Environmental Science - Ch 5 Flashcards
Watershed
Area of land drains into a body of water through rivers and brings nutrients to the underwater grasses
Hypoxia
Depletion of oxygen in the water
Environmental System
A complex network of the interactions of the living and nonliving components within the natural environment
Atmosphere
First major component of an environmental ecosystem; air
Hydrosphere
Second major component of an environmental ecosystem; water
Lithosphere
Third major component of an environmental ecosystem; rock
Biosphere
Fourth major component of an environmental ecosystem; living organisms
Feedback Loops
Circular processes in which a system’s output serves as input to that same system
Negative Feedback Loop
Input from a system moving in one direction causes the system to move in the opposite direction
Positive Feedback Loop
Increased output in a system leads to increased input, which in turn further stimulates output
Airshed
The geographic area that produces pollutants that may end up in a waterway
Eutrophication
Bacteria deplete oxygen in the water, suffocating other organisms
Ecosystem
All organisms and nonliving entities that occur and interact in a particular area at the same time
Estuary
An ecosystem where rivers flow into the ocean, mixing fresh and saltwater
Source
When a reservoir releases more matter than it accepts
Sink
When a reservoir accepts more matter than it releases
Flux
The rate at which matter moves between reservoirs
Hydrologic Cycle
Summarizes how flows as a solid, liquid, and gas through our environment
Evaporation
Converts water from a liquid to a gas, taking it to the atmosphere
Transpiration
The release of water vapor by plants through their leaves
Dams
Slow the movement of water and increase evaporation
Carbon Cycle
Describes the routes that carbon takes through the environment
Nitrogen Fixation
Inert gas becomes biologically by combining with hydrogen to form ammonia
Nitrification
Converts ammonium ions into nitrite ions
Denitrifying Bacteria
Converts nitrates back into nitrogen gas
Runoff
Causes excess nitrogen to enter waterways causing eutrophication
Phosphorus Cycle
The processes that move phosphorous from the sinks to living matter
