Terms : Hide Images
| 9783608290 | acid | any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water; also a water solution that contains a surplus of hydrogen ions | 0 | |
| 9783613080 | A horizon | a soil horizon; the layer below the o horizon, which is formed of weathered rock with some organic material; often referred to as topsoil | 1 | |
| 9783615119 | alkaline | a basic substance; chemically, a substance that absorbs hydrogen ions or releases hydroxide ions; in reference to natural water, a measure of the base content of the water | 2 | |
| 9783618853 | arable | land that is fit to be cultivated | 3 | |
| 9783619752 | asthenosphere | the part of the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere | 4 | |
| 9783624472 | b horizon | a soil horizon that receives the minerals and organic materials that are leached out of the a horizon | 5 | |
| 9783628976 | c horizon | a soil horizon made up of larger pieces of rock that have now undergone much weathering | 6 | |
| 9783630316 | clay | the finest soil, made up of particles that are less than .02 mm in diameter | 7 | |
| 9783632270 | climate | weather conditions, especially temperature and precipitation, that remain constant over 30 years or more | 8 | |
| 9783635118 | drip irrigation | a method of supplying irrigation water through tubes that drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant | 9 | |
| 9783638489 | hadley cell | a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation that creates major weather patterns, predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions | 10 | |
| 9783642650 | inner core | the molten core of the earth | 11 | |
| 9783644115 | lithosphere | the outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, approx 100 km (62 mi) thick | 12 | |
| 9783645884 | loam | soil composed of a mix of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter | 13 | |
| 9783647697 | mantle | the layer of the earth between the crust and the core | 14 | |
| 9783650281 | monoculture | the cultivation of a single crop on a farm or in a region or country; a single homogeneous culture without diversity or variety | 15 | |
| 9783654116 | polyculture | the practice of planting several crops on the same plot of land simultaneously to increase biodiversity and sustainability | 16 | |
| 9783656737 | sand | the coarsest soil, with particles .05-2 mm in diameter | 17 | |
| 9783658031 | silt | soil with particles .002-.05 mm in diameter | 18 | |
| 9783659576 | thermosphere | the outermost shell of the atmosphere between the mesosphere and outer space, where temperatures increase steadily with altitude | 19 | |
| 9536554581 | barrier island | a long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland, built up by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges | 20 | |
| 9536558871 | conduction | the transmission or conveying of something through a medium or passage, especially the transmission of electric charge or heat through a conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself | 21 | |
| 9536564031 | convection | the vertical movement of a mass of matter because of heating and cooling. this can happen in both the atmosphere and earth's mantle | 22 | |
| 9536568863 | convection currents | air currents caused by the vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling | 23 | |
| 9536572362 | coral reef | an erosion-resistant marine ridge or mound consisting chiefly of compacted coral together with algal material and biochemically deposited magnesium and calcium carbonates | 24 | |
| 9536578161 | coriolis effect | the observed effect of the coriolis force, especially the deflection of an object moving above the earth, rightward in the northern hemisphere, and leftward in the southern hemisphere, as away from the equator | 25 | |
| 9536587152 | delta | a usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river | 26 | |
| 9536588988 | doldrums | a region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squals | 27 | |
| 9536591551 | el nino | a climate variation that takes place in the tropical pacific about every three to seven years, for a duration of about one year | 28 | |
| 9536594339 | estuary | the part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides | 29 | |
| 9536596670 | headwaters | the water from which a river rises; a source | 30 | |
| 9536598146 | humus | the dark, crumbly, nutrient-rich material that results from the decomposition of organic material, which is also a product of composting organic waste | 31 | |
| 9536601627 | insolation | the delivery rate of solar radiation per unit of horizontal surface | 32 | |
| 9536603124 | jet stream | a high-speed, meandering wind current, generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400 km (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 15 to 25 km (10 to 15 miles) | 33 | |
| 9536609084 | la nina | a cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of south america, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting the pacific and other weather patterns | 34 | |
| 9536615394 | monsoon | a wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally | 35 | |
| 9536619071 | prior appropriation | when water rights are given to those who have historically used the water in a certain area | 36 | |
| 9536621749 | rain shadow effect | the low-rainfall region that exists on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountain range. this is the result of the mountain range's causing precipitation on the windward side | 37 | |
| 9536626115 | red tide | a bloom of dinoflagellates that causes reddish discoloration of coastal ocean waters. certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gonyamlax produce toxins kill fish and contaminate shellfish | 38 | |
