ESS Final Flashcards
Provisioning Ecosystems Services
Tangible goods or materials humans directly obtain from an ecosystem
Regulating Ecosystem Services
Benefits that come from moderation of ecosystem processes, such as climate regulation
Cultural Ecosystem Services
Non-material benefits people get from ecosystems, such as spiritual or recreational connections
Supporting Ecosystem Services
The natural processes that allow ecosystems to sustain themselves and provide other services
Thomas Malthus
Hypothesized that human population would grow exponentially while natural resources would grow arithmetically, wanted to decrease population growth. Theory proved wrong, its not the people its overconsumption
Triple Bottom Line
Framework used to measure 3 things: People, Planet, Profit
Social Ecological Framework
a theoretical model that helps us understand the complex interactions between people and their environment. It’s based on the idea that people and their environment influence each other, and that the environment is made up of multiple levels
Flux
Rate at which matter moves between pools
Pool
Part of an ecosystem where matter may reside
IPAT Equation
I= (PA) x 1/T, I=environmental impact, P=population, A=affluence, T=Technology, used to calculate the impact of humans on the environment
Social Ecological System
Integrated systems that encompass both human societies and natural ecosystems, highlighting the interdependent relationship between them
Genuine Progress Indicator
A metric used to measure economic growth using social, environmental, and economic factors
Externality
A side effect or consequence of industrial/commercial activity that affects other parties, but is not reflected in the cost of the goods/service invovled. Ex. coal tailings from mining
Opportunity Cost
Represents the benefits that could have been gained from choosing an alternative course of action
Eugene Odom’s The New Ecology
Took a wholistic approach, systems are interconnected and we need to view them as such to truly conserve them, goes beyond individual and species level
Stable Isotopes
Chemical proxies that can be used to study past climates
The Keeling Curve
Key indicator of the acceleration of anthropogenic carbon emissions, CO2 measurements from Hawaii observatory
Primary Energy Source
Natural energy source that exists in raw form, ready for human use without need for transformation
Relative Concentration Pathways
climate change scenarios used to forecast climate change effects
The 4 R’s of Sustainable Nitrogen Fertilizer
Right source, right place, right rate, right time
Nitrogen Use Efficiency Equation
Used to asses quality of nitrogen fertilizer management, (N outputs)/(N inputs)
The Holocene
Climate period over the last 10,000 yrs with relatively small variations in temp
Climate Mitigation
Human intervention that reduces the sources or enhances the sinks of greenhouse gasses
Peak Oil
Describes the point of maximum production in an oil field
