Environment and Humanity DSST – Flashcards
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Disease causing bacteria, viruses, parasitic worms, and other organisms.
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Pathogens
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Occurs when toxins pass from organism to organism: An infected fish is eaten by a bird, the toxin increases and is passed onto the bird.
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Biological Magnification
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Containing an abundance of nutrients
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Eutrophic
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When excessive amounts of heat are added to a body of water.
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Thermal Pollution
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A pollutant that is put directly into the air by human activity.
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Primary Pollutant
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Is formed when a primary pollutant comes into contact with other primary pollutant.
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Secondary Pollutant
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Occurs when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. The warm air holds down the cool air and prevents pollutants from rising and scattering.
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Thermal Inversion
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Extends from the earth's surface to 10km (6mi). Contains 90% of the atmosphere's gases. The layer where most weather occurs.
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Troposphere
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Extends from 10km to about 50km (30mi) above earth. Comercial airless fly in the lower part. Contains ozone layer.
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Stratosphere
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The average weather in an area over a long period of time. Temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation all play a role in climate.
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Climate
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Sunlight comes through the atmosphere and heats earth. The heat radiates up from earth and some escapes into space. The rest of the heat is trapped by gases in the troposphere and warms the air on earth.
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Greenhouse Effect
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Gases that trap and radiate heat: Water vapor, carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, methane, and nitrous oxide.
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Greenhouse Gases
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The growth of cities as people move from rural to urban areas.
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Urbanization
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All the things society builds for public use
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Infrastructure
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Lack of adequate infrastructure in overpopulated cities.
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Urban Crisis
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development that spreads out around cities, characterized by houses and strip malls.
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Suburban Sprawl
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Clearing trees without replacing them
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Deforestation
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A process that involves removing all of the trees from a land area
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Clear Cutting
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Cutting only middle aged or mature trees.
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Selective Cutting
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Replacing trees that have died or have been cut down.
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Reforestation
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When machines are used to dig large holes in the ground and remove ore.
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Open Pit Mining
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Huge bull dozers and other machines are used to clear away large strips of the earth's surface.
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Strip Mining
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Restoring mined land to the condition it was in before mining.
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Reclamation
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An area where the land and ecosystems are protected from all development.
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Wilderness
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The intro of new grains and farming techniques. Allows for more people to be fed. Problems: some people can not afford the necessary chemicals and equipment, new grains have to have specific fertilizer, pesticides, and amounts of water. The chemicals and pesticides harm the environment.
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Green Revolution
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Those who grow food just for just their family.
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Subsistence Farmers
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Fertile land that can be plowed to grow crops.
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Arable Land
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Soil fertility that deteriorates so much that the land becomes desert-like.
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Desertification
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The seeds of the next crop are planted in slits that are cut into the soil, straight through the remains of the previous crops.
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No-Till Farming
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Farming which doesn't use a lot of energy, pesticides, fertilizer, or water.
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Low Input farming
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Accumulation of salts in the soil.
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Salinization
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Using living organisms or naturally produced chemicals to control pests.
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Biological pest control
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Chemicals produced by one organism that affect the behavior of another.
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Pheromones
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Refers to the number and variety of species on earth.
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Biodiversity
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A species that is not a native to a particular region
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Exotic Species
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Species that are very important to the functioning of an ecosystem.
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Keystone Species
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When the species numbers have fallen so low it could become extinct.
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Endangered Species
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A species that could become endangered
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Threatened Species
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When reproductive (germ) cells of organisms are stored.
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Germ Plasm Bank
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A device for converting mechanical energy into electricity.
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Electric generator
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Coal, oil, and natural gas
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Fossil Fuels
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Materials being used faster than they can naturally be replaced.
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Nonrenewable resources
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Resources that are continually produced
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Renewable resources
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The energy that exists within the nucleus of an atom.
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Nuclear energy
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When the nucleus of an atoms is split apart
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Nuclear Fission
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Occurs when lightweight atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process.
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Nuclear Fusion
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Energy from the sun
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Solar Energy
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When sunlight is used to heat buildings directly without pumps or fans.
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Passive solar heating
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Devices that convert the sun's energy directly into electricity.
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Solar cells
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The natural greenhouse effect was first described by:
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Joseph Fourier 1824
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The role of water vapor and CO2 in the greenhouse effect was later identified by:
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Claude Pouillet
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The components of an environment that are non-living (water, air)
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Abiotic
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The components of an environment that are living (plants, animals)
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Biotic
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Made up of detritus feeders and decomposers.
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Detrivores
