.

kleptocracy

a system of government where leaders use political power to steal public funds and resources for personal wealth

La Nina

cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern

laissez-faire

a "hands-off" approach where local or national governments deliberately avoid regulating land use, real estate development, and the spatial growth of cities

latitude

the measurement of a location's distance north or south of Earth's equator, expressed in degrees.

leeward

facing away from the wind or located on the side sheltered from the wind

lingua franca

a shared language used for communication by people who do not speak the same native language or dialect

loess

a fine, yellowish-brown soil formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt and dust

longitude

an angular measurement that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface

manufactured goods

items created by transforming raw materials using labor, machinery, capital, and tools. [1, 2]

nationalism

a political ideology and movement asserting that a nation—a group sharing common culture, language, or history—should govern itself and hold sovereign power within its own state

neoliberal

a political and economic ideology that favors free-market capitalism, private property, and minimal government intervention in the economy. [1, 2]

neoliberalism

a political and economic philosophy that supports free-market capitalism, minimal government intervention, and a strong private sector.

omnipresent

being present everywhere at the same time.

pacifism

the moral belief that war, violence, and killing are always wrong and that all disputes should be settled through peaceful means. [1, 2]

poaching

the illegal hunting, killing, capturing, or harvesting of wild animals and protected plants.

polyandry

a form of polygamy where a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. [1]

polygyny

a form of marriage or mating system in which one man is married to, or mates with, two or more women at the same time

primary products

raw materials and natural resources obtained directly from the earth through farming, fishing, mining, and forestry

Raw materials

a basic, unprocessed or minimally processed substance used to create goods, finished products, or energy

rift

a linear zone where the Earth's crust and lithosphere are being pulled apart by tectonic forces

subduction zone

a region where two tectonic plates collide and the denser oceanic plate slides beneath a lighter, more buoyant plate into the Earth's mantle

subsidence

the downward sinking or settling of the Earth's surface relative to its surrounding elevation

subtropical

geographic and climate regions located immediately north and south of the tropical zones

tariff

a tax or duty imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries

tectonic plates

massive, rigid slabs of solid rock that make up Earth's outermost layer, known as the lithosphere

temperate

mild, moderate, and free from extreme heat or cold

Thomas Malthus/Malthusian way of thinking

argued that unchecked population growth would always outpace food production, leading to inevitable societal collapse

tropopause

the boundary layer in Earth's atmosphere that separates the troposphere below from the stratosphere above

windward

the side of a landmass, mountain, or island that faces into the direction from which the wind is blowing

ziggurat

a massive stepped pyramid structure with receding levels built in ancient Mesopotamia and western Iran