Environmental Science - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key environmental science concepts from the lecture notes.

Environment

The sum of all conditions surrounding us that influence life; includes living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components.

Abiotic

Nonliving components of the environment.

Biotic

Living components of the environment.

Ecosystem

A system, natural or human-made, composed of biotic and abiotic factors.

Environmental science

The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.

Environmental studies

A broader field that includes policy, economics, literature, and ethics in addition to science.

Environmentalism

A social movement to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education.

Land-use change

Human alteration of land, such as converting land to urban, suburban, or agricultural areas.

Big Idea 1: Energy Transfer

Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes and move among components of systems.

Big Idea 2: Interactions Between Earth Systems

The Earth is an interconnected system; humans and natural factors influence its systems across time and space.

Big Idea 3: Interactions Between Species and the Environment

Interactions between species and their environment; resource management and cultural/economic factors affect solutions.

Big Idea 4: Sustainability

Using Earth’s resources in a way that does not jeopardize future generations.

Scientific Method

An objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences, and predict outcomes; used to design and evaluate information.

Observation

The initial data collection step of the scientific method.

Hypothesis

A testable conjecture about how something works, based on prior knowledge.

Independent Variable

The variable deliberately changed in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

The variable measured in an experiment.

Control Group

The group that experiences the same conditions as the experimental group except for the independent variable.

Constants

All other factors kept the same across test conditions.

Replication

Repeating measurements or experiments to ensure reliability.

Sample Size

The number of times an experiment is repeated or the number of samples measured.

Precision

How closely repeated measurements agree with each other.

Uncertainty

An estimate of how much a measured value may differ from the true value.

Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning from specific facts to general conclusions.

Deductive Reasoning

Reasoning from general statements to specific cases.

Theory

A well-supported explanation grounded in extensive evidence and testing.

Law

A statement with no known exceptions (e.g., fundamental physical laws).

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it only changes form.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Energy transformations conserve total energy but reduce the ability to do work (quality of energy decreases).

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy using CO2 and H2O to produce glucose and O2.

Ionic Bond

Transfer of electrons between a metal and a nonmetal, forming charged ions that attract each other.

Covalent Bond

Sharing of electrons between atoms, which can be polar or nonpolar depending on electronegativity differences.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to one electronegative atom and another electronegative atom in a different molecule.

Surface Tension

Cohesion at the surface of a liquid that creates a skin-like layer.

Boiling Point

The temperature at which a liquid boils (water at 100°C at standard pressure).

Freezing Point

The temperature at which a liquid freezes (water at 0°C at standard pressure).

Water as Solvent

Water’s polarity allows it to dissolve many substances.

Acids

Substances with pH less than 7; turn red litmus; often sour-tasting.

Bases

Substances with pH greater than 7; turn blue litmus; often bitter/slippery.

pH Scale

A 0–14 scale measuring acidity; pH = -log[H+].