Environemtal Change And Managment Flashcards
Sustainability
Sustainability is the way we preserve certain things for other uses, to sustain means to preserve and increase the amount of materials we are preserving. In geography, sustain means to preserve the environment and it’s functions/living organisms
Environmental
Environment is the land, living species, climate and systems that work together in one area to function…this is known as an Environment. Environmental: means the functions, climate and issues affecting the environment.
E.g. Climate Change - an environmental issue.
Change
Change means to alter or make different a specific thing. For example, we can change the temperature in the room.
Carbon Cycle
The cycle the earth goes through in order to preserve and remove unused carbon from the earths spheres.
Global Warming
The effects of long term pollution and green house gasses entering the atmosphere causing a hole in the ozone layer as well as not allowing heat to be removed from the earth and this causes warming of the earth known as Global Warming
Source Function
Refers to earths natural resources that originate from the biophysical environment.
Sink Function
Earths safe absorption of waste put into the earth by humans, it is the break down, safe storing or recycling of waste on earth.
Service Function
The preservation of environmental ecosystem services that support life without human interaction. Heat budget, water and carbon cycle, photosynthesis pollination, seed dispersal, carbon sequestration and soil formation
Spiritual Function
Intrinsic recreational, psychological, aesthetic and spiritual of the environment, it varies from culture to culture and is essentially the care a culture has for its land
Stewardship
The caring and ethical approach to sustainable management of habits for the benefit of all life on Earth
Biocapacity
Biocapacity is the capacity of an area to provide resources and absorb wastes. When the area’s ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity, an ecological deficit occurs.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The exceed amount of greenhouse emissions and the rapid heating of the earths temperature at a more faster than anticipated pace.
Space
Either space as in outer space or space of land that we have remaining on earth.
Place
A particular position or point in space, such as remote areas of the earth.
Ecological Services
Humankind benefits in a multitude of ways from ecosystems. Collectively, these benefits are known as ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are regularly involved in the provisioning of clean drinking water and the decomposition of wastes.
Ecological Footprint
The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. It is a measure of demand for ecological capacity to regenerate.
Climate Change
Climate is a yearly change in the earths atmosphere, it is the difference in temperatures and rainfall etc of the earths environment. Climate change is how drastically these things are changing.
Interconnection
Interconnection describes how the earth and it’s systems are interconnected and work with each other to make the earth function appropriately.
Scale
Scale, in geography, is the term given to the indicator at the bottom of a map (generally) explaining how, for example, 1cm = 5km
Lithosphere
The solid part of the earth, consisting of rocks and soils. Includes the rock cycle.
Atmosphere
The gases surrounding the earth, these are oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases.
Hydrosphere
Earths water forms the hydrosphere, this consists of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, snowfields and ice caps.
Biosphere
The small part of the earth consisting of all living and non-living things, such as humans, animals, plants, fungus, bacteria etc.
Herbivore
Herbivores eat the plants and algae to obtain and maintain energy consumption and production.
Carnivore
Carnivores eat the herbivores to obtain and maintain energy. (They eat meat)
Omnivore
Omnivores eat both plants and meats to obtain and maintain energy.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis allows plants containing chlorophyll to produce their own energy by converting sunlight and CO2 into food energy.
Endangered
A particular species has been threatened/ is in danger and may very soon become extinct.
Extinct
Extinct means a particular species, either mammal, bird, plant etc. Is no longer living on the earth and the entire species has been wiped out by human interactions with the earth.
Habitat
The environment or area of an environment where a particular species thrives off nature to live and survive.
Deforestation
The removal of forests and plant based life from a particular area in order to build settlement or use the land, it results in loss of habitats for particular species and causes a break in the balance of the earths systems.
Evaporation, Condensation and Precipitation.
Steps in the water cycle, evaporation is the heating of water causing vapour to rise into the atmosphere. Condensation is the collection of the vapour and converting it into water and clouds. Precipitation is rainfall.
Fire-Stick Farming
Aboriginal method of maintaining fire and burning crop in order to prevent fires from being caused during dry seasons
Biodiversity
Bio, meaning living things, and, diversity, meaning a range or variety. Biodiversity means a range or variety of living things on our earth.
Plants
Living organisms, such as trees, shrubs, bushes, leaves, herbs etc.
Animals
Animals are living creatures, much like humans, they think and act on their own. These include land animals, sea animals and birds etc.
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Native, introduced and invasive species
Native Species = Already living in an environment.
Introduced = Bought in by Humans into a particular environment.
Invasive = Species that harm species already living in an environment. They are also introduced.
Endangered Species
An animal in danger or nearing extinction due to low population and problems with their environment.
Giant Panda
A Giant Panda is an animal in danger of becoming extinct due to hinting and habitat loss, they are black and white, eat bamboo and are aggressive at times.
‘Causes’
Causes are things that effect or begin a certain event or cycle, often in geography it is used to describe how a natural disaster occurs or why an animal is in danger of becoming extinct.