| 9536631702 | r horizon | the bedrock that lies below all of the other layers of soil | 39 | |
| 9536633532 | riparian right | the right, as to fishing or to the use of a riverbed, of one who own riparian land (the land adjacent to a river of stream) | 40 | |
| 9536637299 | southern oscillation | the atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the periodic warming of el nino and cooling of la nina | 41 | |
| 9536639491 | thermocline | a layer in a large body of water, such as a lake, that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt | 42 | |
| 9536643695 | trade winds | the more or less constant winds blowing in horizontal directions over earth's surface, as part of Hadley's cells | 43 | |
| 9536651204 | tropical storm | a cyclonic storm having winds ranging from approximately 48 to 121 km (30 to 75 miles) per hour | 44 | |
| 9536654491 | water-scarce | countries that have a renewable annual water supply of less than 1,000 cubic meters per person | 45 | |
| 9536657188 | water-stressed | countries that have a renewable annual water supply of about 1,000 to 2,000 cubic meters per person | 46 | |
| 9536667271 | ammonification | the production of ammonia or ammonium compounds in the decomposition of organic matter, especially through the action of bacteria | 47 | |
| 9536669547 | assimilation | the process in which plants absorb ammonium (NH3), ammonia (NH4+) and nitrate ions (NO3) through their roots | 48 | |
| 9536673257 | bioaccumulation | the accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism | 49 | |
| 9584860653 | chemotroph (chemoautotroph) | an organism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, that obtains its nourishment through the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds, as opposed to photosynthesis | 50 | |
| 9584873376 | commercial or economic extinction | a few individuals exist but the effort needed to locate and harvest them is not worth the expense | 51 | |
| 9584878132 | denitrification | the process by which specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia to NO3, NO2, and N2, which are released back into the atmosphere | 52 | |
| 9584997778 | edge effect | the condition in which there is greater species diversity and biological density at ecosystem boundaries than their is in the heart of ecological communities | 53 | |
| 9585004160 | Gause's principle | states that no two species can occupy the same niche at the same time, and there the species that is less fit to live in the environment will either relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche | 54 | |
| 9585009964 | Gross Primary Productivity | the amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis minus the amount of energy the plants need for growth, maintenance, repair, and reproduction | 55 | |
| 9585015575 | mutualism | a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit | 56 | |
| 9585017300 | net primary productivity | the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem | 57 | |
| 9585021419 | nitrification | the process in which soil bacteria convert ammonium (NH4+) to a form that can be used by plants; nitrate, or NO3 | 58 | |
| 9585026079 | nitrogen fixation | the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds, such as ammonia, by natural agencies or various industrial processes | 59 | |
| 9585032320 | realized niche | when a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition | 60 | |
| 9585049825 | residency time | the amount of time a resource spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool | 61 | |
| 9585053573 | symbiotic relationships | close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but do not necessarily, benefit the members | 62 | |
| 9585863081 | albedo | the fraction of solar energy that is reflected back into space | 63 | |
| 9587601337 | biotic potential | the amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment | 64 | |
| 9588033909 | brownfield site | an industrial or commercial site that is idle or underused because it is contaminated by hazardous waste or pollutants | 65 | |
| 9588041060 | food desert | an area, usually low-income, in which many residents cannot access affordable, healthy food | 66 | |
| 9588044790 | genetic drift | the random fluctuations in the frequency of the appearance of a gene in a small, isolated population, presumably owing to chance, rather than natural selection | 67 | |
| 9588048653 | agroforestry | when trees and crops are planted together, creating a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between them | 68 | |
| 9588050144 | aquaculture | the raising of fish and other aquatic species in captivity for harvest | 69 | |
| 9588051575 | bottom trawling | a fishing technique in which the ocean floor is scraped by heavy nets that smash everything in their path | 70 | |
| 9588053962 | by-catch | any other species of fish, mammals, or birds that are caught that are not the target organism | 71 | |
| 9588055581 | capture fisheries | fish production in which fish are caught in the wild and not raised in captivity for consumption | 72 | |
| 9588057310 | contour plowing | a process in which rows of crops are plowed across the hillside; this prevents the erosion that can occur when rows are cut up and down on a slope | 73 | |
| 9588061436 | drift nets | nets that drift free in the water and indiscriminately catch everything in their path | 74 | |
| 9588063130 | ecosystem capital (natural capital) | the value of natural resources | 75 | |
| 9588063765 | fishery | the industry or occupation devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals | 76 | |
| 9588065967 | greenbelt | open or forested areas built at the outer edge of a city | 77 | |
