APES Unit 5

Ecological Footprint

A measure of how much an individual/group consumes, expressed in area of land

Environmental Science

The study of the natural processes that occur in the environment and how humans can affect them.

Sustainability

Consuming a resource or using a space in a way that does not deplete or degrade it for future generations

Maximum Sustainable Yield

the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource

Environmental Indicators of sustainability

Factors that help us determine the health of the environment and guide us towards sustainable use of earth's resources (Ex. Biodiversity, Food production, atm. temp, etc.)

Tragedy of the Commons

situation in which people acting individually and in their own interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community

Brownfield

a property which has the presence or potential to be a hazardous waste, pollutant or contaminant.

Heat Island

An area in which the air temperature is generally higher than the temperature of surrounding rural areas.

Suburban Sprawl

The spread of suburbs away from the core city. Unplanned development by many different entities, often as part of urban outgrowth.

Compact Developments

Developments that aims for more efficient use of land through higher-density planning

Land use Planning

Planning to determine the best present and future uses of each parcel of land.

Sustainable city

A city with a livable environment, a strong economy, and a social and cultural sense of community; sustainable cities enhance the well-being of current and future generations of urban dwellers

Dust Dome

a dome of heated air that surrounds an urban area and contains a lot of air pollution

Noise Pollution

Type of pollution characterized by unwanted or potentially damaging sound.

Urban Agglomerations

Urban areas with especially high population density and built infrastructure (Multiple cities built on top of each other)

Gentrification

A process of converting an urban neighborhood from a predominantly low-income renter-occupied area to a predominantly middle-class owner-occupied area.

Smart Growth

Legislation and regulations to limit suburban sprawl and preserve farmland.

Urban Ecosystem

A region of Earth that supports the commerce, industry, and community interactions of a large number and high density of humans

Urbanization

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

Aqueduct

A raised channel used to carry water from mountains into cities

Aquifer Depletion

the removal of more groundwater by humans than can be recharged by precipitation or melting snow

Desalinization

A process of removing salt from ocean water

Distillation

the action of purifying a liquid by a process of heating and cooling.

Drip and Trickle Irrigation

supplies water to plants roots through pipes, helps to conserve water

Gray Water

all of the wastewater that drains from washing machines, sinks, dishwashers, tubs or showers and can be reused for non-sanitary purposes

Micro irrigation

a type of irrigation that conserves water by piping it to crops through sealed systems

Groundwater

water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers

Saltwater Intrusion

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

Sinkhole

A depression produced in a region where soluble rock has been removed by groundwater

Sustainable Water Use

The use of water resources in a fashion that does not harm the essential functions of the hydrologic cycle or the ecosystems on which present and future humans depend

Reclaimed Water

wastewater that has been treated and purified for reuse

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dissolved lead, arsenic or cadmium wash out of mines into nearby waterways

Gangue

waste rock that must be removed before a mineral can be used

High-Grade Ores

An ore containing a lot of a metal or metal compound

Igneous Rock

a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

Metamorphic Rock

A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.

Sedimentary Rock

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

Mountain Top Mining

where the top of a mountain is removed to get to the coal and the material removed is used to fill the nearby valley. This is very damaging.

Open Pit Mining

a mining technique that uses a large visible pit or hole in the ground

Ore

a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine

Overburden

soil, vegetation, and rocks that are removed to get to an ore deposit below

Shaft Mining

Vertical tunnels are built to access and then excavate minerals that are underground and otherwise unreachable.

Slant/slope mining

A method of mining minerals, such as coal or ore. A sloping access shaft travels downwards towards desired material.

Smelting

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

Spoil Bank

a hill of loose rock created when the overburden from a new trench is put into the already excavated trench during strip mining

Strip Mine

a place where minerals are scraped from the surface of the ground

Subsurface Mining

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

Surface Mining

The extraction of mineral and energy resources near Earth's surface by first removing the soil, subsoil, and overlying rock strata.

Sustainable Mining

Mining completed in this fashion will allow people to mine what they need while not taking so much that people in the future will be unable to fulfill their needs.

Clearcutting

The process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once

Deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

Seed Tree Cutting

Removal of nearly all trees on a site in one cutting, with a few seed-producing trees left uniformly distributed to regenerate the forest

Selective Cutting

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

Shelterwood Cutting

the practice of cutting dead and less desirable trees first and later cutting mature trees

Sustainable Forestry

The practice of managing forest resources to meet the long-term product needs of humans while maintaining the biodiversity of forested landscapes.

Aquaculture

Raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages

Bottom trawling

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

Broad Spectrum Pesticide

A pesticide that is effective against many types of pests

CAFO

A large feedlot to fatten animals before slaughter (concentrated animal feeding operation)

Contour Farming (plowing)

Plowing land along topographic contours, perpendicular to the slope—as much in the horizontal plane as possible, thereby decreasing the erosion rate.

Crop Rotation

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

DDT

An insecticide that is also toxic to animals and humans

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

Drift Nets

nets that drift free in the water and indiscriminately catch everything in their path

Factory Farming

when animals are used for meat or dairy products but are kept indoors in very small places

Feedlot

a plot of land on which livestock are fattened for market

Fisheries

Concentrations of particular aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting in a given ocean area or inland body of water.

Food Security

Physical, social, and economic access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Genetic Diversity

The range of genetic material present in a gene pool or population of a species.

Genetic Engineering

Process of making changes in the DNA code of living organisms

Gillnetting

The practice of placing panels of large mesh net in the water column to catch fish, the size of which depend on the mesh size; fish that cannot pass all the way through the net are ensnared by their gill covers when trying to retreat.

Green Revolution

Agricultural revolution that increased production through improved seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation; helped to support rising Asian populations.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide use

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.

Longlines

Fishing lines with thousands of baited hooks

Monoculture

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

Narrow Spectrum Pesticides

Pesticide that kills only the organism for which it was intended and not harm any other species

No-till Agriculture

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

Overgrazing

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

Pesticide Treadmill

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

Polyculture

Complex form of intercropping in which a large number of different plants maturing at different times are planted together.

Purse Seine

a fishing method capable of harvesting large quantities of surface-schooling pelagic fish by surrounding the school with a net.

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

A farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land

Soil Erosion

Wearing away of surface soil by water and wind

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.

Terracing

Carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides to use for farming

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.

Biological Control

A method of pest control that involves the use of naturally occurring disease organisms, parasites, or predators to control pests

Biological Magnification

Toxins become more concentrated in successive trophic levels.

Endocrine Disruptors

Chemicals that disrupt normal hormone functions

Genetic Resistance

Ability of one or more members of a population to resist a chemical designed to kill it

Genetically Modified

An organism whose genetic material has been altered through some genetic engineering technology or technique.

Pesticide

A chemical intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops.

Tree Plantations

Areas where the same tree species are repeatedly planted, grown, and harvested

High-Yield Variety Crops

hybrid or genetically modified crops that produce a higher yield

Irrigation

drawing water from ground or nearby surface waters and distributing on fields to grow plants

Tilling

mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier

Furrow Irrigation

trench dug along crops and filled with water, easy and inexpensive, water seeps into soil slowly, 66% efficient, 33% lost to runoff and evaporation

Flood Irrigation

Water is distributed over the soil surface by flooding the field; the most common form of irrigation and most inefficient; loses 20% of water