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Hector's AP Env. Sci > AP Env. Science - Unit 2 > Flashcards

AP Env. Science - Unit 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Define

Environmental Science

A
  1. looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.
  2. is interdisciplinary (see p.4)
  3. as **unique challenges **(most important = no “control planet”.(see p. 24)
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2
Q

Define

Environment

A

sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.

Conditions include living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components.

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3
Q

Define

System

A

Set of interacting biotic and abiotic components that influence one another by exchanging energy, materials or information.

see p.4 first para left for exemple.

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4
Q

Fill the blanks

____ ____ allows us to assess the impact of humans on Earth.

A

Environmental Indicators.

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5
Q

Name

5 key global indicators of environmental health

A
  1. Biological diversity
  2. Food production
  3. Average global surface temperature and CO2 concentration.
  4. Human population
  5. Ressource depletion
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6
Q

Define

Ecosystem

A

A particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic environments

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7
Q

Term to know:

Biotic

A

Living

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8
Q

Term to know:

Abiotic

A

Non-living

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9
Q

Define

Environmentalism

A

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

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10
Q

Define

Environmental studies

A

The field of study that includes environmental science and additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics.

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11
Q

Name

Environmental Sciences are interdisciplinary. Name 3 scientific discipline that contributes to our understanding of the impact of human activities on the environment.

A
  1. Biology
  2. Ecology
  3. Toxicology
  4. Atmospheric Sciences
  5. Chemistry
  6. Earth Sciences
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12
Q

Name:

3 Environmental social sciences

A
  1. Economics
  2. Politics
  3. Policy
  4. Ethics
  5. Literature
  6. Law
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13
Q

fill in the blanks

To a Physiologist, a cod is a ______

A

System

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14
Q

Fill in The Blanks

100x100 metres is one _______

A

Hectare

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15
Q

Define

Per Capita

A

Per Person

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16
Q

Define

Biophilia

A

Love of life/Love of living things

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17
Q

name

basic human needs

A

air, food, water, shelter

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18
Q

Define

Ecological Footprint

A

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

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19
Q

define

Ecosystem Services

A

The process through which life-supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries and agricultural crops are produced.

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20
Q

define

Environmental Indicator

A

An indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system

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21
Q

define

Indicator: Biodiversity

A

The diversity of life forms in an environment.
Biodiversity exists on three scales: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.

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22
Q

define

Genetic Diversity

A

A measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population

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23
Q

Complete the sentence

Populations with high genetic diversity are better able to…

A

…respond to environmental change than populations with lower genetic diversity.

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24
Q

Define

Species

A

A group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology (body form and structure) behaviour, or biochemical properties

25
Q

Define

Species Diversity

A

The number of species in a region or particular ecosystem

26
Q

Complete the sentence

An ecosystem with higher species diversity is more…

A

…productive and resilient, and better able to recover from a disturbance.

27
Q

Explain why frogs are critical environmental indicator at a regional level.

A

Frogs are exposed to both the air and the water in their ecosystem. A decrease may be an indicator of environmental problem there.

28
Q

Define

Speciation

A

The evolution of a new species (est: 2 species\year.

29
Q

Define

Background extinction rate

A

The average rate at which species become extinct over the long term. (est: 2 species\year.)

30
Q

Fill the blank

Currently, _____ go extinct each year mainly due to habitat destruction and habitat degradation.

A

1000 species

31
Q

Define

Ecosystem Diversity

A

A measure of the diversity of ecosystems or habitats that exist in a particular region.

32
Q

Complete the sentence

A greater number of healthy and productive ecosystems means…

A

… a healthier environment overall.

33
Q

Define

Indicator: Food Production

A

Our ability to grow food to nourish the human population has increased since the 1950’s but it has recently begun to level off.

34
Q

Define

Greenhouse gases

A

Gases on Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat near the surface

35
Q

What does the Average Global Surface Temperatures and Carbon Dioxide Concentrations indicator says about the current trend?

A
  1. Earth’s average global surface temperature has incresed steadily for at least the past 100 years.
  2. Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have variend over geologic time, but have risen steadily since 1960.
36
Q

What does the Human Population indicator tell us about the current trend?

A
  1. The current human population is 7.6 million.
  2. Every 24 hours, 380 000 infants are born and 155000 people die.
  3. Over a million people are added to the Earth every 5 days.
  4. Rate of population growth has been slowing since the 1960s.
  5. Projections: 8 to 10 billion by 2050. 7 to 11 billion by 2100.
37
Q

What is the effect of population growth on natural and human systems?

A

Unless humans devise a way to live more systainably, population increases will put additional strains on nature systems.

38
Q

Types of Ressource Depletion

A
  1. Some natural ressources are finite and can’t be renewed.
  2. Other natural ressources are finite but can be recycled.
  3. other natural ressources are renewable but are being used faster than they can be renewed.
39
Q

True or False

As economies develop, resource consumption also increases.

A

True

40
Q

Define

Anthropogenic

A

Derived from human activities

41
Q

Define

Development

A

Improvement in human well-being through economic advancement

42
Q

JEOPARDY

Living on Earth in a wau that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those same resources

A

What is Sustainability?

43
Q

Define

Sustainable Development

A

Development that balances with current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations

44
Q

Define

Ecological footprint

A

A measureof how much an individual consumes, expressed in an area of land

45
Q

define

Scientific Method

A

An objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes

46
Q

define

Hypothesis

A

A testable conjecture about how something works

47
Q

define

Variable

A

Any catagories, conditions, factors or traits that differ in the natural world or in experimental conditions

48
Q

Define

Independent variable

A

A variable that is not dependent on other factors

49
Q

Define

Dependent Variable

A

A variable that is dependent on other factors

50
Q

Define

Null Hypothesis

A

a prediction that there is no difference between the groups or conditions that are being compared

51
Q

Define

Replication

A

The data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements

52
Q

Define

Sample Size

A

the number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection

53
Q

Define

Accuracy

A

How close a measured value is to the actual or true value

54
Q

Define

Precision

A

How close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another

55
Q

Define

Uncertainty

A

An estimate if how a measured or calculated valie differs from a true value

56
Q

Define

Theory

A

A hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance

57
Q

Define

Control group

A

In a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study

58
Q

Define

Natural experiment

A

A natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem

Hector's AP Env. Sci (4 decks)

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