| 9588193184 | ground fires | smoldering fires that take place in bogs or swamps and can burn underground for days or weeks. originating from surface fires, ground fires are difficult to detect and extinguish | 78 | |
| 9589038188 | intercropping (strip cropping) | the practice of planting brands of different crops across a hillside | 79 | |
| 9589041107 | long lining | in fishing, the use of long lines with baited hooks, which will be taken by numerous aquatic organisms | 80 | |
| 9589043011 | old growth forest | a forest that has never been cut. these forests have not been seriously disturbed for several hundred years | 81 | |
| 9589048609 | silviculture | the management of forest plantations for the purpose of harvesting timber | 82 | |
| 9589050112 | slash and burn | when an area of vegetation is cut down and burned before being planted with crops | 83 | |
| 9663352881 | tailings | piles of gangue, which is the waste material that results from mining | 84 | |
| 9663361074 | traditional subsistence agriculture | when each family in a community grows crops for themselves and relies on animal and human labor to plant and harvest crops | 85 | |
| 9663363820 | terracing | creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface, which reduces soil runoff from the slope | 86 | |
| 9663367379 | tree farms | planted and managed tracts of trees of the same age that are harvested for commercial use; also known as plantations | 87 | |
| 9663371455 | anthracite | the cleanest burning coal; almost pure carbon | 88 | |
| 9663373394 | barrels | the unit used to describe the volume of fossil fuels | 89 | |
| 9663377435 | bituminous | the second purest form of coal | 90 | |
| 9663375271 | crude oil | the form petroleum takes when in the ground | 91 | |
| 9663378563 | First law of thermodynamics | the law that states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred and transformed | 92 | |
| 9663435500 | lignite | the least pure coal | 93 | |
| 9663436988 | overburden | the rocks and earth that are removed when strip mining for a commercially valuable resource | 94 | |
| 9663440515 | photovoltaic cell (PV Cell) | a semiconductor device that converts the energy of sunlight into electric energy | 95 | |
| 9663443350 | radiant energy | sunlight | 96 | |
| 9663446012 | Second law of thermodynamics | the law that states that the entropy (disorder) of the universe is increasing. one corollary is the concept that, in most energy transformations, a significant fraction of energy is lost to the universe as heat | 97 | |
| 9663452276 | subbituminous | the third purest form of coal | 98 | |
| 9663456892 | acute effect | the effect caused by a short exposure to a high level of toxin | 99 | |
| 9663457958 | catalytic converter | a platinum coated device that oxidizes most of the VOCs and some of the CO that would otherwise be emitted in exhaust, converting them to CO2 | 100 | |
| 9663463674 | building-related illness | when the signs and symptoms of an illness can be attributed to a specific infectious organism that resides in the building | 101 | |
| 9663468575 | chronic effect | an effect that results from long-term exposure to low levels of toxin | 102 | |
| 9663470957 | deep-well injection | drilling a hole in the ground below the water table to hold waste | 103 | |
| 9663473380 | dose-response curve | a process in which an organism is exposed to a toxin at different concentrations, and the dosage that causes the death of the organism is recorded | 104 | |
| 9663477544 | ED50 | the point at which 50% of the test organism show a negative effect from a toxin | 105 | |
| 9663480770 | gray smog (industrial smog) | smog resulting from emissions from industry and other sources of gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels, especially coal | 106 | |
| 9663484522 | heat islands | urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat better than nonurban areas | 107 | |
| 9663490120 | LD50 | the point at which 50% of the test organism die from a toxin | 108 | |
| 9663504293 | ozone holes | the thinning of the ozone layer over America (and to some extent, over the Arctic) | 109 | |
| 9663506744 | photochemical smog | usually formed on hot, sunny days when NOx compounds, VOCs, and ozone combine to form smog with a brownish hue | 110 | |
| 9663511032 | poison | any substance that has an LD50 of 50mg or less per kg of body weight | 111 | |
| 9663514379 | stationary sources | non-movin sources of pollution, such as factories | 112 | |
| 9663516319 | superfund programs | a program funded by the federal government and a trust funded by taxes on chemicals; identifies pollutants and cleans up hazardous waste sites | 113 | |
| 9663520757 | threshold dose | the dosage level of a toxin at which a negative effect occurs | 114 | |
| 9663534391 | us noise control act | gave the epa power to set emission standards for major sources of noise, including transportation, machinery, and construction | 115 | |
| 9663539728 | vector | the carrier organism through which pathogens can attack, such as a tick | 116 | |
| 9663544686 | waste-to-energy (wte) program | when the energy released from waste incineration is used to generate electricity | 117 | |
| 9663547152 | green tax | a fiscal policy that lowers taxes on income, including wages and profit, and raises taxes on consumption, particularly the unsustainable consumption of nonrenewable resources | 118 | |
| 9663562333 | market permits | when companies are allowed to buy permits that allow them a certain amount of discharge of substances into certain environmental outlets. if they can reduce their amount of discharge, they are allowed to sell the remaining portion of their permits to another company | 119 |
