Key Terms Flashcards
Abiotic
Non living components of an ecosystem such as sunlight and water
Absolute poverty
An economic indicator which measures, for a given area, the number of people who live below a certain level of income.
Asian financial crisis
The Asian Financial Crisis saw the collapse of many Asian banks and the value of their stocks and shares in the late 1990s. Many countries were forced to restructure their economies and reduce their levels of debt.
Arid and semi-arid
Refer to conditions where rainfall is less than 250 mm and 500 mm of precipitation per year respectively.
Arête
A sharp ridge occurring between two corries/cirques or two glacial troughs.
Arable
Refers to land which can be used for the growing of crops.
Appropriate technology
Appropriate technology is seen as giving control of technology to individuals and communities at a local level rather than to the technocrats of large companies or governments; it is a people-centred technology.
AONB
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which operates in England and managed by Natural England on behalf of the UK government with the aim of conserving and enhancing the natural landscape.
Anticyclone
An area of high atmospheric pressure, characterised by descending air.
Anthropogenic
Caused by human activities.
Alpine
Found at high mountain altitudes.
Alien species
Alien species are those that have been introduced to a region, sometimes by accident and sometimes deliberately.
Albedo
A measure of reflectivity.
AIDS
A disease of the immune system (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
Aid
Help in the form or Financial, personnel, loans, equipment and skills. Often referring to help given to developing nations.
Agribusiness
Large scale farming aiming to maximise output and profit. It often consists of monocultures and factory farming of animals.
Agenda 21
This came out of the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and is summarised by the phrase “Thinking globally, acting locally”. It is a blueprint for environmental management of the Earth’s resources and encourages thinking and decision-making at a local level.
Active volcano
One which is in the process of erupting or showing signs that an eruption is imminent.
Active and Passive activities
Active leisure includes sport and also activities such as fell walking or non-competitive swimming. Passive leisure activities include just relaxing at home, such as watching television.
Acid rain
The increased acidity of rainfall and dry deposition as a result of human activity.
Accessibility A measure of the ease with which people can reach features (human and physical) in the wider environment.
A measure of the ease with which people can reach features (human and physical) in the wider environment.
Asthenosphere
A plastic, deformable layer of the upper mantle.
Avalanche
An Avalanche usually refers to a sudden downward movement of snow or ice in mountainous regions (though the word may sometimes be used for other materials).
Basal sliding
Basal sliding is a movement of a glacier as a result of melting, which lubricates the flow over the bed of the glacier.
Batholith
A large igneous intrusion.
Biocapacity
This is a useful measure of the earth’s carrying capacity as it shows the biological productivity of the land including cropland, pasture, forests and fisheries, and also built-up or degraded land.
