Human Impact On The Environment Flashcards
Human population
The number of humans living on earth
Deforestation
When large areas of forest are destroyed to make way for non-forest use, such as farmland, housing and roads.
Extinct
An animal or plant is extinct when there are no more individuals of the species alive anywhere in the world.
Conservation
The protection and careful management of the earths natural resource to prevent living things from becoming extinct
Pollution
When harmful substances are added to the environment. There are three types of pollution; air, water and soil.
Desertification
When land becomes more acid (dry) causing plants to die and become lost from a habitat.
Enrichment
Fertilises may contain toxic chemicals that can poison organisms. If too much fertiliser is spread, nutrients can be washed off the soil and into nearby rivers and lakes, which often results in bloom of algae and a loss of oxygen from the water.
Littering
A form of pollution. The careless disposal of waste.
Greenhouse gases
Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that act like a blanket, trapping heat near the earths surface.
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases act like a blanket, trapping heat from the Sun near the Earth’s surface. This causes the Earth to become warmer.
Global warming
An increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere that causes climate change.
Climate change
Long-term changes in the Earth’s weather patterns. Commonly known as global warming.
Acid rain
Rainwater with a pH of less than 5.5. The burning of fossil fuels releases gases into the air that dissolve in the air’s moisture to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid. This falls back to Earth as acid rain.
