APES Unit 5 Land and Water Use

Clearcutting

Selective cutting

cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind

Strip cutting

A variation of clear-cutting in which a strip of trees is clear-cut along the contour of the land, with the corridor narrow enough to allow natural regeneration within a few years. After regeneration, another strip is cut above the first, and so on.

Soil erosion

Movement of soil components, especially topsoil, from one place to another, usually by wind, flowing water, or both. This natural process can be greatly accelerated by human activities that remove vegetation from soil.

Sustainable logging

a practice in which loggers balance the use of the forests for wood production with protecting the ecosystem and the environment

Agriculture

the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

Green revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

Industrial Agriculture

intensive farming practices involving mechanization and mass production

GMOs

Organisms that have been geneticly altered to improve their usefulnes

Irrigation

The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

Pesticides

Chemicals used on plants that do not harm the plants, but kill pests and have negative repercussions on other species who ingest the chemicals.

monoculture

farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year

interplanting

Simultaneously growing a variety of crops on the same plot.

cover crops

Plants, such as rye, alfalfa, or clover, that can be planted immediately after harvest to hold and protect the soil. Return Nitrogen to the soil

Arable

suitable for growing crops

Tilling

The turning-over of soil before planting.

Slash-and-burn farming

a farming method in which people clear fields by cutting and burning trees and grasses, the ashes of which serve to fertilize the soil

drip irrigation

the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

flood irrigation

water is distributed over the soil surface by gravity; the most common form of irrigation and most inefficient; loses 40% of water

furrow irrigation

easy and inexpensive; 65% efficient; farmer digs trenches along the crop rows and fills them with water, which seeps into the ground and provides moisture to plant roots

spray irrigation

expensive and energy-consuming; 75-95% efficient; water is pumped from a well into an apparatus that contains a series of spray nozzles that spray water across the field

Soil salinization

salt buildup in the soil when water evaporates

Waterlogging

saturation of soil with irrigation water or excessive precipitation so that the water table rises close to the surface

Water table

The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater

Groundwater

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.

Evaporation

The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas

Runoff

Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers

Aquifers

Subterranean, porous, water-holding rocks that provide millions of wells with steady flows of water.

Ogalalla Aquifer

huge water source that provides water for many different regions. It contains geologic water, meaning it will eventually run out and those regions will lose their main source of water.

Subsidence

A depression of the land surface as a result of groundwater being pumped. Cracks and fissures can appear in the land. Subsidence is virtually an irreversible process.

Confined Aquifer

an aquifer surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay that impedes water flow

Unconfined Aquifer

an aquifer made of porous rock covered by soil out of which water can easily flow

Recharge

new water that enters the aquifer from the surface

Herbicides

target plant species that compete with crops

Fungicides

a chemical that kills fungi

Rodenticides

Pesticides that kill rodents.

Insecticides

a chemical that kills insects

pesticide Resistance

adaptation that allows an organism to tolerate a chemical intended to kill them, they survive and pass on this gene, future populations evolve resistance

Pesticide treadmill

A cycle of pesticide development, followed by pest resistance, followed by new pesticide development

Pest

Unwanted organism that directly or indirectly interferes with human activities.

Crop dusting

the spraying of powdered or liquid insecticide or fertilizer on crops, especially from the air.

CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations)

large structures where animals are being raised in high density numbers

Overgrazing

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

Rangelands (U.S.)

70% land use in US. dry, open grasslands (used primarily for cattle grazing, semiarid ecosystems, particularly susceptible to fires/other disturbances)

Desertification

the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert

Manure

animal waste

Manure lagoon

Human-made pond lined with rubber built to handle large quantities of manure produced by livestock.

Overfishing

harvesting fish to the point that species are depleted and the value of the fishery reduced

Fishing techniques

long-line, trawling, ghost nets, purse net, by-catch, TED (Turtle Exclusion Device), overfishing

Longline fishing

a commercial fishing technique that uses a long line with baited hooks attached at intervals.

Bycatch

unwanted marine creatures that are caught in the nets while fishing for another species

Drift net fishing

huge fish are caught by huge drifting nets that can hang as deep as 50 feet below the surface and extend 40 miles long. This method can lead to overfishing of the desired and unwanted species.

Bottom trawling

a fishing technique in which the ocean floor is literally scraped by heavy nets that smash everything in their path.

Mining

the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth

Extraction

process of removal or something removed

Ores

concentrated accumulations of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted

Surface mining

Removing soil, subsoil, and other strata and then extracting a mineral deposit found fairly close to the earth's surface. cheaper and less dangerous

Overburden

Layer of soil and rock overlying a mineral deposit. Surface mining removes this layer.

Strip mining

the removal of strips of soil and rock to expose ore

Slag

the residue or mass of metal left after smelting; worthless matter

Tailings

Rock and other waste materials removed as impurities when waste mineral material is separated from the metal in an ore.

Coal

A fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material

Minerals

A solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.

Subsurface mining

The extraction of mineral and energy resources from deep underground deposits.

Smelting

The process by which ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements.

acid mine drainage

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams.

Mountaintop removal

a mining technique in which the entire top of a mountain is removed with explosives

Urban

city

Suburban/Suburb

an outlying district of a city, especially a residential one.

Rural

countryside

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

Urban sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land.

Suburban sprawl

unplanned development by many different entities, often as part of urban outgrowth

Heat islands

urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat more than do nonurban areas.

Saltwater intrusion

an infiltration of salt water in an area where groundwater pressure has been reduced from extensive drilling of wells

Impervious

water cannot penetrate, will runoff ex. pavement

Urban runoff

Surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization. Hard, non-permeable surfaces, such as concrete and asphalt, replace soil, preventing water from entering aquifers. Rainwater instead flows over the hard surfaces, gathering pollutants and chemicals until it eventually rejoins a water source.

Mass transportation

expansion of railroads and streetcars, subways, busses

Intercropping

An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction.

Crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.

biological control

the intentional release of a natural enemy to attack a pest population

Soil conservation

a method to maintain the fertility of the soil by protecting the soil from erosion and nutrient loss

Contour plowing

plowing fields along the curves of a slope to prevent soil loss

windbreaks/shelterbelts

Belts of trees along field edges to reduce wind erosion

Terracing

creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface, which reduces soil runoff from the slope.

No-till agriculture

An agricultural method in which farmers do not turn the soil between seasons, used as a means of reducing erosion

Strip cropping

cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips to prevent soil erosion.

Sustainable agriculture

Farming methods that preserve long-term productivity of land and minimize pollution, typically by rotating soil- restoring crops with cash crops and reducing in-puts of fertilizer and pesticides.

Aquaculture

Raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages

Sustainable forestry

The use and management of forest ecosystems in an environmentally balanced and enduring way

Reforestation

planting young trees or seeds on lands where trees have been cut or destroyed

IPM

Pest management using a variety of techniques, agricultural, biological and use of minimal amount of pesticides when necessary

Prescribed burns

Controlled burns implented to reduce fuel load and improve the health and safety of forests.

Tree plantations

large areas typically planted with a single rapidly growing tree species

Forest management

Scientific planning and administration of forest resources for sustainable harvest, multiple use, regeneration, and maintenance of a healthy biological community

Hectare

10,000 square meters

Restoration

the action of returning something to a former condition.