Final Flashcards
famine
extreme food insecurity
overnourished
Ingestion of too many calories and improper foods
undernourished
Lacking sufficient calories to be healthy
Malnourished
Lacking sufficient proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins or minerals
food security
Having access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food
Persistent pesticides
Linger in the environment for long pds. Of time
Insecticides
kill bugs
herbicide
kill weeds
broad spectrum pesticide
kills many diff. types of pests
Intercropping
2 or more crops are planted in the same field at the same time
monocropping
Planting a single species of variety
Crop rotation
Rotating the crops planted on a field from yr to yr
agroforestry
Interspersing trees w/ other crop plants
contour plowing
Plowing parallel to topographic contours
autumn crops
Planting crops that will grow in bet. Seasons so that land won’t be bare
No-till agriculture
Leaves crop residues on soil bet. Seasons
organic agriculture
The production of crops w/out the use of pesticides/ fertilizers
Aquaculture
The farming of aquatic organisms
Factory ships
stay at sea for long periods of time. process and freeze catch on board
Infill
material that fills in an unoccupied space
urban blight
the degration of the built and social environment of the city that often accompanies and accelerates migration to the suburbs
urban sprawl
Is the creation of urbanized areas that spread into rural areas and remove clear boundaries between the two
externality
A cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service
maximum sustainable yield
The maximum amount of a resource that can be harvested w/out compromising the future availability of the resource
clear cutting
Cutting all or nearly all the trees in the area
selective cutting
Removes single trees or relatively small numbers of trees from among many in a forest
subsurface mining
typically horizontal shaft tunneled into the side of a mountain, then vertical tunnels are drilled
erosion
is the physical removal of soil and rocks by wind, water, and ice by down slope creep under the force of gravity
Deposition
is the accumulation or depositing of eroded material
physical weathering
is the mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals
chemical weathering
occurs by the dissolving of minerals or direct chemical reactions with the elements found in the rocks
intrusive rock
forms within the Earth as magma rises and cools in place (slower)
extrusive rock
forms when magma is ejected and cools on Earth’s surface (quicker)
sedimentary rock
forms when sediments like muds, sands, or gravels are compressed by overlying sediments
o hold fossil records that provide a window into our past
igneous rock
formed directly from magma
metamorphic rock
formed when other rocks are subjected to high temperatures and pressures
o include marble, slate, and anthracite
passive solar
the use of the sun’s energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces
active solar
a system that uses energy from the sun to move water or air with pumps or fans
energy conservation
reduction in the amount of energy consumed in a process or system, or by an organization or society, through the economy, elimination of waste, and rational use.
Isotopes
An isotope is an atom with the same # of protons,but diff # of neutrons. Are diff. Forms or the same element.
placer mining
The obtaining of minerals from placers by washing or dredging
mountaintop removal
is a form of strip mining in which explosives are used to blast off the tops of mountains
strip mining
a type of surface mining that involves removing a thin layer of material known as overburden
open pit mining
a type of surface mining in which massive, usually metallic mineral deposits are removed by cutting benches in the walls of a broad, deep funnel-shaped excavation.
humus
is dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays
tailings
materials left over after extraction of valuable minerals from ore
epicenter
is the point on the Earth’s surface directly above where the earthquake occured
divergent pate boundary
two plates moving apart
convergent plate boundary
plates crush together
transform plate boundary
plates slide past each other
fossil fuel
hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals.
capacity factor
is the ratio of its actual output over a period of time, to its potential output if it were possible for it to operate at full capacity
capacity
The maximum amount that something can contain
cogeneration
is a method of energy conservation that involves the production of two types of energy at a single power plant
ions
An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.
fission
nucleus splits in two
narrow spectrum pesticide
kills only one or few pests in which it is intended for.
urban renewal
The redevelopment of areas within a large city
Levee
An embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river
Water table
The level below which the ground is completely saturated we water
which of the soil particles are the largest?
sand
a loam is made up of which soil particles?
sand, silt and clay particles.
why is it important that agricultural soils have clay in them?
because clay holds more nutrients and loses less when rainfall leaches.
what do we need soil for?
we need soil for growing plants
what is soil made up of?
minerals (rock, sand, clay, silt), air, water, and organic material.
humus
which type of mining is usually most harmful to miners?
mountaintop removal
fossil records are found in which type of rock?
sedimentary rock
from what source does the world get most of its energy?
the sun
what is low level radioactive waste?
radioactive waste consisting of objects that have been briefly exposed to radioactivity
the efficiency of generating electricity from coal is about 35%. this is an illustration of what natural law?
2nd law of thermodynamics
sulfur dioxide mixes with water in the air to form _______
sulfuric acid
what is accomplished in the process of flaring
burns off excess natural gas during oil production
a vitamin A deficiency causes _______
anemia
what is the primary energy source in the US?
oil
what changed in the Green Revolution?
it changed the way we grow food
as a farm’s output increases what happens to its cost of production?
they decline
what can you do on multiple use lands?
logging mining grazing mineral extracting maintain watershed preserve wildlife maintain scientific and historical value
what are wildlife refuges and wilderness areas managed for?
preserving large tracts of intact ecosystems
what are rangelands managed for?
grazing
what are national parks managed for?
recreation and conservation
what are national forests managed for?
timber harvesting
grazing
recreation
what does the bureau of land management manage for?
grazing
mining
timber harvesting
recreation
what are fertilizers used for?
are used to improved the growth and yield of crops
what are the advantages of using Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations?
minimizes land cost
Improves feeding efficiency
Increases the fraction of food energy that goes into the production of body mass
what are the disadvantages of using Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations?
Animals require antibiotics and nutrients
Animals dont get to move around much
what are the advantages of raising free range meat?
Animals are allowed to feed on the natural productivity of the land
Not as likely to spread disease
Fewer antibiotics and medications
Waste is dispersed over grazing land
what are the disadvantages of raising free range meat?
Requires more land higher costs of production
what is the goal of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
to minimize pesticide inputs
what are the advantages of irrigation?
Increases crop growth rates
Allows crops to be grown where they otherwise couldn’t
what are the disadvantages of irrigation?
- Deplete aquifers
- Saltwater intrusion
- Soil degradation
how does clear cutting damage the environment?
the area recedes
- reduces biodiversity
which federal agency manages US Wildlife Refuges?
US Fish and Wildlife Services
the policy of fire suppression had what ecological effect?
causes build up of fuel in forests
what happens to biodiversity when large areas of forest are planted with saplings of the same age?
it is reduced
how much of earths water is fresh water?
2.5%
water in glaciers and polar ice is ____________
fresh water
when water in an aquifer is under enough pressure that a pump is not required for it to reach the surface it is called an ________ well.
artesian
what are characteristics of a eutrophic lake?
high levels of nutrients
what are the effects of a drought?
crop failure political issues social issues death economic issues
what are the positive effects of floods?
Floods spread sediment containing beneficial nutrients to topsoil that might never arrive there otherwise
what is meant by efficiency in an irrigation system?
how well it works
the majority of the world’s freshwater is used for what?
agriculture and personal use
ethanol
- produced from corn and sugar cane
- US is the largest producer
- Brazil is 2nd
what substances can be used to make biodiesel?
vegetable oil
what are some examples of nondepletable energy sources?
wind
solar
geothermal
hydroelectricity
what is reverse osmosis?
A process by which a solvent passes through a porous membrane in the direction opposite to that for natural osmosis.
what is desalination?
the removal of salt
what is a dike?
A long wall or embankment built to prevent flooding from the sea
