ELSS Definitions Flashcards
Afforestation
Planting trees and vegetation in the aim of increasing forest cover
Aquifier
A permeable or porous rock that stores water
Carbon Fluxes
The movement of carbon between stores
Carbon Neutral
A process that has no net addition of carbon dioxide to the environment
Channel Flow
Water flowing in a rivulet, stream, or river
Convectional Precipitation
Solar radiation heats the air above the ground, causing it to rise, cool & condense forming precipitation
Cryosphere
The global water volume locked up within a frozen state (e.g ice)
Decomposition
The break down of matter, often by a decomposer which releases CO2 through their own respiration
Drainage Basin
The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, reducing the amount of solar radiation reflected into space
Evapotranspiration
The combined total moisture transferred from the Earth to the atmosphere, through evaporation and transpiration
Groundwater flow
Water moving horizontally through permeable or porous rock due to gravity
Infiltration
The movement of water vertically through the pores in soil
Interception
Raindrops are prevented from falling directly onto the ground, instead hitting the leaves of a tree or plant
Monsoon
The drastic variation between wet and dry seasons for sub-tropical areas, caused by a changed prevailing wind. Can lead to annual flooding.
Open system
A system that receives inputs and transfers outputs of energy or matter with other systems
Percolation
Water moving vertically from soil into permeable rock
Photosynthesis
The process of converting CO2 and water into glucose and oxygen. All plants and some organisms rely on this process to survive
Phytoplankton
Small organisms that rely on photosynthesis to survive, so intake carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Respiration
The process of converting glucose and oxygen into carbon dioxide and energy. Some organisms rely on respiration to survive.
Runoff
Water flowing over the surface of the ground e.g after precipitation or snowmelt
Sequestration
The transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to stores elsewhere - living biosphere, inorganic rocks, etc
Smart Irrigation
Providing crops with a water supply less than optimal, so make crops resistant to water shortages
Storm Hydrograph
Variation of river discharge over a short period of time (days)
